Praying for Revival

This is Stu Epperson from the truth. Talk podcast connecting current events, pop culture, and theology, and were so grateful for you that you've chosen The Truth Podcast Network it's about to start just a few seconds. Enjoy it and please share around all your friends. Thanks for listening and thanks for choosing the truth. Podcast network. This is the Truth Network encouraging prayer, God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything on encouraging prayer Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling product and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight help you learn to mom and now James so today on encouraging prayer will talk about praying for revival.

James can't think of a more important topic for us really right now I agree Robbie if you look at the world around us.

One thing is clear the Jesus course if an election year and so many are placing their hopes and one candidate or another, but only God can save us and help us to love and give us the future that we long for and love really that's what's needed for heart searching for God's love than so many of the problems we face will be changed as well and we seen this happen in history before yes we have. I yeah like I think of the Welsh revival at the turn of the last century. It was so far-reaching that the entire country.

Wales was affected course you know it went beyond the orders even affected her own country, but in Wales you can look at it. Statistically the number of crime subsided so much that the police had asked time on their hands and this was revival. Also, the began and was sustained through people praying together. Talk about where we see the concept of side revival in Scripture. James what you use it in several places in the Old Testament under David and Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah all kings but but one of my favorite references is a simple prayer taken from the sons of Cora in in Psalm 85 we just read the first seven verses you Lord showed favor to your land you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all your wrath current from your fierce anger restore us again God our Savior and and put away your displeasure toward us. Will you be angry with us forever. Will you prolong your anger through all generations. And now here comes, will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you show us your unfailing love Lord and grant us your salvation. What what you see here Robbie is both a simple quest for revival and an explanation of what it looks like what happens when it comes, will you not revive us again that your people may rejoice in you when God revives us like some sort were happy because of his love and and that's why verse seven says show us your unfailing love, and grant us your salvation.

You really have spent a lot of time studying these revival section. Yes, that's where my doctoral emphasis in church history was and one of the things we did was we read primary source material and then we go to these locations where revival had happened or where revival leaders lived and we prayed Lord do it again and you one of the things I discovered was that prayer is always a vital part of revival you have to ask for it and the reason why that just makes much sense is if you think about it. Only God can change your heart. You and I can try to do it.

We could talk to people but God has to do some is the only one who knows how to really reach us in his ways of touching your heart and mind that we can begin understand exactly and it starts with just a step of faith just just imagine what could happen if it is God's spirit moves among us in revival.

I was just moments ago. Talk to a friend from Louisiana was near Lake Charles and they went through that that horrible hurricane there with Laura and but he was talking about looking forward to revival and you can just hear this joy it is. Let's because it would change everything, including ourselves. That's that's really the best place to start with with a prayer like this is Lord, revive me really need to have humble, loving hearts as we pray for this doll can be just Roman. I can't be more just change all those other people revive this and you look at this I mean if you read on and in Psalm 85 you'll see another description of what revival looks like and how we can prepare love and faithfulness meet together righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth.

Righteousness looks down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good and our land will yield harvest righteousness goes before him, and prepares the way for steps is not beautiful and you see how this is again rooted in love and so we prepare ourselves by humbling ourselves before God's love and you know just trying to do what is right, as we ask him to revive us. Reminds me of why God tells his people, and second, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. So we really do have the pray amount ourselves. But James, what about those who say they were just too far gone.

How could revival happen you all those times that God chooses to fight his people and remember you just like were thing revival has to start with a focus can be on those people, so awakening is what happens in the nation is God's people are revived as the church is revive and call others to him and the cultures that affected and you know II think as we think about revival, we have to ask what how far is too far for God to reach.

God is always surprising us for the way she loves and changes people that we really never thought whatever come to him.

I have a man that was imprisoned on my last Muslim killed all these people and he ends up being now the guy who's leading people to Christ in the presence of a quick story about that. I think a young man named William who was what you would call a successful product always mom loved him tried to bring him to Jesus.

When the last thing she did before she died was she did in the Bible and he sold it when he was in medical school and years later he's working in a hospital and that this happened about a century ago, but there was a guy who was brought in with injuries and became clear that the guy would never leave the hospital and he asked for two things this man who was injured. He asked for his landlady and he asked for the book and he wanted pay.

His landlady rent and he wanted her to bring his Bible so landlady comes in the Bible and the man reaches as long as he could no longer could read it.

He held it in his arms under the covers until he died and the nurse was cleaning out the man's things just as as William this position. The successful product was is walking by and she holds up the Bible and she says to him, she hands it to them.

What should we do with this and he opens it up and sure enough, you see this coming. It was in his own Bible.

The Bible his mother had given him and he ends up leaving medicine and in becoming of all things that a Presbyterian minister and just listen to the words of the hymn, he wrote. We praise God for the son of my love for Jesus who died and is now gone about hallelujah died in the glory hallelujah amen hallelujah find the glory revive us again. That's based on Psalm 85 started with prayer for revival in our son's heart and life and can't answer them really.

So I expect he and he can do the same for us. But we have to ask.

Let me wrap up our time together by really encouraging our listeners to pray with us for revival in our hearts and in awakening in our nation's let's pray. Jesus, thank you for the stories that encourage us that wow if if we humble ourselves and seek your face that there's places that we would go and that you would take us where we could make a life that revive others and to see and know what an amazing God to pray that you would like that spark in revive us again.

We pray in Jesus name, amen. And you can hear more from Pastor James by visiting the website. James bank.org or by visiting church in Durham, North Carolina.

May God bless you and encourage you as you pray