You may have heard recently about the Asbury Revival, a series of spontaneous of revival services that ran non-stop for about 15 days on the campus of Asbury College. There was prayer, confession, worship, reconciliation and a lot of questions about whether or not it was a true work of God. During their final service of the revival, they concluded with a prayer that God would bring revival to the world. While some have gained hope in looking at the happenings at Asbury, others have been skeptical and it has prompted questions about the nature of revival, when and how God pour out His blessing upon people, and whether revival is a real possibility for our country today.

The word revival comes from the latin root “vive” which means “to live”. Therefore, revival simply means “to bring to life again”. It is a spiritual re-awakening to who you are in Christ and to what Christ can do in and through you. This also means that revival is only for those who know Jesus Christ as Savior but have grown cold in their relationship to Him. People who are no believers must come to place their faith in Christ first – in order to be given the new life that is only found in Him. Revivals often result in people coming to faith in Christ and salvation is a key by-product and sign of revival.

There is no question that many believers are in desperate need of revival. Our churches need to be brought back to life again. We desire to see God do His great work through us again. Our communities and country are dying because our Christians are living like the dead. What are the key ingredients that have been used to prompt the great revivals of the past and how do we find revival for today? Much has been written on this topic, but here are two simple thoughts that deserve some careful consideration:

1. Prayerful Preparation – Every true revival of the ages past was born out of prayer. Long before any visibly signs of revival within a church or community, there were a group of faithful and earnest people who had devoted much time and effort in praying for revival. Prayer invites and implores God to do His work in hearts. Prayer acknowledges our own inability to accomplish revival through programs or music or dynamic preaching. Dedicated, consistent, faithful prayer warriors demonstrate just how committed we are to the prospect of revival.


2. Personal Penitence – Revival starts with you. It’s one thing to dedicate your time and attention to be praying for revival in your home, your church or your community – but it’s quite another to seek revival for yourself. Penitence is the root of repentance. It is a heartfelt sorrow and regret over your sin. This could be sinful actions in your life or sinful thoughts in your heart. Ask the Lord to search your heart and convict you of your sin. Get your heart and life right with God. Ask forgiveness of those who you have wronged in some way. Seek restoration in relationships that have been destroyed. This is penitence and when you experience this work of God in your life, it will spread to others as well.

When you start with these two principles of revival, even if nobody else responds to the call for revival, you will have experienced revival in you. At the turn of the 20th century, a revival broke out in Wales which swept over the small country. There were many people who came to Christ as Savior, including a group of hardened mineworkers. When they returned to the mines after the revival, the animals no longer responded to them. Why? They had quit their swearing and cursing and the pack mules no longer understood their commands. Now that they were new men in Christ, their animals had to be re-trained to respond to their new vocabulary! That is revival and there is still hope for us today if we get on our knees and plead for God to do His work in us.