A prayer for revival

Read

‘Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness on you.’ (Hosea 10:12, NIV)

‘Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Repeat them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy.’ (Habakkuk 3:2, NIV)

‘Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.’ (Acts 3:19-21, NIV)

Think

History is full of stories of times when God has stirred His church to awaken; to hunger for more of His presence and pray for Him to move in fresh and powerful ways. There are many accounts of revivals in our own city, where people have come to faith in their thousands. But before revival affects a city, it needs to start in the hearts of believers, and in the church.  

Take some time to reflect on these Scriptures and consider the following questions: 

• How does the idea of revival make you feel? Excited, hopeful, sceptical, tired? Why do you think you feel that way?
• What would it look like for God to begin revival in your heart? What attitudes do you hold which are like hardened soil that needs to be ploughed up, and what do you need to bring to God in confession and repentance?
• If God were to bring revival to our city as He has done in the past, what would you long to see? What hurts would you love to see healed? What difference would you long to see Him make? 

Speak

God of Revival,

I have heard of your deeds,
Of how you have moved in power,
Bringing hearts to you in their thousands.
I am not content for these to remain
Stories of a bygone-era,
But I am desperate to see them repeated
In our day,
In our land,
In our city.

Would you break up the hardened soil of my heart,
Root out the weeds of sin and apathy,
And make my heart ready to receive,
The refreshing rain of your Spirit,
So I can bear the fruit of righteousness.

Would you begin a work of revival in me
That cannot be contained,
But will spill out into the soil of
Our church,
Our nation,
Our world. 

Come Lord Jesus.
Come Holy Spirit.

Amen

Share

Revivals are almost always preceded by a fresh devotion to prayer, by individuals, small groups, and whole churches. Why not reach out to some friends in your Connect Group or in the church, and encourage one another to grow in persistent prayer. You may want to do one of the following: 

• Arrange to pray together for revival. Perhaps once, or weekly or monthly.
• Arrange a day to fast and pray, and then break your fast together. 
• Share what has helped you to learn to pray, and encourage one another to grow in prayer. 
• Make a list of people and situations to pray for, and commit to praying for them together. 

For more on the subject of revival, you may enjoy the talks from our Awaken series.