'Grant us a little Reviving' : A Prayer for Revival that doesn't Freak me out.

I once took part in a week long fast during which people prayed day and night for revival up in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. All I can remember of the time was feeling really hungry and a little freaked out. Because of that, the idea of praying for revival conjures up images of many loud prayers and many loud preachers, waving big black bibles and making big promises in a dusty tent, and a hollow sense of anti-climax, because nothing really happened. Because of those memories, I generally steer clear of praying for revival for fear of hyping people into a kind of  expectation that inevitably ends in jadedness.

I'm nervous of an overly Pentecostal approach to prayer that expects God to change everything in one sudden, cataclysmic moment. Truth be told, I've found much of the life of prayer is about inheriting the promises of God little by little through faith and patience.  However, I'm equally nervous of the more popular Contemplative approach to prayer that insists all change must be slow and gradual. Biblically and in Church history, we have to acknowledge that there were times when God did in fact come and dramatically change everything for His people in an instant. These times were described as Revivals, and God wants us to persist in praying for a suddenly;  a dramatic in-breaking of His power and mercy, even while we labor in the slowlies. God is the God of slowlies and suddenlies.

Today in the book of Ezra, I found a prayer for revival I can pray without nervousness. It is so beautifully understated. Twice, Ezra uses the phrase, "Grant us a little reviving." He is not asking for God to come down and build the temple all by Himself. There is not an ounce of abdication in Ezra's prayer.  It is prayed before Israel return from exile to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem and they know that it will not be done over-night. So they are asking to be revived so that they can re-build. 

Ezra prayed that God would revive His people by satisfaction, for mission and for re-building.  

1.  Revived by Satisfaction 'That our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery" 9:8  This  request comes off the back of Israel's repentance from idolatry. It is a prayer for personal revival. When Saul's son Jonathan ate from honeycomb after battle in 1 Samuel 14, he said, "See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of that honey." Ezra borrows from this idea, praying that Israel would not only be cleansed from their sin, but that they would turn to God and be revived by Him as they feast on the honey of His goodness. Revival begins as God's people are broken out of  slavery to sin and find satisfaction in Jesus.  

2.  Revived for Mission 'Our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia.' v 9 Can we see how God is taking His people's eyes off their own slavery and has started to set it on doing a work in their city? This is a key in revival, where our satisfaction in Jesus turns to a desire for transformation in our cities.  This desire was met with  favor from 'the kings of Persia.' Note that favor with those in authority does not mean we automatically get a Christian government. The Babylonian empire did not become Jewish, but their king looked favorably upon the Jewish exiles and granted them finance and permission to carry out their mission. This is something we can be praying for the Church, not necessarily that we would be in positions of power, but that we would experience favor with authorities rather than persecution.  "Pray for those in authority that we may have  live quiet and godly lives. This is pleasing to God who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim 2:3-4)   It could be argued that revival begins when the Church is free to get on with the job of being the Church, proclaiming and demonstrating the gospel in all sectors of society, re-building the city's ruins. This includes a harvest of salvation, the upholding of godly values throughout society, and a rise of mercy and justice in the face of corruption and oppression. 

3. Revived for Re-building "Grant us some reviving to set up the house of God and to repair it's ruins."

The returning exiles not only re-built the city walls, they also rebuilt the temple; the house of God. This parallels God's purpose for His Church to be restored to a place of His glory. A glorious church experiences a restoration of robust gospel proclamation and a demonstration of the Spirit's power that results in a harvest. Worship is restored to reverent passion and community becomes authentic, sacrificial and bold. Revival must include a revival of the builders of the church.  Let's ask that God would energize us to be builders.    

This prayer is so faith-filled, yet so responsible. No freak show here. Just an earnest plea for revival.
Let's pray it together. 

Southlands' Ezra Fast: Rebuilding, Repentance and Revival.

As a church we've embraced a rhythm of fasting for three days each Fall and while this rhythm always feels inconvenient when it comes around, God has never failed to meet us in His mercy and power as we've sought Him. Fasting together has become for us a sacred rhythm. 

This particular fast, from 9/11 to 9/13, we've felt prompted to fast around the themes we find in the Book of Ezra, when Israel implored God for protection on their return journey from exile in Babylon. What drew my attention to the passage was the sense of a fast for a people on the move. 

"Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him a safe journey for ourselves, our children and all our goods." 8:21

While Israel's context was unique, I resonate deeply with the desire for safe journey for our church as we multiply again to launch Southlands Chino, not to mention the recent church plant in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Just this week, we sent one team to build the orphanage in Mexico and another to re-build houses after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Jesus has called us to be a people on the move and we need His provision and protection for us, our children and our goods on this God-orchestrated journey. 

Moreover, on the anniversary of 9/11 with continued threats to national security and with Hurricane Irma bringing untold devastation in its path, this fast is an appropriate time to implore God for His protection and intervention in extremely volatile times for our nation as a whole.

Brett McCracken, one of our pastors, has written a brilliant devotional guide for our Ezra  fast, with practical wisdom for fasting and a daily theme to pray through personally in the mornings and evenings as we gather to pray. The themes are re-building, repentance and revival. If you did not get a hard copy this morning at one of our four communities, you can download it online from our website at www.southlands.net. We would love you to join us on this journey of seeking God together.

Finally, I love the humble confidence expressed by Ezra as he calls Israel to fast. "I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers to protect us...for the hand of our God is for good on all who seek Him, and the power of His wrath against all who forsake Him. So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty." 

The Lord listens to the entreaties of His people and His hand is for good on all who seek Him. So then, let's seek Him.