Revival! (4)

“The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst.
I, the LORD, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. Isaiah 41.17

Ministers of Scotland: Lectures on Revival VI
The Rev. Alexander Cumming, Minister of Dunbarney Parish
“Men under impression that there is no water, that is, feeling the comparative destitution of living water, will pray with an earnestness, painted by the tongue failing for thirst, and then a prodigal supply of living water will be granted to enrich and irrigate parched spots. And why will the God of Israel postpone the descent of the living water till this perception of moral desolation prompts such intense prayer? ‘that men may see and know and consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.’ That is, that the moral transformation wrought on multitudes of mankind may be ascribed not to the eloquence or wisdom of man, but to the might of God’s outstretched arm.”

I suspect that most Christians today are fairly satisfied with the state of their faith. They have a “good enough” experience of Jesus and they’re not really thirsting for much more. But the job of pastors is to help people realize that splashing around in the mud puddle of faith is nothing compared with sailing on the ocean of God’s grace and power (Lewis). We must whet the appetites of our people for a greater experience of the Lord’s reviving power, by setting before them plainly what full and abundant life in Christ can look like, increasingly, in their lives, and in our world. When we show them the joy and pleasure and goodness that abound in the Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit, then they will desire that life, and seek it more fervently in prayer. And as they do, the might of God will begin to stretch out toward them in revival, renewal, and awakening.

Would you say that your preaching, teaching, and other ministries hold out a vision of “exceedingly abundantly more” for your people and your church?

Preparing for Revival
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.