The revival I long for
by Anne Graham Lotz

I long for…
… the wind of his Spirit to breathe calmness
into the chaos of my life.
… the fullness of his wisdom to order the thoughts in my mind.
… the sufficiency of his strength to undergird
the weakness of my body.
… the abundance of his blessing to saturate
the poverty of my spirit.
… the joy of his will to give rich pleasure to my journey.
… the refuge of his arms to shield me from my fears.
… the gentleness of his touch to reawaken the feelings of my heart.
… the compassion of his heart to enfold me and hold me close.
I long to see Jesus … again.

That’s personal revival to me! The revival I long for is not a tent meeting. It is not a series of church services designed to save the lost. It has been described as …
           “Breathing the breath of God”
           “God purifying his Church.”
           “People saturated with God.”
           “The in rush of the Spirit into a body that threatens to become a corpse.”
           “A work of God’s Spirit among his own people … what we call revival is simply
           New Testament Christianity, the saints getting back to normal.”

What is revival to you? Just the word, revival, can provoke images of sawdust trails, emotional outbursts, off-key singing, finger-pointing preaching, and hell-fire praying. But that’s not the personal revival that God is calling you and me to experience.

Personal revival is Jesus in you, around you, through you, under you, over you, before you, and behind you. Personal revival is just Jesus. Jesus on your mind, Jesus filling your heart, and Jesus overflowing from your lips.

So center down. Be still. Listen with the ears of your heart. Can you hear him? The still, small voice of God is calling you to see Jesus – again. He is calling you to an experience of personal revival. Here. Now. Calling you to greatness in ministry.

For years, Tom Landry was an American icon. With the brim of his hat pulled down over a stoic face, he paced the sidelines of a football field where he presided as head coach over one of the greatest teams of all time – the Dallas Cowboys. He faced pressure with poise, criticism with grace, rudeness with courtesy, humiliation with dignity, victory with humility, and crisis with faith. He became a legend in his own time.

On more than one occasion, I’ve heard Coach Landry state that he had come across many good athletes, but very few great ones. He defined the difference between a good athlete and a great one as being 18 inches – the distance from the head to the heart. From his observation based on a lifetime of involvement in sports, he explained that good athletes have exceptional ability and a thorough understanding of the game, but great athletes have heart – a passion to play that drives them to selfless sacrifice, brutally long hours of practice, undivided focus, and ultimately, extraordinary accomplishments.

In almost 30 years of ministry, I have observed many good Christians, like Coach Landry’s athletes, but very few great ones. And the difference is the same 18-inch distance – the distance from the head to the heart. While there are many good Christians who have a head knowledge of Scripture, attend church regularly, are familiar with church traditions and rituals, are comfortable with prayer, group Bible study, and outreach ministries, there are very few who are great. There are relatively few who seem to be in love with Jesus, who put him first in their lives when to do so demands sacrificing their own time, money, and desires. There are very few Christians who want what he wants more than what they want – and are willing to lay everything on the line to pursue it. There are very few Christians who are willing to risk their jobs, reputations, status, friendships, financial security, and even their lives for the sake of sharing the Gospel and pleasing God. We just seem to lack a clear vision of God and a passionate heart for God that combined are the hub around which everything in our lives revolves.

Not only do some Christians seem to lack heart knowledge of God, they don’t even seem to have much head knowledge either. They know God’s name – isn’t he the one who lives in Heaven and sends people to Hell? They know Jesus died on the cross to save us, but they're really not sure from what, although they have prayed and asked him to come into their hearts. And they know going to church is the right thing to do and makes them feel good. Besides, they can make nice friends and strategic business contacts there. And spiritual gifts? Aren’t they what are exchanged at Christmas? If average church members were honest, even though they're authentic Christians, they would say that although they don’t know much, the little they do know is more about God than actually knowing God himself.

Others have exceptional gifts which they exercise in an endless variety of church activities. They seem to have a working knowledge of God in their heads. They can quote Scripture. They can pray out loud. They can sing many hymns from memory. They can list some of God’s names with their meanings. They can give a vague account of Creation. They can give a thumbnail sketch of the history of Israel. They can define names like Abraham, Moses, David, and Elijah.  They can dramatize the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. They can trace the three journeys of Paul (with help from the maps). And they avoid the Holy Spirit and the book of Revelation. They seem to be satisfied that that’s that!

How many in your church's congregation would fit one of the above descriptions? Do you ever agonize over why it is that those who call themselves by God’s name, members of your own church, seem to lack heart for God’s Word, for prayer, for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for a lost and dying world, for each other – for God himself?

Why is it that they can be passionate about their favorite sports team, or a job promotion, or a dreamed-of vacation spot, or their alma mater, or a weekly televised reality show, or even the latest diet plan, but not about the things of God?

Could part of the answer lie, not in the pew, but in the pulpit? Could the answer lie with the leaders of God’s people who have not made the 18-inch drop from their heads to their hearts?  I wonder … before revival comes to the church, does it need to come to you first?
 
This is a wake-up call. It's time for your relationship with God to drop 18 inches … from your head to your heart. Open your eyes. Bend your knees. Rend your heart. Just say yes. Move your feet. It's time you stepped out into greatness. It's time you had your own experience of personal revival!    

It's time you saw the LORD!

This article is adapted from I Saw the Lord: A Wake-Up Call for Your Heart (Zondervan, 2006.)