PRAYER PROMPT ••• There’s a church up the street from my house that I drive by every time I go in and out of my neighborhood.
It’s a fairly small, nondescript Baptist church, but yesterday, I noticed they had a sign announcing their upcoming revival.
Oh how well I remember revival services growing up.
I went to a private school and though my family and I weren’t members of the sponsoring church, as a student, I was strongly encouraged to attend.
And of course, I remember revival services at my own home church too.
Revival always seemed to be like a week-long camp at church.
In my childish brain, I didn’t understand the importance of what revival meant.
I just knew it to be a week long rush to go from school to church where I could see friends, enjoy a Wednesday night spaghetti supper, and a few other events in the church fellowship hall.
Any of you have similar memories?
Revival has been on my mind so much in the last year because Friends, our country is in dire need of it.
Revival is defined as “renewed attention to or interest in something” and “a new presentation or publication of something old.”
Merriam-Webster also includes “a period of renewed religious interest; an often highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meetings.”
Revival is all those things.
But I also see another way to define it – an opportunity for Christians to encourage one another in our individual walks with Jesus.
If Christians around the world simply encouraged fellow-believers to stay strong in faith, would there even be a need for a big yellow banner to proclaim revival services?
Wouldn’t we stay in an ongoing state of revival because we stayed energized in all that Christ did for us?
Maybe I’m overly optimistic, but we are told to encourage one another in 1 Thessalonians 5:11.
Who is someone you could encourage today?
Today, as you pray, ask God for the opportunity to encourage and uplift someone else.
Ask Him to help us unite us as a Body of Christ so that our efforts create a revival that is powerful and catches the attention of those who need to discover Jesus for themselves!
