Prayer for Revival by Ian Milmine [04]

Revival Prayers by Ian Milmine

As we continue to consider the subject of revival prayer, we must be clear that we cannot create or work up a revival. We can remove hindrances to revival, which is what we have looking at in the past weeks, but we cannot restore life. We can humble ourselves before God, but only He can exalt us. We can lay the sacrifice ready, but only God can bring down the fire from heaven. We can turn to God in new consecration and faithfulness, but we have to acknowledge our own helplessness and cry to God.

How, then, should we think of revival in relation to ourselves? Is there any action, or strategy, or method we can employ that will aid the arrival of a mighty move from God?  Throughout its pages the Bible is clear that it is not by power or by might, but by God’s Spirit alone that we can expect revival. The bottom line is that God revives at His sovereign discretion. Should this thought discourage us? Just the opposite! For as we cannot ensure revival by our own preparations, so we cannot preclude it by our lack of preparation. As God can break in on the careless individual to convert him, so God can break in on the careless church to revive it. Therein surely lies our hope today.  Thus, the only thing we can truly do as a prelude to revival is to be praying for revival. [As we seek through our witness to lead churches back to a living biblical faith, we should cry to God to do what we ourselves cannot do-- to send the Spirit of life in new power. "O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years....; in wrath remember mercy" (Hab. 3:2).]

But, as I emphasised last week, we must come to God in prayer realising that we are in a solemn situation before Him. Our churches in the West are largely dormant, we could even say they are moribund.  For a church that isn’t growing is a church that is dead! And, as the letters to the 7 churches of Asia in Revelation chapters 2-3 show, stagnant churches stand under God’s judgement. There is no neutral state. If churches are not alive and faithful, a chastening visitation from the Lord is certain. And we must solemnly admit that the reason why our churches are stagnant is because its members are stagnant in their faith. A church that is conceited and complacent in its outlook can only expect to be brought lower and lower. The alarming thing is the apparent absence of alarm in our churches. We are sinners with no terror of sin or judgement. Oh, that God would laden our hearts with a heightened sense of failure and sin, and lead us in repentance to His throne of grace!

Why will not the preachers, churches and assemblies of our land unite in waiting on God in united prayer and intercession. Let there by fasting and confession of our need before the Lord, until He sends us a mighty baptism of Pentecostal revival fire, with a burning passion for lost souls, [so that thousands will be born again and their names written in heaven? ] Oh, for such a revival, world-wide, to the glory of God alone! As the famous American revival evangelist, Jonathan Edwards wrote, “When God has something very great to accomplish for His church, it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of His people… and He will begin by remarkably pouring out the sprit of grace and supplications”.

Yes, we can do nothing to bring upon us such a sovereign act of God as a mighty revival, save humbling ourselves before Him and begging His mercy.  The first casualty of a Holy Spirit revival will be our pride and our disunity. We must decide what we prefer:  a rushing mighty wind of Holy Ghost power, or the storms of God’s judgements upon a dormant church!

Listener, I invite you to humble yourself before God and cry out for revival.