A Measure of Revival in Our Bondage by Shane Idleman
On October 25, 2021, we began having church every night at 6 pm for two straight weeks. At times, the atmosphere was overwhelming–a full altar, dozens of baptisms, and countless lives changed, both in person and through livestream. As the old-timers used to say, “God heard our cries and showed up!”
Our key verse was Isaiah 64:1, “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence.” The word “rend” means to rip open. We prayed, “Oh God, would you rip heaven open and come down and visit your people” and He did!
Keep the Fire Burning
I consider myself a conservative. By nature, I’m not very emotional, but I can’t ignore the complete barrenness of most churches. The Christian life is to be living and vibrant, not dry and dead. It begs the question: “Where are the rivers of living water that Jesus said would flow out of the hearts of those who believe in Him?” (cf. John 7:38).
Support Our Site
Now is your chance to support Gospel News Network.
We love helping others and believe that’s one of the reasons we are chosen as Ambassadors of the Kingdom, to serve God’s children. We look to the Greatest Commandment as our Powering force.
When it comes to experiencing a spiritual awakening (revival), it can’t be worked up, it must be brought down from heaven. In Leviticus 9:23-24, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people and the fire came down and consumed the burnt offering. God brought down the fire, but the responsibility fell on the priests to keep the fire burning. They were to remove the waste but not the fuel.
In the same way, when God chooses to give us a measure of revival in our bondage, our uninterrupted worship is the fuel that keeps the flame going. Again, although we can’t work revival up, God can bring it down if we prepare the soil of our hearts.
Rend Your Heart, Not Your Garments
The prophet Joel reminded the people to humble themselves and rend their hearts and not just go through the motions (cf. Joel 2:13). And in the book of Ezra, we find this principle applied … the secret to truly experiencing a spiritual awakening. Ezra fell on his knees and spread out his hands to God. He rent his heart, not his garments. He interceded, and God heard his cry: “Our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens” (9:5-6). He took ownership of the blatant sin occurring in the nation.
Ezra realized the absolute necessity of repentance, especially in relation to revival. Sin is serious and it costs a great deal. He also tore his clothes as a sign of desperation. The same applies to us; our actions reflect our desperation to meet God or our lack thereof.
