Revive us, O LORD
We are living in an age where everything seems to be falling apart all around us, our once Christian nation and her national church have tragically departed from the Christian faith to such an extent that there is no longer any strong Gospel voice. The British church desperately needs a revival. The word ‘revival’ has often been used lightly or more generally over the years, but it has been so long since we have seen a move of God in the United Kingdom, that it is almost impossible to imagine what it would look like.
So what is a revival? What would it look like and how would we pray for it?
A good place to start is with Scripture itself and Psalm 85, which is the most beautiful prayer for revival. It is a petition before God to turn once again to His people, and to turn their hearts back towards Him. It is a prayer from a very deep place of longing for God to act. Revival is often preceded by prayers like Psalm 85, it is where the worshipper comes before God and petitions Him to do something in the Church. Revival has to do with the church first and foremost, how is the nation to be reached for Christ if the church is weak and moribund?
It is to pray “Lord, please do something, would You move in power and change hearts and minds.”
We need a move of the Holy Spirit in the church and in the nation, a shaking in the deepest part our hearts, a weeping and grieving over our sin and a longing for God Himself.
Psalm 85 provides us with a model for praying for God to revive His church.
RESTORE US
“Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?” (Psalm 85:4-5 ESV)
At the beginning of his prayer the Psalmist reminds the Lord of how He was once favourable to His land, how He restored the fortunes of Jacob, turning away from His wrath and hot anger and forgave the people their sins. Scripture and church history is full of examples of God restoring His people, the word restore means to ‘bring back, return or re-establish’ - for something to be returned to its former glory.
True revival has to do with repentance, a turning away from sin and pleading with God for forgiveness. The Psalmist is asking God to turn the hearts of His people back to Him, he is saying “would you make us to repent, O God!” We may hear of encouraging signs of spiritual life, reports of increase in church attendance or professions of faith. However, true revival is not merely a new found interest in God or spiritual things, neither is it just a search for deeper meaning or peace in life. It is rather, the conviction of sin and the desire for peace with God. The sinner is awakened to the great spiritual danger that they are in, they see themselves hanging over the fire of hell by a thread, and they cry out to God to rescue them.
REVIVE US
“Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” (Psalm 85:6 ESV)
The psalmist prays with confidence that the Lord will come in power to save. Likewise, we need the power of God to revive us. In many places the modern church has become moribund, weak and dying. The heart of the British church has cooled, we are often so easily distracted, prayerless, and divided in our hearts. Only God alone can save us, but we know that He has done it before and trust that He will do it again. So we pray with conviction and urgency:
“Lord, rescue us! Revive Your Church! Make us desire to pray with a new zeal and hunger.”
A true revival has to do with the hearts of the people of God being moved back to Him, there is a hunger and longing for God.
The prophet Isaiah raised up ‘watchmen,’ those who had a zeal and urgency in intercessory prayer:
“On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 42:6-7 ESV)
What if God was to give us that kind of zeal and passion in prayer? Imagine what God might do in our churches and communities with just a small group of the faithful regularly contending with God to revive the church.
The psalmist is praying for a change of desires, a change of affections and a warming of a cold, dead heart. He is praying for a people who are divided in their hearts, they are compromised with one foot in the world and the other in the church. There is syncretism and idolatry, they are distracted and overly concerned about worldly things. The Psalmist has to pray this for the people of God, because fallen humans are incapable of stirring up the affections of our hearts for Christ, it is only by the Holy Spirit that we can have our hearts set on fire for Him.
REDEEM US
“Show us Your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us Your salvation.” (Psalm 85:7 ESV)
The psalmist also prays for the salvation of the people.
At the heart of the Christian message is the salvation of the sinner - the steadfast love of the Lord. God has sent His beloved Son Jesus Christ into the world and to the Cross for our salvation. A repentant sinner prays “grant me Your salvation,” this salvation is freely offered and gratefully received by the repentant sinner. Over the years, we have seen various celebrities and people in the public eye make professions of faith to the great hope and excitement of many believers. Whilst I would not wish to appear cynical, I would always have my reservations for two main reasons:
Firstly, any true conversion has to be accompanied by genuine conviction of sin and a confession of it. The recognition that the person has sinned against God in word, thought and deed and needs salvation in Christ alone.
Secondly, any true conversion has to be accompanied by a genuine repentance and faith - a turning away from sin and the fruits of sanctification in the life of the believer.
The truth is that anyone can profess a faith in Christ, that’s the easy part! However, very few can pick up their cross and follow after Him. Many will profess Christ and yet still continue down the broad road. After all, Jesus Himself warns that “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matt 7:14) The proof of a sinner that has been truly saved will only be seen over time, the one who endures to the end will be saved. (Matt 24:13)
RECONCILE US
“Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.”
(Psalm 85:10 ESV)
Lastly, the Psalmist prays “reconcile us.” Our great need is not just to have our sins forgiven, but for the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father with whom we have been reconciled.
At the Cross, the great attributes of God meet, His steadfast love and His faithfulness. This is the answer to prayer that the Psalmist hopes and trusts in, the steadfast love (or ‘lovingkindness’) of God and faithfulness go hand in hand to fulfil the promises of God. At the same time, righteousness and peace kiss each other. It is a curious and rather mysterious turn of phrase, and yet it is exactly what happens at the Cross of Christ. The perfect righteousness of a holy God is poured out in punishment on the sinless Son of God, who drank the full wrath of God on the Cross in our place, so that sinners could have peace with God through faith in His Son’s atoning death on the Cross.
A true revival has to do with sinners being reconciled with God, prodigals who dared not hope for anything from God, only to find that He runs to embrace and kiss them. Righteousness and peace kiss each other, so that we would be embraced and kissed by the Father. How we long to see God move once again, and in Psalm 85 we have a prayer that has everything we need to cry out to God to move in power in the church and in the nation: Restore us, revive us, redeem us and reconcile us.
Revive us O LORD, that Your people would rejoice in You.