Back in the day summer time was the time when one could see tents set up with big signs that read: “REVIVAL” and another sign that would give the times and the dates. There you would find an evangelist that would preach for the week, or whatever length of time, and people would come to be ‘revived’. There were the old camp meetings every summer where we could sing the old songs and choruses and do the same thing-Be revived. We don’t see that so much anymore. It seems the idea of revival is ‘old fashioned’ or not needed. I don’t know, but when I look around the world I kind of feel that we need revival now more than ever!
‘To Revive: give new strength and energy to’. That seems to be exactly what the world needs now. There’s an old hymn that says:
‘Revive us again;
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above.’
But here’s the kicker. That’s the last verse of the hymn. There are four verses before that that say ‘we praise thee O God’ and ‘all glory and praise’ and then it lists just some of the most important things we should give God the glory for; His son, his spirit, for taking our sins aways, his guidance. Then the chorus says ‘Hallelujah, Thine the glory! Revive us again!’
It appears the key to revival is praise! We need to praise Him! We get so bogged down in our own lives and problems we often forget to praise God for all the wonderful things he has put in our lives. He has given us our very lives through His son, Jesus! That is certainly something to praise him for!
Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise! (Psalm 22) . Talk about renewal! Praising God brings him right to us to give us that ‘new strength and energy’.
Maybe we don’t have the revival tents of old, but we are still exhorted to praise the Lord with timbrel and dance, with instruments, with drums and cymbals and, yes, with tambourine!
We don’t need the tents, we just need an attitude of praise for our renewal!
Next time we meet at church let’s have a revival of our own and be ready to praise the Lord!!
REVIVE US AGAIN
We praise Thee, O God! For the Son of Thy love, For Jesus Who died, And is now gone above.
o Refrain:
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Revive us again.We praise Thee, O God! For Thy Spirit of light, Who hath shown us our Savior, And scattered our night.
All glory and praise To the Lamb that was slain,Who hath borne all our sins,And hath cleansed every stain.
All glory and praise To the God of all grace, Who hast brought us, and sought us, And guided our ways.
Revive us again; Fill each heart with Thy love; May each soul be rekindled With fire from above.
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