Revival! (1)

“…if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7.14

Ministers of Scotland: Lectures on Revival
The Rev. John Bonar, Minister of Larbert and Dunipace
“Such being the nature of revival, it will not be difficult for us to appreciate the state of religion which most requires it – which at once demonstrates it as most needful, and yet declares it far away, unless it be brought nigh by much prayer and the outpouring of the Spirit in answer thereof.”

Revival is a work of God’s Spirit, in which believers and their churches are renewed in joyous experience of Christ, fervent love for His Word, and an earnest desire to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom to one and all. Revival comes when God’s Spirit moves suddenly and deeply upon a community of His people, bringing them to repentance, creating in them a hunger for more of God’s Word, and renewing them thoroughly from the inside-out. Revival does not come unless God’s people seek the Spirit, and prayer is the appropriate setting for this. God calls us to pray for revival. He has revived His people many times during the course of church history; and He has awakened significant, even astonishing, numbers of lost soul as His churches are revived and renewed. Let us not be found among those who insist that revival is “far away.” Rather, let us labor to bring it nigh with prayer, eagerly looking for a fresh upwelling and outpouring of God’s Spirit.

Do you pray regularly for God to send revival? Do you lead your church to pray for revival? Do you expect revival to come apart from praying for it, specifically, repeatedly, earnestly, and with your fellow believers?

Preparing for Revival
Prayer is the place to begin in seeking revival. Join with other men to pray online monthly, using the Word of God to guide our prayers. We’re looking for men who will commit to seeking the Lord for revival together. If you’re interested, write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I’ll give you a list of available times. Or we can discuss beginning a new group to pray for revival at a more suitable time.

To help you in preparing for revival, we have two brief books that won’t take you more than an hour to read. Preparing Your Church for Revival tells you what to expect as the Lord begins to move, and shows you how to get ready even now (click here). Restore Us! provides the rationale and means for praying together for revival. It includes 12 psalms to guide your times of praying together (click here).

All quotations in this series are taken from Ministers of Scotland,Lectures on Revival, Richard Owen Roberts, ed. (Wheaton: Richard Owen Roberts, Publishers, 1980). Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.