Like a Refreshing Spring Rain

 

You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the Lord, have created it.

—Isaiah 45:8

Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old.

—Lamentations&nbap;5:21

Nothing rejuvenates living things as much as a cool, refreshing spring rain. That’s why those who write about revival often use rain as an image for the renewing that takes place when God sends His Holy Spirit to refresh the hearts of those He loves.

As a teenager in the 1960s, we would often close our Wednesday night prayer meetings by singing a little gospel chorus written by Daniel Iverson. Here are the words:

Spirit of the living God,
    Fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God,
    Fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me,
    mold me, fill me.
Spirit of the living God,
    Fall afresh on me.

The sweet solemnity of twenty to thirty young people kneeling in a circle softly singing this song still touches me after all these years have passed. Even more so, the desire in my heart for a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit to bring a sweeping revival to our land has only deepened with the passing years. I long for revival more today than ever before.

When I use the word “revival,” I am talking about a “coming to life again.”—an awakening, a rejuvination, a new beginning, an enlivening.

The longing for revival comes from the heart of someone who observes the weakness of our current Evangelical Christian culture. Great power in sharing the gospel has long ago diminished. Deeply rooted spiritual formation seems more like something I might read about in a history book than experience in a modern Evangelical church. A burning passion for sharing what Christ has done to redeem those He loves, coupled with a heart-wrenching burden for the lost—the people who do not yet know what Christ has done for them—seems like something from a long ago time in the past.

I long for a fresh, vital, drenching outpouring of God’s mercy, love, and grace. I long for a renewal of the Spirit of God within my life. Even more, I long for my fellow believers to experience what it means to become solely concerned about Kingdom matters—the work that God wants us to accomplish in His behalf here on this earth, right now, in this present time.

So, I pray earnestly and fervently that God will give us a fresh falling of the Holy Spirit to revive us, to renew us, to set our hearts on fire for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to fill our hearts with His God-breathed love for those around us who need to come to a life-transforming relationship with Jesus.

In case you do not know this little gospel chorus, please let me share it with you through this video.

So, how does revival begin? The great 19th century evangelist, Charles Finney, once took a stick and drew a large circle on the ground. Then, he stepped into the middle of that circle and prayed, “Lord, be pleased to revive everyone inside this circle.” That’s how revival begins. It begins by asking God to revive each one of us as individuals. Then, we can join together and pray for that great, sweeping revival to flow across our nation and even around the world.

Would you be willing to join with me in this prayer?

Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.

O God, we long for revival. We long for the spring rain of Your Holy Spirit, drenching us in body, mind, and spirit. We long to experience the coming to life again that revival provides. We long to become people whose hearts are ablaze for the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Your great mercy, grace, and love, be pleased to hear our prayer and renew a right spirit within us. Turn our cold, lifeless hearts into passionate vessels of Your love and grace. Let Your mercy flow into us, through us, and out of us to touch a sick and dying world. Help us to bring Your healing to everyone who crosses our pathway.

We thank You for your constant faithfulness. And, we thank You for hearing our prayer in and through the precious Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

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