Why We Need Revival

Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Revive us again.

—“Revive Us Again,” William P. McKay (1863)

This hymn was inspired by Psalm 85:6 (NIV): “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?”

Just as spring awakens from the cold slumber of winter, every now and then we must awaken from a personal or spiritual winter with a revival. Sometimes our need is both personal and spiritual, but either way, revival is about the Lord.

My grandfather is a Baptist preacher. Sometimes spending two weeks with my grandparents in Alabama as a child would coincide with a revival where my grandfather was preaching. Back then, revival meant going to church every night for a week and staying a long, long time. I did not understand the meaning of it then. I did not understand that everyone needed to be filled up, watered, and revived. The world has a way of beating us down sometimes, and even when we try our hardest to stay thirsty for the Lord, we can run dry.

When I hear the word revival, I picture a dry and wilting flower that straightens and stands tall when it is showered with life-giving water.

Our country desperately needs a revival. We are drying up. Two Great Awakenings, or major spiritual revivals, have occurred since our beginnings. They were so significant that they have been included in secular history books. Passionate Christians saw the need for spiritual revival, and I believe revival can happen again.

One person’s prayer can change a nation. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16 NIV).

One person’s desire to stand in the gap can change thousands of hearts. We have not stopped praying for you (Col. 1:9 NIV).

One person’s need to share the gospel can change the course of history. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19 NIV).

I’ve heard so many preachers and teachers ask if we Christians really believe Jesus is the only way to heaven and that every other way leads to hell. They wonder why we aren’t telling everyone about him all the time. Why are we keeping the good news to ourselves? Why aren’t we asking the Lord for revival on behalf of others?

Good questions. I ask myself the same questions often. Do we really care about our fellow man? Life in general has become too comfortable for most of us. We are a self-centered society, so self-centered that almost every photograph is a selfie. Everything must be about us. We must be placated at all times. We must never be uncomfortable or offended.

Perhaps to truly care about the spiritual needs of others, we must first be revived ourselves. If you are feeling spiritually dry, take time to pray and read the Bible. [Tweet “Remind yourself why you gave your life to Jesus.”] Remind yourself how truly wonderful he is. Think about what revival can mean not just for you, but for others and for our country. (If you haven’t given your life to Jesus, start by reading about him in the first four books of the Bible’s New Testament. Then pray. Your prayer doesn’t have to be eloquent. Just talk to him.)

Let the revival begin with each of us. It takes just one prayer, one sweet drop of water, to begin to revive that wilting flower.

Dana Herndon is a writer and blogger as well as an elementary and middle school teacher. She and her husband live in Georgia with their three children. In addition to teaching and writing, Dana loves to read, watch Food Network and HGTV, follow politics, and paddleboard. She blogs at danaherndon.com.