The Greatest Revival Ever

I have always been fascinated by revivals. It began when I casually expressed interest in a comment made by an old pastor who, unbeknown to me, was completely obsessed by the subject. Next thing he loaded me up with 20 huge text books on the subject, and I read them all.

Revivals are wonderful, but they can also be pretty strange. I am always inspired by the way the church gets excited, gets active and boldly preaches the gospel to the world. I’m also frankly perplexed by the revivals where people start howling at the moon and crawling around the forest. Beats me!

Some revivals were short lived, and led by some seemingly unusual and fractured people. Others were long lasting and led by fantastic Christians. For example, the great revival led by John and Charles Wesley continued throughout much of their lives and probably saved England from a violent revolution such as occurred in France.

Nobody is really sure what leads to a revival. Most people believe, like starting an old lawn mower, it was the last thing they did before something happened. They may have been praying, preaching a message on grace or singing hymns. These are all great things to do, but there are no guarantees. There are those who pray and see revival break out, and those who simply continue to pray in faith.

Sometimes watching people wait for revival is like watching someone wait for the phone to ring. They pick up the phone, make sure there is a dial tone, look at the phone from several different angles, make sure they don’t wander out of earshot, chase the kids away, and then re-check for the dial tone.

When John Wesley was asked, “What is your secret for revival”, he replied, “Every morning I set my self on fire and then I invite people to watch me burn”.

The greatest revival in the world is the one going on inside your own heart. Revivals always start that way. They begin with one burning person who can’t help but share. Don’t wait for the phone to ring. Turn up the fire in your heart, and it is amazing how people notice, how bold you become and how God uses you.

A heart revival is the best antidote for cynicism, boredom, the blues and feeling useless. When you have a revival going on in your heart, that’s when your phone begins to ring. But it’s not to report revival news in some far away city, it’s to find out about the fire going on at your place.