Revival: When God Steps Down from Heaven by Michael L. Brown for Ask Dr Brown
In a certain sense, God’s presence fills the universe. Yet there are times in history when God manifests His presence in a particular place or in a particular way that is unique and distinct and powerful and transformative. We call those times “revival.”
During such times in the past, children would say, “Did you hear that Jesus came to my village?” Preachers would say, “God stepped down from heaven.” Something had changed, and everyone knew it.
As I explained in the definition I have used for revival for many years, “Revival is a season of unusual divine visitation resulting in deep repentance, supernatural renewal, and sweeping reformation in the Church, along with the radical conversion of sinners in the world, often producing moral, social, and even economic change in the local or national communities.”
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Note in particular those words “a season of unusual divine visitation.” That is the very essence of revival.
There are passages in the Bible that describe God’s presence as being everywhere (see Psalm 139:7-12; Jeremiah 23:23-24). Yet there are distinct times when He draws near in unique ways.
This was Jacob’s experience in Genesis 28 when he spent the night in a place called Luz. After he saw angels ascending and descending from heaven in a dream, he woke up and said, “‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”’ He was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.’” (Genesis 28:16-17)
As a result, he named the place Bethel, which means “house of God.”
At other times in Israel’s history, the presence of God was manifest in a literal, visible, even tangible way to the point that everyone could see it or feel it. In fact, on a few unique occasions (specifically, the dedication of the Tabernacle and the dedication of the Temple), the Lord’s manifest presence (called His “glory”) so filled the place that neither Moses nor the priests could enter (Exodus 40:34-35; 2 Chronicles 5:11-14; 7:1-3). There was no room for both God and man.
In the same way, although the Lord is always with us when we gather to worship Him (see Matthew 18:20), there are distinct times when His power and presence flood the gathering place, resulting in dramatic conversions and supernatural transformations.
