REVIVAL

Raphael Oye. Taiwo

WHAT REVIVAL IS

Part Two

Revival Is God’s Presence

‘Presence’ means ‘the fact or state of being in the place talked of or understood’. 

Revival is a strong manifestation of God’s presence among His people.

Acts 3:19

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 

Revival is a time of refreshing which comes from the presence of the Lord. 

God is omnipresent.  That is, He is everywhere present – at one and the same time.  He fills every space in heaven and in the universe.  Even hell is not excluded from his omnipresent ability (Psalm 139:8).

God, however, does not manifest His presence everywhere.  Hell, for example, can never enjoy the presence of God, though He is there.  To the people in that place of the damned, God is ‘absent’. 

God is present everywhere, but His presence cannot be felt unless He manifests the presence, unless He reveals Himself.  When God mercifully chooses to manifest His glorious and powerful presence in a place, the people living there cannot fail to feel His wonderful glory and power.

2 Chronicles 5:13-14

13. It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD;

14. So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

.  When the singers and instrumentalists began to praise God in Solomon’s new temple, the cloud of God’s glory filled the temple, making it impossible for the ministers to stand and minister.  Praise brought God into the temple (Psalm 22:3). With the presence of God came the overwhelming glory of God.

Moses and the presence of God

          Moses had sensed somehow that God wanted to deliver the Israelites through Him.  So, he went ahead and tried to do the deliverance in his own power – without the presence of God.  Too late, he realized he had bitten off more than he could chew and had to leave Egypt in a hurry.

No wonder he came, about forty years later, to value the presence of God so highly that he cried to God:  “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here” (Exodus 33:15 NIV).

          The deliverance of the Israelites – one of the greatest and longest revival in the history of the world – began with the revelation of God’s person and presence to Moses at Horeb (Exodus 3:2-8).  In this scripture, we see the Person and presence of God revealed to Moses.

          “I am come down….” (verse 8) God’s presence.

          “I am come down to deliver them out of the land of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey…” God’s presence brings deliverance.

          The purpose of every revival is deliverance from sin and Satan, deliverance from spiritual death and slavery, and deliverance from the power of the devil.  The purpose of God in sending revival is to lead His people out of the land of bondage into the land of victory.

Revival and restoration

When God comes into the midst of His people, He brings restoration. The presence of God turns the captivity of His people.

Joel 2:23-26. 

23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.