Revival! (4)

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9.24

Ministers of Scotland: Lectures on Revival VI
The Rev. Alexander Cumming, Minister of Dunbarney Parish
“If benefits of vast magnitude are to be bestowed, they must therefore be preceded by prayers of fervid pathos; and God often delays an answer to supplication, not that he despises the anxious voice of our humble entreaty, but because he waits till our desires gain an accession of strength, and are somewhat commensurate to the vastness of the mercy that is stored up for us; and for this purpose he sometimes circles us with an array of troubles, that they may enhance the frequency and earnestness of our addresses to the throne of grace.”

“How bad do you want it?!” If I’ve heard one coach shout that in my face while he was working me to a near-death experience, I’ve heard two dozen. If you want big results, you need to make big exertions. Got it. But there’s something to that: The coach wants me to play, wants me to play really well, and wants to see that I’m really devoted to the team. So more sprints or drills or whatever, to prove my zeal for good old alma mater! Is it so unthinkable that the Lord might look at our prayers in a similar way? Is He waiting for “an accession of strength” in our prayers, before He pours forth “the mercy that is stored up for us”? And if we truly desire those mercies of revival, renewal, and awakening, are we willing to exert ourselves in prayer, until God showers us anew? How bad(ly) do we want revival, and how strong is our desire for Him to do what only He can do?

How badly do you want to see the Lord bring revival to your church and community?

Preparing for Revival
Maybe the place to begin in seeking the Lord for revival is to admit that we just don’t believe it can happen. The tares of worldliness are flourishing all around, and they don’t seem much interested in spiritual things. Meanwhile, it’s all we can do to keep up with the weekly work load. But while may lack the faith to believe the Lord for revival, He can help that unbelief if we cry fervently to Him in prayer: “Help my unbelief?”

Join us online once a month to pray for revival. Surely you can spare 30 minutes, once a month, to join with other pastors and church leaders to seek the Lord for revival, according to His Word? 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.