Then we will not turn away from you. Revive us, and we will call upon your name. Restore us, Oh Yahweh God of Armies.
Anyone in need of a good revival?
Goodness, have I felt that! In the wake of my son’s birth, I felt strangely both nearer and farther from God than ever. Think of it like a friend you’ve known all your life, but then something happens that makes you understand and relate to them on a deeper level than you ever have before. Your heart aches to get in touch with them and share the intimacy of that understanding, but, well, they live halfway across the country now, and you’re both so busy with lives, jobs, families, and you keep playing phone tag and, and, and…
That’s what it was like for me. I understood the heart of God more than ever when I became a parent, yet finding time for the sort of deep soul-to-soul, meditative connection and reflection with Him that was so much easier before I had a mobile baby to keep an eye on…yeah, I was missing that.
I think this is something a lot of us feel…and it’s no coincidence, either. As days grow darker and times are harder, we have more, not less, that tries to monopolize our focus and prevent us from a soul-revival with the Lord. The enemy knows that with a lack of refreshment and revival, one becomes weary and taxed; that makes it so much easier to turn away from God because we just lack the dedication for the fight, to focus on Him and make time for Him. And how do we find restoration when all we’ve got time for after another grueling day is a fast-food meal, some veg time on the couch, and the warm embrace of our beds?
We need a revival. Nationally, worldwide, and personally. I don’t know about you, but my heart is crying out to God—for focus, for energy, for peace, for revival. I want to throw off the shackles of busyness and distractedness and fretfulness and rest in Him. I want to call on His name with the same passion my son calls out for me with when he decides playtime is over and we need to reconnect…desperately, wholeheartedly.
I want to be restored from this distracted, despairing creature I’ve become to the daughter who trusted Him and listened keenly for His voice to guide her.
If you feel the same, then join me in praying with a psalmist’s fervor and a child’s passion. Let’s lift up our voices for revival. Let’s turn ourselves away from mere relaxation, to restoration—something far more enduring and whole. Let’s prioritize hearing, experiencing, and being with God over simply being. And let’s prepare our hearts for the revival that comes when we seek Him with all our strength!
Revive us, Yahweh God!
