Jason Silver

Friday, April 20th, 2018

I was thinking about the word revival today. It's kind of an old word, it's not a word I really hear much outside of the church, and at least in my church circles, I almost get the sense it's a tired word there too.

I don't know why exactly (and please understand that this is just my intuition, and not necessarily grounded in facts or anything like that)”“ but for me, when I hear the words “revival meeting,” it hearkens back to the old fashioned music my grandparents listened to. I recall fire and brimstone sermons, guilt trips, and not all of those memories are pleasant.

But the sense of the word”“ to be revived in my faith and faith-practice, well, that's something I think most Christians would want. I know I do!
I would love to see the culture at large embrace Christianity again, and to fall on their knees in tears, admitting to their sins, and seeking forgiveness from the ones they've wronged. I'd love to see a fire of faith sweep our nation, and to sweep all the nations of the world!
Right now, though, in many places throughout the world, Christianity is viewed as a negative thing. Sometimes the label fits, but as one seeking person recently told me, they're surprised by how loving and friendly their new Christian friends are.

A few bad apples may be giving us a unfair reputation, but there are spiritual forces at work that don't want God's love to be known. These forces want the masses to believe that God's people are actually evil, and that evil is actually good!

So I sing with the Psalmist today, “Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.”

Amen!