I’m at a pastors’ retreat in the U.P. Pastors and their families from around the country are here to learn, be encouraged, and enjoy the beauty of northern Michigan. The speaker is a highly respected professor from Moody Bible College, Dr. Shields. The theme is Revival. It was interesting to me that this theme lines up so well with what we as a church have been pursuing. Especially as this camp, and in general Moody Bible College, is nowhere near where we are in terms of types of church and perspectives on revival.
I have learned that the superficial differences we see between denominations and streams of church are no obstacle whatsoever for the Holy Spirit. We may use different terms for prophetic ministry or being led by the Lord, or we may not display sensing God’s presence outwardly in the same ways, but we all worship and are led by the same God and indwelt by the same Holy Spirit. So when I have the opportunity to hear about revival from a new perspective, I am ready to learn.
Nehemiah depicts one of the great revivals in the Old Testament as the Hebrews are being released from Babylon to return and rebuild Jerusalem: “Hanani, one of my brothers, came to visit me with some other men who had just arrived from Judah. I asked them about the Jews who had returned there from captivity and about how things were going in Jerusalem. They said to me, ‘Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.’ When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:2-4)
Dr. Shields drew attention to Nehemiah’s response to the news of trouble. This reminded me of Josh Muse’s recent teaching at the Revival Weekend that Kairos moments often come as a crisis. Nehemiah was facing the crisis of rebuilding Jerusalem and the news that it wasn’t going well. His response was to cry out to God in prayer. Dr. Shields said that revival cannot be scheduled, but we can position ourselves to pursue revival through prayer, seeking God, repentance, and heartfelt obedience. Nehemiah then implemented a plan to facilitate the restoration of the wall of Jerusalem.
John 5:17 reads, “But Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." From this verse, Dr. Shields taught that like Jesus, we can have confidence that our heavenly Father is at work—always. And like Jesus, we should respond by being “at work.” We can be co-laborers with Christ in building the Kingdom of God. Like Nehemiah, we must position ourselves and take steps to see revival in our day. Church, let’s pursue this faithfully. We need revival. Our city needs revival. Our nation and world needs revival. We must step up and become the Nehemiahs of our day!