The Foundation of Revival

Psalm 85: 1-3

When I sat down to write this week’s post, I flipped my Bible open and the Holy Spirit drew my attention to Psalm 85. This psalm is often called the “revival psalm,” and it gives us an honest but encouraging glimpse into how revival works. So, dear reader, let’s take a walk through this psalm together.

“Lord, Thou hast been favourable unto Thy land: Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of Thy people, Thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.

Thou hast taken away all Thy wrath: Thou hast turned Thyself from the fierceness of Thine anger.” (vv.1-3)

I haven’t done much research on when this psalm was written, but the reference to God being favorable to His land, and bringing back the captivity of Jacob gives us a clue. This psalm was likely written after the years of exile, possibly during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah. This also makes sense with the need for revival, which appears fairly early in the accounts of the Jewish people’s return to the land.

But although these verses are valuable for helping us understand the historical context of the psalm, they should also be verses that resonate with our hearts today.

Has God been favorable to you? That word, favorable, in the Hebrew means “to be pleased with” and is specifically used in the satisfaction of a debt. Has God satisfied your debt?

2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that Christ took on the debt of our sin, giving us His righteousness in exchange:

“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

Has God brought back the captivity of your soul? Romans 7 describes the bondage of sin and our helplessness to free ourselves. Then, in the very first verse of Romans 8 we find this awe-inspiring truth:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Has God’s wrath been turned away from you? Romans 5:9 says,

“Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

And 1 Thessalonians tell us,

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” (5:8-10)

Are you in Christ today? Have you accepted His payment for your debt of sin? If so, these first few verses of Psalm 85 should be joyously familiar to you.

The starting place for revival is salvation. We cannot revive that which was never alive. As Romans 3:23 tells us,

“all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”

We have all broken the law of God, we are all in need of His forgiveness. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross provided us with a choice:

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

We can choose eternal death or eternal life—but eternal life is not our default. Have you admitted your sin to God and accepted the gift of salvation already purchased for you?

If so, know that the need for revival usually comes when we forget to rejoice in the salvation and mercy of God. So if you want to be revived, do as Revelation 2:5 says, and,

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen…”

Are you alive in Christ? Let the remembrance of God’s great salvation lead you to grateful fellowship and obedience to God.

“But I have trusted in Thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me.” Psalm 13:5-6