Unlocking Revival

What Does Revival Mean?

Growing up in the south when I heard the word revival, I thought of a week-long event at church. I imagined older ladies with hats and fanning themselves in the summer heat. I thought it to be a time of refreshment for those in the church, or a time to get back on track. But what does revival really mean?

The best way I understand revival is a move of God’s Spirit that awakens your soul. What does that mean? Well, it’s when we realize who Jesus is and all He did for us. That feeling when something comes alive within you. It can also be a reawakening. A time when we realize our faith has become stagnant and once again becomes alive. It’s a change within us and changes the way we treat others and we desire to share what God has done in us with others. I believe this has to take place in the individual before it can become corporate.

Biblical Revival: Nehemiah

All revivals that have ever taken place have begun with repentance. Whether it’s a revival of the individual or corporately, they all start when we humble ourselves before God and ask for His forgiveness. Can you imagine what would happen in our cities, or our country, if revival spread?

The book of Nehemiah holds one of my favorite Revivals recorded in the Scriptures. Ezra and Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem after seventy years of exile to rebuild the wall and the temple. Ezra was the priest and Nehemiah was the Governor. You can read more about them here. Once they completed most of the work, many of those in exile returned.

The Power of God’s Word in Revival

After they returned, we find our first pulpit in the Bible. In Nehemiah 8:4 NIV we read, “Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion.” Now picture this with me. Ezra stands on the wooden platform, and all the people gathered to hear the reading of the Law. This is the first time many of them would ever have heard it.

Thousand were present and in a time before microphones and fancy PA systems. So, Ezra read and then those in the front when and repeated what they heard to smaller groups in the back and reiterated it in a way that the people could understand. You could say this is also our first small group Bible study of the Bible too. This continued as Ezra read. And I bet you can guess what happened.

They Repented

When the people heard the Law, the Word of God, they repented. When they began to repent, revival broke out and they turned back to God and wanted to follow His ways. This was before Jesus, so they turned to what they had: the Law. They made a new commitment to follow God and the Law in which He gave them.

Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

Nehemiah 8:5-6 NNIV

I love this. At the reading of the Law, Ezra began to praise God. Those hearing it lifted their hands in response and then they bowed down and worshiped. This imagery shows us of them humbling themselves before God and repenting of their sins.

Now remember they had been in exile for seventy years so they most of them were probably born in exile. They most likely heard stories of where they once lived, but you have to wonder if the part of Judah’s disobedience and what led to the exile was shared. I am sure Ezra would have shared this in the reading and they would have repented for their personal sins and for their own reconciliation with God because of the broken relationship between God and their ancestors.

The Word

So what can a revival that took place over 2500 years ago teach us? It reminds us of the need to be in God’s Word. When we read His Word, it plants new seeds within our hearts. It’s like reading a love letter from the One who saved our souls and it draws us in.

When we allow this to happen, it humbles us and brings us to a place of repentance. When I read the Old Testament, I am in awe of all the powerful ways God moved and how He used ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

When I read the New Testament, and read of the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for me, I can’t help but fall more in love with Him and want to relinquish my will for His. (Read ‘Who Is Jesus’ here).

Moving Forward

If reading the scriptures is not part of your daily routine, I encourage you to start. You don’t have to go at it for hours. Start with just a few verses. The more you are in it, the more you will want to keep reading.

You can go through my ‘Bible in a Year’ study where you read three chapters-ish a day. This is also filled with many short videos to help you better understand what you are reading.