How to Prepare for Revival

 “If My people, who are called by My name, will 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.” - 2 Chronicles 7:14

On February 8th, something remarkable happened at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Asbury University is a small Christian college with a little over 1,000 students. And the college has morning chapel services on campus every week.

Well, when their 10 a.m. chapel service began on February 8th, something strange happened. When the time came for the chapel service to end … it DIDN’T. The worship team kept singing, and the students started crying out in prayer to God. The service continued through the afternoon and through the night and into the next day … and the day after that … and the day after that. For two weeks, the prayer service continued.

Students from more than 260 Christian colleges and universities descended upon Asbury’s campus waiting for hours for space to open up in the chapel to join in the prayer and worship. The university estimates that in those two weeks, 50,000 Christians from across the nation and around the world had shown up. Something BIG happened at Asbury University. Many Christians are calling it revival. But the question is: Will it spread across this nation like wildfire? I certainly hope and pray it does.

You may not know this, but historically, major revivals have tended to happen in the United States about every 100 years. The First Great Awakening took place in the mid-1700s. The Second Great Awakening took place in the early 1800s. And there have been other smaller revivals since then, including the Jesus Revolution of the 1970s started the Calvary Chapel movement. But we’re overdue for a huge, nationwide move of God that sets the church of Jesus Christ on fire and spills into the streets so that millions of people are saved.

I’ve been praying for revival for over 23 years. I can’t tell you whether or not that revival has already begun in Asbury, Kentucky – but if not, I believe it's very, very close.

The shortest definition of revival is simply: “God.” “Revival” describes a season when God shows up. The Bible says that whenever two or more are gathered in Christ’s name, God shows up. But during a time of revival … God REALLY shows up. He works in incredible, extraordinary ways. Which leads to my favorite definition of revival: “the extraordinary work of God among His people causing extraordinary results in and through the church.”

It’s important to note that revival is a work of God -- not man. And historically, God’s revivals come unexpectedly. You and I can’t manufacture revival. We can’t produce an extraordinary move of God. But we can certainly open the door so that God can rush in. So, how do we do that? Thankfully, God has already told us: “If My people, who are called by My name, will 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” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Let’s take a closer look at God’s 4 Steps for ushering in a revival:

Step #1: Humble yourself before God. You won’t find a single revival in history that came as the result of Christians calling out, “God, I’m the best thing that’s ever happened! Open up the heavens, Lord, because I’m here!” Remember, God didn’t save you because you deserved to be saved. He didn’t save you because you’re all that. He saved you because He loves you in spite of yourself. He saved you because HE’S all that. God hates pride. But He LOVES humility. In James 4:6 we read: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Step #2: Pray. You won’t find a single revival in history that didn’t have prayer at the center of it. You can find examples of revivals that didn’t include great singing. You can even find examples of revivals that didn’t include powerful preaching. But there’s never been a revival where Christians weren’t spending serious time and effort calling out to God in prayer. You will never experience an extraordinary move of Christ in your midst unless you make prayer a top priority.

Step #3: Seek God’s face. Did you know that most of the time, God doesn’t show up where He’s not wanted? More times than not, God shows up where His children are hungry for Him, where His followers are thirsty for Him, where Christians are desperate for more of Him. How long has it been since you’ve joined with the psalmist who cries out, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (Psalm 42:1-2) Do you seek God’s face?

Step #4: Turn from your wicked ways. When we speak of the need for revival, it’s vital to realize that the sin in America can’t be blamed on anyone but us. For years, Christians have been blaming politicians, Hollywood and law enforcement for America’s moral decay. But the problem doesn’t rest primarily with sinners. Sinners sin. That’s what sinners do! The greater blame rests with us. We are called by Christ to be the light of the world. So, if the world around us is dark, it’s not because the darkness has gotten darker. It’s because our light has gotten dimmer. Whenever sin has run rampant in society, it’s because God’s people have failed to repent of their sin and SHINE. As we come to Him humbly in true repentance, God sets His church ablaze. And as God’s people shine, a huge number of unbelievers are saved and society is transformed. When you have unconfessed sin that you refuse to get rid of, you’re not the light of the world. You’re not even a nightlight in the hallway bathroom. You need to get right with God: by confessing your sin, turning from that sin, and doing what Jesus told you to do.

We need to be humble. We need to prioritize prayer. We need to be hungry. And we need to turn from our sin. If we do, you can cling to His promise: He WILL hear from heaven. He WILL forgive your sin. And He WILL heal our land.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Join us at Impact for Sunday services: in person at 9 a.m., or online at 10 a.m. on YouTube or Facebook. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.