We are living, right now, in a Great Awakening. All the signs are there—churches full of revived Christ-followers who will go wherever He leads, even unto death; believers who love each other deeply and live in unity; bold sharing of the gospel. And, as a result, millions coming to faith in Jesus!
But for those of us in America, we have to get on a plane to see it. In America and other Western countries, we are largely missing out on the massive harvest God is bringing in during this moment in history.
Recently, an Iranian couple came to live in America. They left behind the fastest growing church in the world—in the oppressed nation of Iran!
After being here for about two months, the wife said to the husband, “There is a demonic lullaby playing in the churches here. The Christians here are sleepy. And I’m getting sleepy. Let’s go home.” And they did. Back to potential persecution and death. Because that was preferable to missing revival!
Are we that hungry, that desperate to experience a fresh move of God here? Or are we content to stay where we are as long as we are comfortable?
The “demonic lullaby” is a religious song. It is playing constantly in many of our churches … and in many of our lives.
But there is a new song I am beginning to hear. It’s still a little bit like background music in the American church. But you can hear it if you listen closely.
It is the song of revival, the song of new life! It’s a song of repentance, forgiveness, obedience, and joy.
We love to hear it, in special moments of surrender, witness, and testimony. Like a story I heard from Life Action Camp, where a man shared this summer that he had not taken his wife on a date in fifteen years. He confessed that he had abandoned his love for his wife.
But God renewed their love, and now everything is different. He took his wife to every place that was important in their love story—the place they met, the places they dated, the place where they married. And at each spot, he renewed his love for her. God gave them a new love song!
We sometimes get to hear this new revival song in the churches we are serving. In North Carolina this year, there was a night where almost the entire church would not leave after the service ended, but instead relocated to the prayer chapel to cry out to God. The pastor said, “This has simply been one of the greatest weeks in my life and in the history of this church.”
Or the church in Florida, comprised of sixty-four nationalities, where the people shared testimonies for more than two hours of how God had changed their lives and their church. And twenty-one people came forward to give their lives to Jesus! One man said, “I don’t want the gospel to be a toy for me to play with anymore. It is now my call to join Jesus on His mission.”
I could share story after story; perhaps you could as well. The new song is growing in intensity.
But I don’t want to live the rest of my life telling stories of what God is doing in the rest of the world. I want to see Him at work here in North America!
I believe God is ready to revive us. All He asks is that when He speaks, we say yes. An unqualified, uninhibited, unconditional YES. Like Isaiah in the temple, may we also say: “Here I am, Lord; send me! Use me! Revive me!”