The New Year is a great time to begin to pray for personal revival. Simply ask God to “revive you again”. Take this scripture to Him and ask it as a gift for yourself.

Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? -Psalm 85:6

That is how the psalmist felt in several of the psalms in the Bible (Psalms 10, 12, 77 for example).

When you feel overwhelmed and desperate, it is ok to cry out to the Lord. Tell Him exactly how you feel. Be real. (He knows anyway, but you will feel better when you tell Him.)

Then it is wise to remember the good and righteous things He has done for you already. List them and thank Him. Tell Him politely that you are looking for His good again.

Exercise:

Read Psalm 77 then tell God about the most troubling thing going on in your life right now. List the good things He’s done, then look to Him for help.

Psalm 77

¹I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

²In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.

³I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.

⁴Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

⁵I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.

⁶I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

⁷Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?

⁸Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?

⁹Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

¹⁰And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.

¹¹I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

¹²I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

¹³Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

¹⁴Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.

¹⁵Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

¹⁶The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.

¹⁷The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.

¹⁸The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.

¹⁹Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.

²⁰Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.  (King James Version, biblegateway.com)

Don’t rest from your work, work from your rest.

That could mean a bunch of different things, but when I read it, it speaks to me of this verse:

For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength  (Isaiah 30:15, biblegateway.com)

Returning: to Who? God

Rest: How? in prayer and waiting

Quietness: Why? in order to listen and hear His voice

Confidence: in Whom? if we were capable of doing what we must or surviving the latest trial, we wouldn’t need God. He puts us in positions where we use up our talents or wisdom and can only persevere by our confidence that He will do the work in and through us- and that He will be glorified

What happens next? We are saved and find strength.

Assignment: Pray about the places in life you feel stretched thin or worn out. Ask God about it. Meditate on Isaiah 30:15. What is it saying to you?

Back in 1720, the American colonies were in moral decline. Pastor Jonathan Edwards was greatly grieved by the condition of his church- the worldliness and dryness of his flock. He began to passionately pray for God to send revival.

One Sunday, God moved. Edwards was preaching his now-famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. Suddenly, the congregation fell in a great repentance and conversion. People were saved. Lives were changed.

The revival swept through the colonies. Thousands came to know the Lord or renew their walk with Him. The culture was changed- jails sat empty, pubs were neglected. People kept busy with their churches, their families, their work, and their devotion to God.

Several preachers traveled through the colonies, used by God to carry the Great Awakening. One of them was George Whitefield. He preached some of his most famous sermons in Philadelphia near what is now called Independence Hall.

Benjamin Franklin enjoyed Whitefield and brought his friend, Lawrence Tribble to hear him. After a moving sermon, Tribble went home and wrote a poem describing the movement of the Great Awakening.

One man wakes, awakens another.

The second one wakes his next door brother.

Three awake will rouse the town and turn the whole place upside down.

Many awake will cause such a fuss, it will finally waken all of us.

One man wakes with dawn in his eyes,

Truly then it multiplies.

What if we all took this poem and made it a prayer? We could pray it for our country: That folks would wake with dawn in their eyes, that God would multiply an awakening, a revival!

One of my favorite journals is Revive Magazine. It is dedicated to personal revival and renewal with God.

Revive talks about 2 types of revival: 

1) little “r” revival: when God personally does a special work in one person’s heart that leads to humility, repentance, forgiveness, obedience, and fervent prayer

2) big “R” revival: when the Holy Spirit sweeps through an area, transforming communities, regions, even nations 

Sometimes, when a group of little “r” revivals happen at once, it is a sign that God is preparing to work in a church, city, and/or nation.

We can’t make revival happen, but we all sure need one (who doesn’t?). Our nation and our world could benefit from some supernatural Divine intervention. We can’t make it happen but can make ourselves available. 

A good project to take on would be to pray for God to give you a picture of what personal revival would be like. Ask Him, “What would my life be like if I experienced a personal revival?”

Matthew 6:8

Did you ever pray a prayer that God answered so quickly that it was surprising?

I was at a meeting recently where someone shared about a need that had arisen quickly and without warning. It was a problem that was unsolvable without Devine intervention.

As soon as she found out about the problem, the phone rang and the answer was provided. (And the person who called had no idea about the problem!)

What a wonderful story and a praise to God!

Of course, often God has us wait for answers. He might be developing our character or fruit of the Spirit- or something else. That is good, too.

However He answers, glorifies Him.

Here’s a project to try:

Write down your needs- little and big. Pray about each and write the date.

When the answer comes, write down what the answer was and the date.

Then praise the Giver of Gifts!

The tough thing about Scripture is that it doesn’t have Vicki 1:1 for me to turn so that I can find out exactly what God is saying to me. I would love to have some direct written guidance: “Thus saith the Lord: Vicki, thou shalt take the car in for major repairs and not just trade it in for a newer car.”

Oh well.

However, God does actually make His will very clear. Here it is:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5: 16-18 NIV biblegateway.com.

Here it is again:

It is God’s will for me to:

1) Rejoice always

2) Pray continually

3) Give thanks in all circumstances

I can at least work on fulfilling His will for me as stated here. Sooner or later, as I do that, perhaps the car repair question will clear up…

How do you seek God’s will?

The Bible tells all kinds of important things about love: God is love, love your neighbor as yourself, if you don’t love your neighbor (who you can see) how can you love God (who you can’t see)…

How about this one?

Proverbs 10:12 (ESV) says: Hatred stirs up strife; but love covers all offenses.

If we are to be followers of Christ, then we must be followers of Him in loving. THAT is a tall order, life is so full of offenses. People offend accidentally or on purpose- it is all offenses.

It is hard to cover offenses in love. We need Divine intervention.

Good thing God tells us that with Him, nothing is impossible.

When you need His help in loving, ask him. Try praying this verse:

Philippians 2:13 (ESV): For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Try something like this:

Dear Father,

There are offenses that have me really upset. I know that love will cover that and that if I love, I will be like you. But I need your help. Please work in me to will and to work for your good pleasure.

–F.B. Meyer

When things are so tough that you almost feel imprisoned, try a surrender. Not to the circumstances, but to God Himself. Ask Him for eyes to see His working in the difficulties and in your own heart. (And ask Him to set you free from the troubles!)

Got anything confusing or irritating. Want to try praying these 3 questions?

1) Ask God, “Where are You in this situation?”

2) Ask Him, “How do I love with His love in this?”

3) Ask Him, “What is He working in me through this situation?”

See what God says…