A friend says she strongly desires a sense of God’s presence. Others are deeply concerned, even fearful, of the spiritual vacuum in the world. More positive news is that many churches are overflowing with people seeking answers as our world gets messy with much sin and selfish attitudes and actions.
Today’s devotional reading is about one revival at the turn of the last century. It reminded me again that praying for revival is vital and needed, not only beginning with the people of God as some of them seem oblivious to that need, but for the millions who have ignored God and are suffering the consequences.
The Bible offers ways to pray for revival using God’s words to do it. One list (LINK) helps me and shows that revival begins in my own heart. These verses list how I can pray:
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23-24)Some verses need to be personalized by changing the pronouns as I pray, such as Psalm 51:1-10 for myself and Daniel 9 on behalf of all God’s people. Another passage is a lament for the state of my heart and for those who are experiencing sorrow and grief over the situations in their own lives and in their part of the world. It too can be paraphrased…
As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation… (Psalm 42:1–5)
Father, I feel no peace and I’ve forgotten what it is to be joyful and prosperous. I feel as if all the goodness is gone from my life, everything I’d hoped to receive from You. I’ve been wandering and afflicted. I have experienced bitterness and pain. My soul is heavy and sad because of my sin and the sinful state of those around me. And yet, I know there is still hope. I know that Your love is so great, I won’t be overtaken by this fallen world. Your love never fails. Your compassion is new every day. Great is Your faithfulness! You are my portion in this life. I will wait humbly for Your deliverance, in the name of Jesus. Amen. (Lamentations 3:17-24)Others are praying too, from well-known Christian leaders to unknown prayer warriors.Billy Graham prayed this way in 1997, a model for my prayers:
“Lord… remind us today that You have shown us what is good in what You require of us; to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God. We ask that as a people, we may humble ourselves before You and seek Your will for our lives and for this great nation. Help us in our nation to work as never before to strengthen our families and to give our children hope and a moral foundation for the future. So may our desire be to serve You, and in so doing, serve one another. This we pray in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”I can pray simple yet bold prayers because of NT verses like this: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) I can also pray not just for my own heart but the revival need in my church and in all of God's people. I can also use song lyrics as prayer, hymns like “Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart” and “Revive Us, Again” and “Shine, Jesus, Shine.”
PRAY: Jesus, it is easier to talk/write about prayer than praying. That is only one revival need in my own heart. I’m leaving my desk to cry out to You about these things…
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