Have you been praying for Revival?    Have you ask the question from time to time: “ how long?”

 The Lord has given us some insight into this question in His word.

Let’s examine Abraham.    What was God’s purpose for the life of Abraham?   One perspective is: Abraham should become the father of a nation that would ultimately offer blessing and eternal salvation to all men through Jesus Christ.  [Genesis 12:2-3]    Looking backwards in time it becomes clear that a part of God’s plan was to provide Abraham a son.   Could it be that God needed to wait twenty-five years to give Abraham and Sarah a son so that Abraham would have time to grow spiritually and mature in his obedience such that God could trust him to sacrifice his son while the son was still somewhat of a youth?   Do you remember the tests God used to develop his faith and obedience during these twenty-five years from the time He promised the son until the son was born?

God made a covenant with Abraham [see Genesis 15]  but when the promised child did not come in a few years Sarai offered to Abram Hagar.  Abram at this point failed to trust God.   He made together with Sarai  an attempt to help God do His work using the thoughts and means of man.   Later, Abraham went to stay for a while in Gerar.   While in Gerar he said of Sarah his wife, ”she is my sister.”   God protected Sarah from the King of Gerar through supernatural communication to the King, but Abraham again failed to trust God.

Henry Blackaby has observed that when God give us an assignment, He will then begin to develop our character, our faith and our obedience, to match the assignment He has given.    Perhaps the delay in the birth of Isaac was just this, giving God the time needed to develop the faith and obedience of Abraham such that he could pass the ultimate test, to be completely willing to sacrifice the long awaited and promised son, the heir who would be the progenitor of the nation of God.

With regard to Revival in our time, it is apparent that we must pray.   Beyond praying specifically for revival, we must pray for God to work in our lives and in the lives of others who desire revival.    We must pray that the Lord will work into us faith and obedience and all that He needs in order to use us in the revival that He desires and has planned.   Without doubt the delay is not because God is tardy, butis because we are not ready.    Pray for revival, and ask God to show you His next step in your personal readiness for His revival.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)
¹⁴ If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.