Sometimes throughout our life we find that our enthusiasm for something wanes, and we don’t care nearly as much about it as we did before. Perhaps it might be our big support of a certain sports team. They aren’t doing as well as they were before, so our interest starts to drop. Maybe it’s our job or life’s work which has lost a lot of its initial fervor. We still continue with the job, but with much less enthusiasm. Sometimes this happens with a marriage, where there is little passion or warmth anymore. Then something happens and things change. Perhaps us or our spouse starts to change their behavior, perhaps our once-favorite sports team starts to improve their game, and all of our enthusiasm returns. This also often happens with a believer’s personal faith, and if left unchecked, can leave our spiritual faith withering on the vine. We need a surge of life poured into us. We need a revival. The psalmist of our psalm for this week, Psalm 85, prays that the Lord will send revival to His people, as the psalmist knows that faith has been waning. Let’s look at this psalm, and see how, if we need to, we can revive our diminishing or dwindling faith.
Psalm 85 was written by the sons of Korah. These were descendants of Korah, who was a member of the tribe of Levi at the time of Moses. We read in the Book of Numbers that Korah joined with Dathan and Abiram in a rebellion against Moses and his leadership. God punished these rebels by opening the earth beneath them, swallowing them up alive (Numbers 16:1-33). However, not everyone in Korah’s family joined with his rebellion, and they did not perish with their patriarch (Numbers 26:11). Having seen what could happen to those who strayed from faith in the Lord, the Sons of Korah worked in the Tabernacle and later the Temple, kept their faith strong, and wrote eleven psalms.
It is uncertain exactly when Psalm 85 was written, with some people thinking it was written after the return of some of the people following the Babylonian captivity. Others believe it was earlier, even as early as the days of King Saul. Whenever it was written, the author had witnessed the sins of the people, their turning from God, and now composed this prayer for revival and restoration. The writer recalled how all through the years of wandering in the wilderness, during the days of the Judges, and throughout the reign of various kings, the people had strayed from Yahweh. When they repented, the author noted how the Lord would forgive their sins (vs. 1-3). He recalled God’s mercy, forgiveness, and grace. The story of his own family history was an example of that.
The people needed to repent, and for their relationship with the Lord to be restored (vs. 4-7). They needed to have a true Holy Spirit revival in their hearts. They needed to listen to the spiritual leaders that the Lord sent, listen to His prophets, and be sure that their repentance is real (vs. 8-9). Listening matters, most especially listening to God! We need attentive obedience to Him. God warned them not to return to the folly of their wicked ways and sins again.
This is a prayer that can and should be made with believers today. Many believers at one time or another can let their faith start to wane and wither. If left unchecked, our faith can be almost as if it was dead. We can never lose our salvation if truly saved, but from outward appearances and behavior, it can appear as if that believer is not truly a Christian. They need the Holy Spirit to bring a surge of His life into them. They need a revival. Whole churches can fall into this condition, and even whole denominations. When large numbers of Christians have gotten like this, it affects the society around them.
This is when Christians need to pray for a revival, a revival in themselves, in their local church, and then spread through the community. Revival begins with the Holy Spirit working in individual hearts, bringing a refreshing return to God, with passion and zeal. Revival is not a random burst of energy or emotion, but is based on truth found in the Bible.
Do you want to see a return to godliness in society, and within your neighborhood? We need to pray for a strong Holy Spirit revival. Revival starts with us. Just like a fire starts with one little spark, and then loose kindling gets ignited, then small branches, and finally larger branches, for a revival to happen, we need to return to our enthusiasm and zeal for the Lord, then others in our church will follow, then the whole church, other churches, and a true Holy Spirit revival can happen in our neighborhood. People will be saved and society may begin to turn away from its wickedness. Lord, send our hearts revival, and send it today!
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