Revival Comes from God

This wonderful invitation to revival—spiritual renewal of the Lord—also tells us of the blessings God will bestow upon us when we humble ourselves, seek His face, and turn away from our sin. With our return to the Lord, He promises three things.

The first promise God makes is to hear us when we pray. Sometimes when we pray it can feel as if we are talking to thin air and no one hears our deepest pleas. We can be reassured and find comfort, however, that in our humble seeking of His face we are heard.

Not only are we heard, but in the second blessing God bestows on us, He promises to respond to what He hears. The response is forgiveness for our sin. It is the Father’s greatest desire to be near us. When we turn from our wickedness and refocus our attention on Him, His delight is to give us a renewal of spirit, lifting the burden of sin from our shoulders.

It is this desire to renew us that allows God to fulfill the third promise, blessing us with healing. As we seek Him, we are in His will and praying according to His will. When we do this and He removes our sins from us, our fellowship with God is complete and perfected. Our prayers are no longer hindered by sin or shortcomings and we find wholeness in his presence.

As the Lord said in Jeremiah 24:7, “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” He gives us the desire to return to Him with our whole hearts, with humility, turning away from our sin, and we are renewed as He hears our prayers, forgives, and heals us.

Dear God, I thank for placing the desire within me to know You. Help me to recognize that You hear my pleas and have forgiven me. Draw me near to Your healing presence, Lord, and help me to recognize the revival and renewal of spirit that come from You alone. Amen.