When someone who was alive suffers a devastating death-blow, the medical personnel will (unless a “no resuscitate” order was given) attempt to revive them, to bring them back to life.
But what about your spiritual being? Have you ever sensed that you had fallen asleep and had become nearly dead to your spiritual life? Have you ever said, “That’s okay. Do not resuscitate. I’m busy with other things just now.” Or have you felt a desperate and growing hunger to dig deeper in your spiritual life and bring it back to life? At times like those your spiritual heart, the center of your being, is telling you it is time for revival. It’s time to dig deeper and concentrate on the purpose of your life, while there is still time to live.
No matter where you are in your spiritual journey, there remains more progress to be made and more satisfaction to be enjoyed. Sometimes, we look at the journey and faint away, fearing the path that God may take us down will be too hard. Like a heart patient needing surgery, we say, “Change my heart O God, but please work a miracle so I don’t need to go through surgery and painful recovery.” Even those who do trust God, who know His plan always works toward our good, sometimes experience this nagging doubt when trials come around. There is this wondering, “How painful will His solution be and how long will it take?”
The path to revival always starts with pain. It cannot be avoided. It begins with a difficult hike along the downhill path of acknowledgment and confession of our prideful self, and the faithful vow to turn away from self and toward God, our refuge. Before “Change my heart O God” always comes “Take my heart, O God.” Revival doesn’t come until we realize how desperately we need God and how hopeless our life is in our own control. As someone said, “Revival is not the top blowing off, but the bottom falling out.”
Where are you? Have you come to that place where you realize that, on your own, you will continue to fall into the same wrong thinking and bad habits? Have you realized that spiritual revival is quite unsustainable in our own thinking? Let God know. Ask Him to help you rely on Him, to trust Him to give you courage, wisdom, and strength to go His way.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
Psalm 51:10-12
