Good Questions - Day 6

Day Six

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? 

Read: Psalm 85

This Psalm was written after God freed Israel from Babylonian captivity. The people have been restored to their land and are finally home, but there is a voice of lament in the Psalm. Some commentators suggest this Psalm may even be a national lament. 

The question for us today comes from the middle of the Psalm. “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?”

The Psalmist is confident God will be faithful. He’s proved Himself faithful, time and time again. The Psalmist knows God will give what is good and send peace, a peace that will revive. But for now, he and the rest of the Israelite nation wait in expectancy. 

I’ve sat with this Psalm for a really long time. I was introduced to it on my first day of class at Asbury Seminary in January 1997. The coolest professor of all time, Dr. Eunice Irwin, began class with this Psalm. She moved to the prophecy of Joel and its fulfillment in Acts 2. She then recounted a great move of God in Hughes Auditorium on the campus of Asbury College. She pointed toward the window, “All of what is said in Scripture happened across that street in 1970.” And then she asked the most breathtaking question, “It happened then and there; could it not happen again, here and now? Could it not begin with us?”  

Like the Psalmist, Dr. Irwin invited us to dream and pray for a personal and national revival. The next evening, our class gathered in Hughes Auditorium. I brought 2-year-old Adele along. She sat on my lap and colored as we prayed Psalm 85, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” I softly added, “Begin it in me and Adele.” 

“On Feb. 8, 2023, what began as a routine Wednesday morning Chapel service in Hughes Auditorium at Asbury College turned into a multiweek Outpouring that some have described as a revival. Led by students, the services attracted college students from hundreds of other colleges and universities, beginning as soon as Wednesday evening.” (Seedbed)

I got there a week later. I was so curious as I drove back to Wilmore. It felt like a pilgrimage. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. What does revival look like? 

I stood in line in the pouring rain, waiting for a seat in Hughes. Two hours later, soaking wet, I climbed over a chair in the last row and slipped into my seat. The guy on my right was kneeling; his chair had become an altar. The guy on my left, hands in the air, eyes closed, tears streaming down his face, whispering praises to the Lover of his soul. 

After taking it all in, my eyes began to fill with tears, and I joined wholeheartedly in worship. I’ve never sung “Great Are You Lord” with such intimacy and power. 

There was nothing crazy going on in Hughes that night. I kinda thought there might be some folks running around shouting or laughing uncontrollably, maybe a bunch of people speaking in tongues or that “slain in the spirit” thing I’d heard about.  

That night, revival looked like this; revival always looks like this: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.” That’s what I experienced at Asbury. I experienced the Spirit and His fruit on rapturous display in a bunch of college students who were surrendering themselves to the simplicity of worship – prayer, song, testimony, confession, and blessing all in response to the invitation of our Good Shepherd.

I’ve never felt so safe. 

AGB tells this story,

When Dad went to Asbury that night, something crazy began to happen at Samford. A student went into Reid Chapel and started singing. Pretty soon, a bunch of kids joined her. What was happening at Asbury was beginning to happen here on campus. Some friends and I went to Reid and joined in. 

Here’s a wild part of the story: Dad videoed a minute of the worship at Asbury with everyone singing “Great Are You Lord.” He sent the clip to our family group chat. At that very moment, as they were singing that song at Asbury, we were singing the very same song in Reid. Revival wasn’t just happening at Asbury—it was happening everywhere!

The people of Israel were back in their homeland, free, yet they recognized a deep longing in their hearts. They sensed a desire to know God and experience Him in all His goodness and grace. They wanted to rejoice. So they cried out.

What about you? What is it you are calling out for the Lord to revive? 

In this Psalm, the writer waits, but it’s an active waiting. He’s not passive in his waiting. He’s not waiting in fear or despair; he’s remembering and recounting God’s faithfulness.

The Psalmist trusts God to revive. He knows that apart from God’s touch, nothing else will satisfy. The Psalmist lives in dependency and expectancy that one day,  “Righteousness and peace will kiss.” 

“It happened then and there; could it not happen again, here and now? Could it not begin with us?”  

Questions to Consider:

What do you desire for the Spirit to revive in your heart? In your marriage? In your family? In your church? In your own words, describe the joy that would accompany your revived heart.

The Psalmist is praying for a communal revival, a national revival. What would a communal revival look like if it began in your kitchen, with your family, in your small group, in your church, in your neighborhood with other local churches, in your city, in your state, in your nation? 

“All of this happened, could it not happen again? Could it not happen now? Could it not begin with us? Begin it in me!” Will you take the first step in inviting some friends to pray for God to “revive us again?” Would you do it today? 

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