Words blazed in my soul this morning with such force that I had to scramble to my feet to find paper. I’d prayed a few minutes earlier out on my front porch for true revival: for such a groundswell of souls saved that we’d have no earthly explanation, and for believers to be flooded by the Holy Spirit in such a way that our souls would be purified with a holy, selfless, unstoppable fervor. I have prayed those kinds of things before but this time I called upon the Lord with my whole heart to rip away this ceiling that seems to be over our heads. The Holy Spirit is moving with breathtaking force in parts of the world and in segments of the church. Why not among all of us?? And why not now? We love Him, too!
So many of our pastors, leaders, evangelists, and teachers are crying out for it. We see glimpses of it. We feel it pressing on the walls of many of our churches. The paint is beginning to crack. We sense a change coming. The roof shifting. We know the sun of righteousness is rising on a different kind of day and the horizon beaming with a new shade of color on young and old, on rich and poor. On all who would let Him lift their chins despite their sins, for our redemption draws near. I feel the stirring of a fresh work of the Holy Spirit in my own congregation and sense that He’s ushering us step-by-step and person-by-person and Sunday-by-Sunday to a place of open-armed willingness for whatever He would give us. For many of us who have felt the breezes of revival stirring, we can’t often define how the Holy Spirit is working or explain the difference between one gathering and the next. All we know is that there are times when we are left to say, “Only God could do that.” We taste it. It’s on the tip of our tongues but our throats are still parched. Our voices may be hoarse and our volume weak but, at the sound of His yes, the mute would find speech.
I cried out this morning for Him to remove the obstacles that hold us at bay on the damp edges of a mighty torrent of revival when, before us, is the deep. We have seen drops of rain but, if we’re willing to be honest, most of us know that we have not yet seen what the living Lord Jesus Christ is capable of doing when He has a mind to pour His Spirit out on millions and wreak the holy havoc of true revival with innumerable souls. We have blamed our government and every secular institution possible when revival has ever remained a matter between God and His own people in the pages of Scripture. They are not our problem. We point fingers at our pastors when many of them have nearly broken their backs trying to drag us to revival. We hold worship leaders responsible for our own small worship and say that it must be the songs.
My heart burns with a sense that part of this ceiling over our heads is our demand that God must bring awakening and revival within our means, keep our rules, and respect our boundaries. If Christ is to do what He longs to do, we must relinquish all our expectations and formulas for revival. Lest we think we can’t leash a work He’s willing to perform, the words of Matthew 13:58 and Mark 6:5-6 won’t peel off the gospel page. We keep getting together and rehearsing for a revival He’s not yet fully attending. Why?? Why does He wait?
I think one reason is that we are afraid for Him to do whatever it would take. We are scared of the uncertainty of revival. We don’t trust God with the work of His own Spirit. He might embarrass us. Or make us change our minds. God won’t work contrary to His Word but many of us must admit that it is not His Word we are worried about Him working contrary to. We are worried about Him working contrary to our tastes. We are worried that He will not use our methods. I said we. I have done the same thing. I want Him to work in a way that makes me feel comfortable. But maybe a true outbreak of revival is not comfortable. I don’t know. I can’t say I’ve ever seen what I believe God may want to do in our day. Meanwhile, numerous gatherings of believers dwindle and die or rust for the sake of routine. Generations are falling away as revival clings to our doorposts. It’s there. It’s close. But why won’t it come on in? We feel it. We hunger for it. Why does it delay? Perhaps there are many reasons why revival waits and we could write more blog articles and list the possible hindrances and deliberate over them and mull over them and debate them and exert more and more energy while we have less and less time.
Or maybe we could say today,
Lord, if Your time is now – and it’s the only time countless millions have – remove the obstacles, whatever they are. Shove them out of the way and COME, Lord Jesus, with a torrential downpour of Your Holy Spirit.
I’m just looking for anyone out there who would be willing to echo a prayer something like this one. I bring it to you in humility, lacking much, wanting much. I do not wish to put words on any tongue detached from a heart. Vocabulary is meaningless without volition. If this is not you and if these sins are not yours and these aches find no place in your soul, you are not who I’m talking to. But this is me and I wondered if it might be anyone else, for where two or three are gathered in His Name, crying out for a cracked-open heaven, that ceiling that we feel shifting over our heads could shatter to our feet. I’m tired of giving God an inch and expecting a mile. I want to go with Him wherever He’s going.
Most glorious all-powerful, merciful God,
Your Son died for more than these. We thank You for what You’ve already done but we beg You to do infinitely more. Look upon this ailing planet, pulsing with the hopeless, helpless, the hiding and the dying. You have willed that people would not die in their sins but be saved and redeemed through Your Son, Jesus Christ. You promised that the Cross was big enough for us all, with stakes pointed northward, southward, eastward, westward, reaching everlasting arms to the ends of the earth. We know what Your Word says You can do and we confess to You that many of us have not yet seen it with our eyes but we feel it stirring in our souls. Hosanna, Lord! Save now!
We who are willing confess to you our sinful arrogance. We have prescribed to You by what means You, the solitary Healer, should heal souls and You have refused to sign Your Name to our prescriptions. We say to You this day, write Your Name across our sky and bring revival! Save by whatever means brings You glory. Bring it any way You like but bring it, Lord. We free You from using our methods. We free You from using our denominational names. We free You from using our buildings though we welcome You to them. We free You even from using us, though we cast ourselves before You at Your complete disposal and beg that You would. Use none of us. Use all of us. Use whatever people and whatever means honors You most but do it, Lord. Please do it!
We confess to You our appalling narcissism in asking You to mirror us. We confess to You our over-sophistication and snobbery. We confess to You that we are terrified of Your Holy Spirit. We confess our pathetic arrogance for having forbidden signs and wonders when there could be no greater sign and wonder than a tidal wave of salvation rolling on our dry banks. Oh, Jesus, that we would not leave You to marvel that You could do so few miracles among us because of our unbelief.
We repent this day for not trusting You with what revival should look like. We repent this day from prioritizing our dignity over Your downpour. We confess to You that we have torn pages from our Bibles and handed them back to You and demanded that You work through what was left. We confess to You this day that the tent pegs of Scripture are vastly wider than our imaginations and our expectations.
Lord, if souls are saved by the thousands of thousands and millions of millions, we pledge to You this day that we will not, in our sectarianism, pick apart the process and reason how it was not legitimate. We are ready even if it’s messy. Even if, atop the beautiful feet carrying the good news, are bruised and broken bodies of willing evangelists.
Open Heaven. Rain down, Holy Spirit. We repent for having asked You to respect our boundaries. We bow now to Your boundless Spirit and make room over our lowered heads for You to fall upon us with power and might and a firestorm of Your great affection. You have loved us so. You have loved us well. Scar our hearts with Your Cross and love through us, Lord. Oh, Holy Spirit of the Living Christ, come without limit. We have known You were able but begged You to be willing. All the while, we have been disabled because we have been unwilling.
To what conceivable degree we could have held them in our hands, we turn the reins of revival back over to the Rider who is Faithful and True and we plead that You would not let them rest on the neck of that great horse but that You’d bid him run.
Whatever, Lord. Do what You want but do it now. Do it here. You have no peer. Make Your name glorious. Save now. We avail ourselves.
O God, I avail myself.
In the holy name of Christ our King. Amen.
Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.
Thank you Beth for this beautiful prayer of revival. I stand in agreement. Lord Jesus I repent of my sinful ways, please forgive me. Seen a great revival and let it begin in me, while on others you are calling do not pass me by. In Jesus name I pray Amen
Amen and amen!
Yes, Lord. Come, Holy Spirit. In Your way…whatever needs doing. I humble myself with Beth and my siestas.
Have Your way, Lord. In Jesus holy, precious, mighty and powerful name.
Amen.
Beth, I’ve been praying for revival too! I need it, America needs it and the world needs it! Praying with you that God’s Holy Spirit will be mightily poured out upon us all!
Call upon the name of our Lord Jesus indeed. Thank u Lord Jesus for an outpouring of your Holy Spirit and annointings of love, mercy and grace.We cry out to you for Holy wisdom and reverential fear of our God. We pray a mighty breakthrough and break forth of your Holy Spirits in our hearts, our families, our friends, our countries and your world Oh God. Thanks Beth for your sincere outpouring of what The Lord Jesus put on your heart. All praise and honor to our God and King!
please do not publish, I just wanted to express y heartfelt thank you.
Here I am!
Amen! Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen, amen and amen! Yes, please God, shake heaven and earth with revival. Thank you, Beth, for this post!
Amen. I love this. Please Lord please, bring revival, bring more of you, and please start with me.
Lord, You have been our Hope, our Help, and our Trust. We acknowledge today that we have no good besides or beyond You (Psalm 16:2). You are our Sustainer, and You are Merciful and Compassionate. Ever so Patient with us, and we honor You as LORD over all. We ask You for forgiveness today. We confess that we have sought after everything comfortable here. Honestly, Lord, full surrender scares us, and we have not trusted you. We are really afraid of what You might allow into our lives or cause to happen. So, we now confess our unbelief in Your promises and distrust in Your Goodness and intentions toward us because we do not understand Your ways sometimes, and it scares us. Please forgive us Lord, and help us to overcome our unbelief! We confess that this world is not our home. We pray that from here on out, we would be about our Father’s business…Your business; Your will being done on earth as it is in Heaven. We confess our weaknesses and our cowardice to You, knowing that You are our true Source of strength and boldness to proclaim truth to a lost world. Please forgive us, Lord. We pray that You would send lasting, transforming revival to us. This nation and your people have drifted far from You. I pray all these things in Your Precious and Holy Name, LORD, Amen, so be it.
Early this week (I can’t say for sure it was Tuesday, but it might have been), sitting at a stoplight, the tears began to flow as I felt a DESPERATE need for revival and began to pray. Several times since then as I’m going through the normal routine of the day, the longing and the tears have come again and again. This morning, an urge to see what’s going on with LPM, and I find your God-given, eloquent words! Thank you for putting pen to paper (fingers to keyboard) and calling us together!
Amen, Amen and Amen.
Beth,
Your teaching and ministry has impacted my wife and my family over the years. We live in Houston and have been blessed to sit with many from our city as you have shared the revelation of your heart with us. For this I am so thankful.
You have authored a great prayer and desire in this blog. One thing we know is that the condition of the land is not the result of sin and darkness, the condition of the land is the result of the Church (ecclesia) that lives on the land. Another way we communicate this is to say that the problem is not the darkness, the problem is the lack of Light. Sin and darkness can not exist where the Light is present. This implies that the issue is us! Forgive us Lord.
I am part of a ministry that has been recording the activity of God around the world for almost two decades and producing videos of His handiwork. Transforming Revival is happening across the nations of the earth and we are seeing pockets arise in the United States. When we started out researching the goal was to encourage intercessors with videos showing the fruit of intercession. The first video swept the earth in just a few months and calls came in from around the world with requests to come and show them how to do this in their communities to which our response was, we do not know! The vision was not to create a program for revival or a teaching or a book, the goal was to simple record and share what God is doing and the testimony without trying to interpret or define. The truth is that Transforming Revival is about God’s handiwork, we do not author it so trying to define it seems foolish for us. But what we can do is share what it looks like and allow that to be an encouragement to others.
Your prayer and revelation about revival is powerful and right on in so many ways. You are one of many around the world who God is revealing Himself to in this way. He is truly seeking to prepare His Church for His Son.
Now almost two decades a after the first video was released we have studied over 1200 case studies including biblical examples, past revivals and current activity. We asked the Lord a question, is there anything that is true 100% of the time in every single case. Not part of the time or some of the time but 100% of the time. As the research was completed there were 10 principles that were discovered to be true in every case. We do not presume that these are ALL but these stood out clearly. Not one of the principles that we found were program based, all were about our posture and the condition of our heart and hands.
If you would like to see any of the videos or learn more about these principles I encourage you to go to http://www.iftpartners.org. It is a new site and is continually being refined, but it contains the stories of God’s Handiwork and what we have learned. It is not about a program, it is about principles that are true 100% of the time. While the principles are true how God chooses to manifest those principles in individual lives and in communities is, as my friend likes to say, as unique as snowflakes and fingerprints.
May God bless you Beth and all of you who are not only hungry, but desperate for God and His presence.
Father, I repent, I turn to set my gaze on You, I choose to lay down the pleasures, the power of position and my possessions to open myself freely to You. Forgive me for seeking comfort, for looking to this earthly realm for that settled place. Let it start with me, in my heart, my mind, my spirit, to yield to You and say, “here I am, revive me, flow through me, speak through me as You desire”. Stir within me a discomfort for the things of this world and wrestle my way to the fullness of Your Spirit, not being content with the things of this world. More of You, Your way….here I am. amen
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Cor. 4:20
Thank you dear Beth, Have just prayed and will keep praying with you, till the walls come tumbling down. Love you.
Diana Anderson, Greenville, KY Psalm 5:3 NASB In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.
Tears stream down my face as I read this. His Spirit in me cries Yes, LORD, Yes, LORD!!! Let it be, let it be!! Your time, Your way, Whatever, However, but let it be!! Thank you Beth for putting the pen to words from His heart to ours. May the cries ring out throughout the earth in a mighty swell of hunger and humility and may we have eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit says and run to obey! Let it be Precious LORD!!
I echo what you say and what you pray – my heart longs for a holy revival of God’s people – an awakening.
And I too see it – I told my small group the other day that I see signs of generations willing to stand in the gap and call people to repentance – with hearts over-flowing to affect this world for Christ Jesus. Changed lives.
Do it LORD!
Come Holy Spirit Come !!! Rain down on us….change us/me…lead us into whatever You desire. Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry: While on others Thou are calling, do not pass me by.
Forgive me Lord, Change me Lord, into Your hands I commit my life….have your way Lord !! Be glorified !!!
Oh. my. word. The longer I kept reading this, the more my chest was burning and feeling like a bursting would happen. I am afraid in my natural person that when I pray this prayer that God is ripping apart my notions and aspirations like that rightly divided heart it says the Word of God does. It’s not a ripping that brings destruction, but a rending that allows a precise division of soul and spirit. A severing that is necessary. As I read the “torrential waves” it reminded me of the massive echoes of the fireworks I just saw last night in the mountains. They were louder than the original report of the grand displays. I pray that we experience the massive echoes of the Holy Spirit and that they resound ever louder until Jesus returns. I pray also that we would ride those echoes and not stay silent lest they destroy us because of unbelief. Thank you, Beth for your timely response to the Holy Spirit and for leading a God-life that many can follow. As you follow Jesus, may He give you strength and courage to echo what the Spirit would speak to the nations. May the nations respond with even greater strength.
Thank you, and I say Amen!
Amen! Bring it, Lord!
Janet,Longmont,CO
Weeping,Praying,Thanking,Praising,Thinking,Trusting,Resting,Waiting,Seeking,Calling,Weeping,Praying…
Amen, Lord. Whatever it takes.
With tears pouring down I whole heartedly agree and ask the Father for forgiveness of my own arrogance and self-focus. Since the Duluth Living Proof Live I have heard Arise and Build many times in my spirit and continue to pray for His church and for myself to arise and build what He desires. We are in desperate need. Was singing the Christy Nockels song, Captivate us this morning. Devastate us with your Presence, Lord Jesus.
I am joining in and praying this prayer. Oh, that the Lord would send revival. I also wanted to pass along the info for a group that is currently crying out for revival. They are called OneCry and have thousands of believers who are currently praying for revival. They have a website, a prayer calendar for each month, and also a very helpful booklet for personal prayer time (This can either be ordered in hard copy or downloaded as a PDF). Their website is OneCry.com and the address for the PDF is http://www.onecry.com/onecry-resource-library/core-resources/
Thanks for letting me pass this along! It does seem that the Spirit is saying the same thing to believers everywhere. The cry for revival is strong. May the Lord have His way in our lives.
Amen!!!
YES Lord. I am desperate for Him to Rain down revival beginning with me.
Forgive me Lord that I have waned, become discouraged and/or complacent. Stoke the fires within my soul to crave YOU more, love YOU more listening intently with great expectancy to YOUR voice over the “noise” & distractions of life. Open WIDE my spiritual eyes and ears.
Thank you beloved Siesta Mama. My Lord uses you to speak directly into my life & heart like no other. I thank God for you and love you to pieces.
Yes, yes, and yes.
Please, Jesus! Whatever it takes…however it changes us…anything for more of You!
We cry out to You Father…rain down on us Lord…please let this begin in me…don’t let me quench Your Spirit…may the earth be filled with the knowledge of You…may countless numbers be snatched from the kingdom of darkness, transferred to The Kingdom of Your Glorious Light!!! You have stirred this in us…we trust You to do above and beyond what we could ever ask or imagine…Your Name and Renown are the desire of our hearts…
Yes! The band of brothers and sisters that pray together in our home (Seattle area) each month, along with our churches, have been praying this for a decade. We’re on our tippy-toes alongside you, just waiting to see/hear/experience/be a part of God’s answer to what is becoming a nation-wide unified cry from His children.
Amen. Amen!
This is so thought provoking, I began to think, how many times have I said “Use me Lord” only to set limitations on what I was willing to “Let” Him use me for!
Yes! Amen!!
“I think one reason is that we are afraid for Him to do whatever it would take. We are scared of the uncertainty of revival. We don’t trust God with the work of His own Spirit. He might embarrass us. Or make us change our minds.” Guilty as charged. I’ve had some of those same thoughts this very week.
Thank you.
Father, I am so unworthy of all you desire for me. Scarred and with sin I unite in this prayer with my sisters in Christ. Thank you God for Beth as she ministers to us and may we be willing and open to mighty revival today! In Jesus Name, Amen.
Amen! Amen!
The prayers and fasting of 2 or more righteous followers is a great way to start a revival in each of our own neighborhoods! If 2 or more in each community will just do diligently this proven formula we know are God will do HIS part!
Remember this is the same God who said ill not destroy a whole city if HE could just find 1 true and righteous believer!
And also remember that our God is never early or late and good things come to those who patiently watch and wait for HIM to show up! Rumor has it that even if HE shows up after our town is on fire HE gets more Glory when we are in
the fire and still not burnt!
We must remember nothing is to Big for our God!
Amen and Amen. LORD – so many hearts are pulsing with this prayer. Humble us, help us become the tools You will be able to use as well.
Please LORD, make Your name famous about the earth, in our communities and families.
AMEN!!! I’m ready, Lord!!!
Alicia in Gulfport, MS
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13 NIV)
Amen!
IN JESUS PRECIOUS AND HOLY NAME……AMEN!
Yes…..Rain down on us Holy Spirit. Lord, do not pass us by.
Wow! God is so good to give us a beautiful prayer. Sometimes we need someone to bring to light words that touch our souls, words in our thoughts & hearts we don’t know how to explain! Thanks for sharing, Beth! Praise God!
Amen! Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and enkindle in us the fire of your love.
Littlestown, PA
“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.” James 3:5-6a (NIV)
Wow, that was so powerful. So heartfelt, such burning desire in letting the Lord do a revival of our souls, no matter what it looks like. I think our problem are our denominational barriers that it would have to look this way. Thank you lovely woman of God for breathing a fresh word on us to desire our King’s desire.
I do love this line Beth, “On all who would let Him lift their chins despite their sins.” Thinking oh the same where oh where is the power?? God help us.
Love you Beth and if you get to read my post, I miss you, love it when I get to see you from time to time, Allison
Wow…. “And he did not many might works there because of their unbelief.”
When I think about it, I think the distractions for me:
iPhone, gadgets, new apps, Mac, iPad, music to listen to with Pandora, Spotify and others. All good in their place but with this addicting personality as mine is grabs these things with all her gusto! FB another place I spend way too much time. Never liked twitter. Thankfully. For me it’s too much. Too many videos, too much flash to explain a sermon, too many vids to make a point in a sermon. Music too loud, I can’t hear the words. I want to rock and roll with some of that music. I am a traditionalist there, sorry but not I am not sorry. Music needs to be looked at. Holiness in church seems like an old word ancient word. Respect and honor. If the word were more important in my life, versus the gadgets the “fill up my time” with new things wouldn’t I be more satisfied. O the eye is never full, wants more and more and more.
YES!!!! Absolutely!! Amen.