Lord, Send a Revival
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14.
When Dwight D. Eisenhower took the oath of office as president of the United States, he requested that one of the Bibles used for the occasion be opened to this passage in Second Chronicles. He was impressed with the importance of this Scriptural promise and admonition, and wanted to place his hand upon it as he took his oath of office.
These words state God's requirement for a revival. We do well to examine them carefully so that we may rightfully claim their promise.
This statement is definitely directed to a people called by God's name. In our day we would call them Christians or, to be more specific, those who are saved. It is with this group the decision rests as to whether or not a revival is to come.
The words "if" and "then" mark a simple but effective twofold division of the verse.
"If"
Many of God's promises begin with the short but arresting word "if". He who would lay claim to what is promised must be careful to meet the requirements of the "if". In this verse, God's "if" introduces four definite requirements which must be met to His satisfaction if a revival is to come.
HUMILITY
The first of these requirements is humility. "If my people . . . humble themselves.'' This is the starting point. It is not a popular place in our day. Our nature rebels at the very thought of humility. Many have by-passed it in seeking a revival, and have received nothing.
He who would be humble must deal with his own sins. Nothing so humiliates an individual as having to confess his sin and seek forgiveness for it. To face God and fellow men and admit our wrong- doings is the death blow to our wicked nature. This is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you'' (Colossians 3:5) . James, in his letter, put it this way, "Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you'' (James 4:10) . I know of no humility apart from the confession of sins. Do you?
The starting point for a revival is indeed a lowly place. It takes the grace of God to humble our- selves. We do not mind being used of God to humble others but we hesitate and rebel when the same medicine is applied to us. Our text, however, states that God's people are to humble "themselves."
PRAYER
The second requirement for a revival is prayer. "If my people . . . pray." He who truly humbles himself before God will find that his only avenue of escape is prayer. The road of humility always leads to sincere prayer.
Attempts have been made to bring Christians together to pray for a revival without first asking that they humble themselves. To all such, God's Word says, "Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he does not hear''
(Isaiah 59:2).
The prayers God wants to hear are those that come from "a broken spirit." As the psalmist said, "A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise'' (Psalm 51:17) . He who prays after being humbled by repentance is sympathetic and under- standing. His cold, critical heart has become mellow and tender toward others, and he is in a condition to know how to pray.
The prayer referred to in this text is united prayer. God said, "My people" -not only one or two denominations but all who belong to His people. Regardless of differences in doctrines, prayer "that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord'' (Acts 3:19) should surely be certain ground on which all God's people can meet. We have no right to classify ourselves as "God's people'' if we do not find common interests here.
Prayer and revival cannot be separated, f or prayer always, with no exceptions, ushers in "times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord." Our great need for this hour is to get God's people together for prayer. The promise still stands, "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son'' (John 14:13).
READING GOD'S WORD
The third requirement for a revival is suggested by the words, "If my people . . . seek my face." It is a faithful use of the Word. "Seek my face," God says. He who would look into the inner soul of a man must do so by beholding his face. The face reflects the personality as no other part of the body can do.
We who would seek God's face must do so by be- holding Jesus Christ. God's beauty is revealed in Jesus as in no other way. Therefore, he who has experienced Jesus as his Saviour has in a very true sense beheld God's face.
There is only one place where we can find God's face today and that is in the Bible. Here, and only here, has God seen fit to reveal Himself to us human beings. It is true that "the heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork'' (Psalm 19:1) ; but a personal revelation of God comes not through the heavens or the firmament but only through the inspired Word of God. Therefore, he who would seek God's face must turn to the sacred scriptures.
Times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord never come apart from the searching of God's Word. Rather, every time there has been a mighty moving of God's Spirit, the Word of God has been given pre-eminence. The Pentecostal blessing came as the disciples preached the words of the prophet Joel. The Nineveh awakening came when Jonah obeyed God's command to proclaim to Nineveh "the message that I tell you'' (Jonah 3:2) . The blessing that came to Judah under the leadership of King Josiah was the result of finding and reading the neglected Word of God. The next revival that will come to this earth will be preceded by the searching of the Scriptures on the part of some earnest, God-fearing people.
It is an adventure to seek God's face by means of His Word. One stands amazed time and again as God speaks and reveals Himself. Then the Bible becomes an interesting and gripping book that satisfies the earnest seeker.
Has the Bible become uninteresting to you? Do you let days and weeks go by without reading it? Have you made feverish attempts to read it but somehow been unable to become interested in it? If so, there is something wrong with you. You have sinned grievously against God by this attitude. Confess your indifference as sin and ask God to create in you an appetite for His eternal Word. Go to the Word again and pray for grace really to seek God's f ace. You will find that the happiest moments you can spend on earth are those you spend meeting God face to face in His Word. ''Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied'' (Matthew 5:6).
REPENTANCE
The fourth requirement for a revival is that God's people shall "turn from their wicked ways." He who searches the Scriptures will soon discover how many "wicked ways" he has. To live apart from the Word leaves us ignorant of our sinfulness; to live in the Word is to have our condition revealed as God sees it.
To turn means to repent. Repentance is not some- thing we ourselves can bring about, but is a blessing that God bestows on those who seek Him. Paul wrote Timothy, asking that he correct his opponents, and declared, "God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth" (2 Timothy 2:25). Repentance, then, is a gift from God, a gift that He gladly gives to those who seek His face.
Times of refreshing come only after there has been a turning from "wicked ways." Not from one wicked way, we note, but from wicked ways - that is, all of them. That means not only confessing sin but also forsaking sin. "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy'' (Proverbs 28:13) Too often sins are merely confessed but not forsaken. To confess sins and not forsake them is mockery. We are given this warning in 1 Peter 1:15 : "As he who called you is holy, be holy your- selves in all your conduct." God refuses to send a revival to people who cling to sin. He has said, "Your sins have kept good from you'' (Jer. 5:25).
A striking definition of repentance are the words in 2 Corinthians 7:11, in which Paul describes the attitude of the Corinthians after they had repented: "For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment!" The repentance here described is the kind that will permit God to send a revival.
"Then"
The second division of the text begins with the little word "then." There is no short cut to this part of the verse, for he who would claim the promise must first meet the fourfold condition that preceded it. The first part of the verse sets forth what God expects of us and the second states what we may expect of Him if we meet His conditions.
There are three things God promises to do for His people who obey His fourfold demands.
GOD WILL HEAR
First, "I will hear from heaven." This is how we may have a hearing with God. Our many prayers will not bring down a blessing from God. This blessing will come when we have allowed Him to prepare our hearts to receive it. As soon as we are prepared, the blessing will come. The Pentecostal blessings came at the third hour of the tenth day of prayer. It took the disciples that long to get ready to receive what God had for them. God is ready now to shower upon us "an overflowing blessing'' (Malachi 3 :10) .
GOD WILL FORGIVE
God's second promise is, "I will forgive their sin." The failures of the past will be forgiven and forgotten as far as God is concerned.
It is wonderful that there are such promises in the Bible. No one need be discouraged because of his past sins. God promises that He will forgive our sins. The greatest news that can reach a person is that his sins are forgiven. Before the prophet Isaiah began his great service for the Lord, he heard the words, "Your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven'' (Isaiah 6:8) . No one who has not been given this assurance is prepared to serve the Lord. Revival clouds withhold their blessings until God's people are cleansed.
GOD WILL HEAL
In the third place, God promises, "I will heal their land." The blessings referred to here are far- reaching. God's favor falls not only on those whom He calls "my people," but on the entire land. When God sends forth spiritual blessings in revival proportions, the benefits of these blessings flow out like a flood. God never sends a revival to some select group of people who selfishly try to channel the blessing for themselves. Rather, God's revivals are as free as the wind. Jesus said, "The wind blows where it wills and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes: so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit'' (John 3:8) . God always directs His own revivals.
Our God is very definite. He has laid down four requirements f or a revival: humility, prayer, searching the Word, and repentance. When these requirements are met, He promises a threefold blessing: the hearing of prayer, the forgiveness of sin, and the healing of the land. God's requirements are definite and His promises far-reaching. Their combination will bring "times of refreshing from the presence of the lord."
God is ready to send the spiritual rain. What is your answer to His proposal? Zechariah admonished wisely when he wrote, "Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, who gives men showers of rain, to every one the vegetation in the field'' (Zachariah 10 :1) .
If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14.
When Dwight D. Eisenhower took the oath of office as president of the United States, he requested that one of the Bibles used for the occasion be opened to this passage in Second Chronicles. He was impressed with the importance of this Scriptural promise and admonition, and wanted to place his hand upon it as he took his oath of office.
These words state God's requirement for a revival. We do well to examine them carefully so that we may rightfully claim their promise.
This statement is definitely directed to a people called by God's name. In our day we would call them Christians or, to be more specific, those who are saved. It is with this group the decision rests as to whether or not a revival is to come.
The words "if" and "then" mark a simple but effective twofold division of the verse.
"If"
Many of God's promises begin with the short but arresting word "if". He who would lay claim to what is promised must be careful to meet the requirements of the "if". In this verse, God's "if" introduces four definite requirements which must be met to His satisfaction if a revival is to come.
HUMILITY
The first of these requirements is humility. "If my people . . . humble themselves.'' This is the starting point. It is not a popular place in our day. Our nature rebels at the very thought of humility. Many have by-passed it in seeking a revival, and have received nothing.
He who would be humble must deal with his own sins. Nothing so humiliates an individual as having to confess his sin and seek forgiveness for it. To face God and fellow men and admit our wrong- doings is the death blow to our wicked nature. This is what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote, "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you'' (Colossians 3:5) . James, in his letter, put it this way, "Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you'' (James 4:10) . I know of no humility apart from the confession of sins. Do you?
The starting point for a revival is indeed a lowly place. It takes the grace of God to humble our- selves. We do not mind being used of God to humble others but we hesitate and rebel when the same medicine is applied to us. Our text, however, states that God's people are to humble "themselves."
PRAYER
The second requirement for a revival is prayer. "If my people . . . pray." He who truly humbles himself before God will find that his only avenue of escape is prayer. The road of humility always leads to sincere prayer.
Attempts have been made to bring Christians together to pray for a revival without first asking that they humble themselves. To all such, God's Word says, "Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he does not hear''
(Isaiah 59:2).
The prayers God wants to hear are those that come from "a broken spirit." As the psalmist said, "A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise'' (Psalm 51:17) . He who prays after being humbled by repentance is sympathetic and under- standing. His cold, critical heart has become mellow and tender toward others, and he is in a condition to know how to pray.
The prayer referred to in this text is united prayer. God said, "My people" -not only one or two denominations but all who belong to His people. Regardless of differences in doctrines, prayer "that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord'' (Acts 3:19) should surely be certain ground on which all God's people can meet. We have no right to classify ourselves as "God's people'' if we do not find common interests here.
Prayer and revival cannot be separated, f or prayer always, with no exceptions, ushers in "times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord." Our great need for this hour is to get God's people together for prayer. The promise still stands, "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son'' (John 14:13).
READING GOD'S WORD
The third requirement for a revival is suggested by the words, "If my people . . . seek my face." It is a faithful use of the Word. "Seek my face," God says. He who would look into the inner soul of a man must do so by beholding his face. The face reflects the personality as no other part of the body can do.
We who would seek God's face must do so by be- holding Jesus Christ. God's beauty is revealed in Jesus as in no other way. Therefore, he who has experienced Jesus as his Saviour has in a very true sense beheld God's face.
There is only one place where we can find God's face today and that is in the Bible. Here, and only here, has God seen fit to reveal Himself to us human beings. It is true that "the heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork'' (Psalm 19:1) ; but a personal revelation of God comes not through the heavens or the firmament but only through the inspired Word of God. Therefore, he who would seek God's face must turn to the sacred scriptures.
Times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord never come apart from the searching of God's Word. Rather, every time there has been a mighty moving of God's Spirit, the Word of God has been given pre-eminence. The Pentecostal blessing came as the disciples preached the words of the prophet Joel. The Nineveh awakening came when Jonah obeyed God's command to proclaim to Nineveh "the message that I tell you'' (Jonah 3:2) . The blessing that came to Judah under the leadership of King Josiah was the result of finding and reading the neglected Word of God. The next revival that will come to this earth will be preceded by the searching of the Scriptures on the part of some earnest, God-fearing people.
It is an adventure to seek God's face by means of His Word. One stands amazed time and again as God speaks and reveals Himself. Then the Bible becomes an interesting and gripping book that satisfies the earnest seeker.
Has the Bible become uninteresting to you? Do you let days and weeks go by without reading it? Have you made feverish attempts to read it but somehow been unable to become interested in it? If so, there is something wrong with you. You have sinned grievously against God by this attitude. Confess your indifference as sin and ask God to create in you an appetite for His eternal Word. Go to the Word again and pray for grace really to seek God's f ace. You will find that the happiest moments you can spend on earth are those you spend meeting God face to face in His Word. ''Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied'' (Matthew 5:6).
REPENTANCE
The fourth requirement for a revival is that God's people shall "turn from their wicked ways." He who searches the Scriptures will soon discover how many "wicked ways" he has. To live apart from the Word leaves us ignorant of our sinfulness; to live in the Word is to have our condition revealed as God sees it.
To turn means to repent. Repentance is not some- thing we ourselves can bring about, but is a blessing that God bestows on those who seek Him. Paul wrote Timothy, asking that he correct his opponents, and declared, "God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth" (2 Timothy 2:25). Repentance, then, is a gift from God, a gift that He gladly gives to those who seek His face.
Times of refreshing come only after there has been a turning from "wicked ways." Not from one wicked way, we note, but from wicked ways - that is, all of them. That means not only confessing sin but also forsaking sin. "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy'' (Proverbs 28:13) Too often sins are merely confessed but not forsaken. To confess sins and not forsake them is mockery. We are given this warning in 1 Peter 1:15 : "As he who called you is holy, be holy your- selves in all your conduct." God refuses to send a revival to people who cling to sin. He has said, "Your sins have kept good from you'' (Jer. 5:25).
A striking definition of repentance are the words in 2 Corinthians 7:11, in which Paul describes the attitude of the Corinthians after they had repented: "For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment!" The repentance here described is the kind that will permit God to send a revival.
"Then"
The second division of the text begins with the little word "then." There is no short cut to this part of the verse, for he who would claim the promise must first meet the fourfold condition that preceded it. The first part of the verse sets forth what God expects of us and the second states what we may expect of Him if we meet His conditions.
There are three things God promises to do for His people who obey His fourfold demands.
GOD WILL HEAR
First, "I will hear from heaven." This is how we may have a hearing with God. Our many prayers will not bring down a blessing from God. This blessing will come when we have allowed Him to prepare our hearts to receive it. As soon as we are prepared, the blessing will come. The Pentecostal blessings came at the third hour of the tenth day of prayer. It took the disciples that long to get ready to receive what God had for them. God is ready now to shower upon us "an overflowing blessing'' (Malachi 3 :10) .
GOD WILL FORGIVE
God's second promise is, "I will forgive their sin." The failures of the past will be forgiven and forgotten as far as God is concerned.
It is wonderful that there are such promises in the Bible. No one need be discouraged because of his past sins. God promises that He will forgive our sins. The greatest news that can reach a person is that his sins are forgiven. Before the prophet Isaiah began his great service for the Lord, he heard the words, "Your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven'' (Isaiah 6:8) . No one who has not been given this assurance is prepared to serve the Lord. Revival clouds withhold their blessings until God's people are cleansed.
GOD WILL HEAL
In the third place, God promises, "I will heal their land." The blessings referred to here are far- reaching. God's favor falls not only on those whom He calls "my people," but on the entire land. When God sends forth spiritual blessings in revival proportions, the benefits of these blessings flow out like a flood. God never sends a revival to some select group of people who selfishly try to channel the blessing for themselves. Rather, God's revivals are as free as the wind. Jesus said, "The wind blows where it wills and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes: so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit'' (John 3:8) . God always directs His own revivals.
Our God is very definite. He has laid down four requirements f or a revival: humility, prayer, searching the Word, and repentance. When these requirements are met, He promises a threefold blessing: the hearing of prayer, the forgiveness of sin, and the healing of the land. God's requirements are definite and His promises far-reaching. Their combination will bring "times of refreshing from the presence of the lord."
God is ready to send the spiritual rain. What is your answer to His proposal? Zechariah admonished wisely when he wrote, "Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, who gives men showers of rain, to every one the vegetation in the field'' (Zachariah 10 :1) .
No comments:
Post a Comment