05/30/2020
I need to be careful.
That’s what I’ve been feeling this week.
I remember listening to John Eldredge share his belief that there is a strong spirit of hatred on the earth right now. If I’m not careful, I will allow it to sweep me up. And, perhaps that is the plan of our enemy.
This song was released this week and it made me think of revival. Many have believed that the Covid 19 crisis would bring a revival. It occurred to me that perhaps I think revival looks a certain way and perhaps that image is not correct.
I’ve always heard that “revival starts with me”. What does that look like?
For me it looks like asking myself some hard questions.
Where is there hate in my heart and for who?
Why do I avoid certain injustices and yet fight for others?
Who am I judging in the ways they believe and is my anger a righteous anger or a self centered anger?
I don’t think righteous anger is supposed to lead to hate.
Maybe “revival starting with me” looks like asking God and others to forgive me for the hate I have carried. And then letting it go- maybe over and over because forgiveness of ourselves and others often requires multiple tries.
Can I really make a difference? Does my voice matter? I choose to believe so. But 1 Corinthians 13 reminds me that my words (written or spoken) don’t really have the impact they need if they are not shared from a heart of love. I think I need to make sure my heart is clean and full of the love of Jesus and maybe that’s what I’m supposed to take away from the phrase, “Revival starts with me”.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that this song was scheduled to release this week, the week leading to Pentecost- the day we celebrate that moment when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, empowering them to live like Jesus. Perhaps in preparation for that day (tomorrow) I need to make sure my heart is clean.
When I heard this song I cried.
I saw all people standing together, living in the reality that
they are loved deeply by our Father,
and freely seeing their neighbor the way He sees them.
What if revival is right at our fingertips, so close that we can “catch it”?
I don’t want to miss it.
What if what God is really doing is waking up our dry bones to see and care about what breaks his heart?
What if that’s what revival looks like in 2020?
I don’t want to miss it ️.
Let’s “March on our knees. March to love”.
"Revival's In The Air" - Melissa Helser
Oh, I can feel redemption on the wind
Forgiveness like the tide rollin' in
Taking up the space where shame has lived
Receiving all that You died to give
Let the wind blow
Let the tide roll
Till the earth knows
You're a God of love
Let my dry bones
Sing a new song
All the glory
To the God of love
Hey!
Oh, I can see a valley of dry bones
Rattling, moving bone to bone
You breathe a breath of life into our lungs
Marching on our knees, we march to love
Let the wind blow
Let the tide roll
Till the earth knows
You're a God of love
Let my dry bones
Sing a new song
All the glory
To the God of love
Hey!
Revival's in the air
Well, catch it if you can
He's moving on the wind
The dawn is breaking
Oh, lift your eyes to see
He's better than you dreamed
With everything you lost
Love's returning
Let the wind blow
Let the tide roll
Till the earth knows
You're a God of love
Let my dry bones
Sing a new song
All the glory
To the God of love
Hey!
Revival's in the air
Well, catch it if you can
He's moving on the wind
The dawn is breaking
Oh, lift your eyes to see
He's better than you dreamed
And everything you lost
Love's returning
Revival's in the air
Well, catch it if you can
He's moving on the wind
The dawn is breaking
Oh, lift your eyes to see
He's better than you dreamed
And everything you lost
Love's returning
Let the wind blow
Let the tide roll
Till the earth knows
You're a God of love
Let my dry bones
Sing a new song
All the glory
To the God of love
All the glory
To the God of love
All the glory
To the God of love
..