Thoughts About Spiritual Awakening/ Revival

For roughly the past fifteen years or so, there has been a prayer movement in America asking the Lord to send national awakening/revival to America. There have been prayer meetings at historic sites of past revivals, a small mini-awakening in 1995 focused largely on a few college and Seminary campuses, a small local revival last year at one college in my home state of Kentucky, the Experiencing God movement, the Promise Keepers movement, the 40 Days of Purpose movement, the Passion movement, and many others I could name. These have all been positive for American Christianity, and yet the nation as a whole has not been touched by the kind of true awakening/revival Christians have been praying for at this time.

Why?

This is not an easy answer. Obviously, the Arminian Charles Finney has been proven wrong in his belief that man can manipulate things to the point that God has to send awakening/revival. Otherwise, there is no reason why we would not be seeing it as many American Christians have done their best in this area. Yet, some Calvinistic believers seem too passive in their "it's just a sovereign act of God whenever he wants to do it" belief. If that is true, then it appears that God is being cruel to those who desire awakening/revival by refusing to send it (I am only following this argument to a natural conclusion - this is not my personal belief).

I believe that it is probable that God is eager to send awakening/revival to America but is soveriengly withholding it at this time for 3 possible reasons: one is that American Christians are not prepared to handle it right now, another is that some of us are praying for it with the wrong motives, and the third is that it is not quite God's timing for it just yet.

For Point One: Can we honestly admit that our churches (as a whole) are in good enough shape to properly disciple a sudeen influx of new converts? This confirms that we need the revival (renewal of spiritual vitality in Christians) before we get the awakening (huge numbers of salvations). As well, I'm not sure that our pastors and other staff people are prepared to handle the revival of their people even. Revival, it would seem needs to start there, before it hits the people in the pew. Too many pastors are more concerned about their golf games, home remodling projects, the 2008 Presidential race, or whatever else, than about their people being revived. However, I must admit that many (if not all) past revival movements have almost totally bypassed the clergy of their day (i.e. Wesley and Whitefield faced great hostility from the established clergy).

For Point Two: I think we may be too selfish in our prayers. MANY OF US SEEM TO WANT REVIVAL TO MAKE US FEEL GOOD RATHER THAN ACCOMPLISH WHAT GOD WANTS.
And, most convicting of all, when we pray for revival, we want it for "everyone else" and not really for ourselves. I think I've been guilty of this. God isn't going to answer a prayer for revival based on our selfish desires rather than on it accomplishing his purposes.

For Point Three: God's timing is frequently mysterious to us. Why he made the Israelites be slaves in Egypt for 400 years rather than just 200 is a good question we can't answer fully. Why didn't the first Great Awakening impact France as well England and America. Surely we could have been spared the French Revolution had that happened. In short, there is a limit to our understanding of God's timing and perhaps revival is being delayed for a timing reason known only to God.

I am not a prophet and I don't claim to know God's mind. I don't know for certain the three reasons I have cited above are really true or not in our current case. All I can say is this: Check your priorities - is God really first in your life? Check your motives - Why are you praying for revival? Prepare for what to do when revival comes? Are you ready to do God's work when it hits? Trust your God - he will answer our prayers for revival in his timing.