5 Reasons Revival Does or Does Not Take Hold

“But Gideon said to them, ‘I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you’” (Judges 8:23).

This could have been the start of a revival of faith, worship, and obedience to Yahweh among the Israelites following their defeat of Midian. Yet in the next verses, Gideon requested that each Israelite should give him a gold earring from the Midianite plunder, ultimately collecting forty-three pounds of jewelry (v. 26). He was able to make an “ephod [...] and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. Then all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household” (Judges 8:27).

Gideon was the agent of God’s power, used to provide faithful human leadership against their enemy. The real leader of their armies and the true victor over Midian was the Lord. Gideon started well by giving God the glory, but he quickly lost his way and fell prey to the temptations of pagan worship which he had previously decried. When the leader fell away, so did his followers, as seen multiple times in the Old Testament. In Exodus 32, for example, Moses went up the mountain to meet God, and his brother (as temporary leader) gave the people a golden calf to worship.

The revival of faith and worship was over before really having a chance to take hold. This is a risk when people celebrate a finite earthly victory instead of celebrating God’s glory, which is over everything, regardless of the situation. Scholars point out instances where God’s faithful (people like Deborah or Moses) sang of their gratitude and of God’s glory immediately following a victory. “Praise as a response [...] acknowledges God's sovereignty and power. Victories, whether physical or spiritual, are attributed to God's intervention and grace. [Praise] serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness to His promises.”

They are God’s promises and He fulfills them. But they are experienced in daily life also, not only after dramatic crises. The mundane becomes glorious as we see that the Lord is there.

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Sam Storms describes the Welsh Revival of 1904, led by Evan Roberts: “He was simple, plain, and unimpressive so that God might get all the credit and glory for what happened.” Roberts had no interest in publicity for himself; he tried to recede as much as possible as reporters investigated the startling and exciting revival which seemed to originate with this humble man. “If he ever sensed that the people had come to see or hear him only, he would withdraw and refuse to preach. He refused to be photographed. He was convinced that if people focused on him and not Christ that the Holy Spirit would immediately withdraw his presence.”

According to Storms’ article, Roberts was the human spark, but that spark spread throughout Wales. Welsh churches did not send out telegrams advertising revival meetings – they sprung up independently of each other. God was the agent of this activity, not Roberts or his fellow pastors and prayer leaders, and they knew it.

Bible teachers assert that “By recognizing that victories are not achieved by human strength alone, believers are encouraged to maintain a posture of dependence on God.” Evans did not see himself as the initiator of revival, yet it was his humble devotion to and trust in God day-by-day, in the regular rhythms of life and his persistent prayer, which led to more than a year where thousands counted the cost and chose Christ.

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As he described the revival which took place in Manhattan during his early years as pastor of Redeemer Church, Tim Keller also shared insight into revival that does not work. “Somebody once said, ‘You can never get back into Narnia the same way twice. You got through the wardrobe once; it won’t happen again.’ The same is true of revival.” A method that worked at one time, such as outdoor tent meetings, will not necessarily work next time because revival is not an event planned by people.

Keller remarked that other churches showed signs of revival in Wales prior to 1904, but their take-off was grounded early on because they tried to follow a formula. God does not follow formulae for revival, although there are ideal conditions, such as “some sort of upheaval in the culture.” And while most people would rather not experience upheaval and chaos, “You pray for revival and say, ‘Do whatever it takes.’”

When there is confusion and chaos in culture, remarkable church growth will sometimes be witnessed. “Revival is marked by a sense in which repentance becomes normal,” wrote Keller. Where cultural mortality is deeply entrenched, people start to long for the solidity and consistency of Christian foundations and because of this they respond to the gospel, where they meet Christ. God will move hearts towards repentance, seemingly out of nowhere, although a foundation has been laid by prayer, perhaps for many months or years prior.

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“Evan Roberts had prayed daily for 13 years. There were numerous [...] groups in Wales that had prayed for the previous 1 ½ years.” Although Roberts is given credit for the Welsh revival, there were many people passionately following Christ and obeying God’s call to pray. “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Prayer was also central in the midst of the Welsh revival, sometimes going on for hours in large groups where multiple voices could be heard all at once, yet without it feeling like mayhem. Participants prayed unselfconsciously, led by the Holy Spirit, not taking notice of who might hear. All different prayers, and then suddenly hymns, began without an order or service to follow, just voices raised in unity of sung prayer.

At times, the effect was so overwhelming in the heart of an individual that he or she would find it too much, explained Storms. “There was an intense passion for Jesus. On several occasions during a meeting people could be heard crying out: ‘No more, Lord Jesus, or I die!’ The point is that you want revival when you pray for more of Christ. You are in revival when you’ve got so much of him that you feel compelled to say, ‘No more, lest I die.’”

Prayer was not part of a formula, and the joy apparent in the faces of participants reflected the truth that Christ truly had brought revival to Wales. He was so close that Roberts was described as “radiant,” like Moses after meeting with God. Prayer emerged from truly revived hearts tuned to their Savior and King.

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Keller and his wife planted Redeemer Presbyterian Church in 1989, in New York City. Within months, he started to see growth. “Our church grew in the middle of Manhattan at a time when people were moving out because of the crime. We didn’t have church shoppers. We were starting from scratch. It was a difficult spot to start, and yet the church grew to about 1,000 people attending services in two years.” His church was planted where no one previously had thought to address the deep spiritual need of urban Americans. Rather than head to an exotic foreign location, Keller realized the needs of an enormous, overlooked, domestic group closer to home.

What Keller noticed was that three types of people were answering the call to worship: sleepy Christians, nominal Christians, and non-Christians. “When the Holy Spirit begins to do his work, he brings repentance and assurance. Ordinary Christians aren’t usually sad enough or happy enough. We’re not convicted enough about our sin. We’re not experiencing deep repentance and therefore we don’t experience high assurance.”

Rather than give them something watery and unconvincing, Keller taught both the good news and the bad news: “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”

Those saved during this revival were suddenly and powerfully convicted of their sin. Yet, though convicted, they also met a merciful and loving God who showed them the beauty of repentance and the reward that awaited them: eternal life with Jesus (not to mention the joy of his constant presence day by day). Many of those attending Redeemer were singles who invited their unsaved friends to church. Their boldness led to growth, not merely in church attendance, but in souls saved.

Pray for Real Revival

We want revival if we love Jesus and love our neighbor. We know that it is not God’s desire for any to perish (2 Peter 3:9). We want everyone to hear the gospel and live. Although we cannot make revival happen, prayer is an essential catalyst. Then, the faithful must act on the prompting of the Holy Spirit to start something.

An individual’s response to Christ has the potential to be so beautiful that it attracts others. In Wales, large groups could be heard singing, full of devotion to the Lord, attracting attention to their joy and eventually to Christ. But even if your faith alone is revived and not used by God to spark something bigger, sing anyway. The joy of singing praises to the Lord is a gift to the believer and also an offering to the Lord.

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