We who live in the land of McDonalds and the home of Amazon are eager to find quickly packaged solutions to our problems. We are prone to believe the myth that revival is defined simply as the coming of the lost masses to Christ.
However, true revival must begin within the church. I Peter 4:17 declares, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.”
As Billy Sunday pointed out, “A revival does two things. First, it returns the Church from her backsliding and second, it causes the conversion of men and women; and it always includes the conviction of sin on the part of the Church.”
King Josiah
Over 2500 years ago, a young king submitted himself to God’s Word, sparking a temporary revival within his nation.
Early in his reign, Josiah began to seek the Lord, unlike his wicked father and grandfather. When Shaphan the scribe read the rediscovered Word of God to Josiah, the king humbled himself.
Concerning Josiah, 2 Chronicles 34:27 says, “Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest His words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humblest thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me, I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord.”
As the story of Josiah illustrates, revival is birthed within a heart of humility. II Chronicles 7:14 places humility as the first of four actions God’s people must take. Without humility, we will never pray, seek God’s face, and turn from our wicked ways.
Each one of us can cultivate humility within our own heart through repentance, dependence, and gratitude.
1. A Heart of Repentance
In Psalm 51, after his sin with Bathsheba, David cried out, “Have mercy upon me, O God according to thy lovingkindness: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.”
Both Nehemiah and Ezra repented and took personal responsibility for their nation’s sins. “We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandest thy servant Moses” (Nehemiah 1:7).
The same humility that is necessary for the lost to find salvation is necessary for the saved to experience revival. The proud fail to see their sin as God sees it, a truth illustrated by the life of Saul.
Andrew Murray noted, “A true revival means nothing less than a revolution, casting out the spirit of worldliness and selfishness, and making God and His love triumph in the heart and life.”
2. A Heart of Helpless Dependence
God can only work in our lives when we realize our need for him. The same Word that proclaims “without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5), assures that “with God, nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).
We stand before God, convinced of our inability to serve Him on our own, yet fully persuaded of His far-surpassing power to work in and through us as we yield to His will. It is this dependence on Him that equips us to courageously fight the battles He has given us, while falling on our knees in desperation before Him.
“The coming revival must begin with a great revival of prayer. It is in the closet, with the door shut, that the sound of abundance of rain will first be heard” (Andrew Murray).
3. A Heart of Gratitude
Humility realizes that we deserve none of God’s goodness. He has given us every single blessing, not to be selfishly hoarded, but to bless others and to be stewarded for His glory.
As David remarked, “All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee” (I Chronicles 29:14).
Romans 1 states that those who knew God “glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain (prideful) in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Revival Today
Charles Finney once said, “A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God.”
Revival came in both Ezra and Josiah’s day to the people of God. In both cases, the people humbly submitted themselves to God and His Word.
Like king Josiah, we must fall before God in humble repentance for our sin, gratitude for His goodness, and dependence on His Spirit’s strength.
When we humble ourselves before God, we can take hope in His unchanging character and Word.
E.M. Bounds noted, “To look back upon the progress of the divine kingdom upon earth is to review revival periods which have come like refreshing showers upon dry and thirsty ground, making the desert to blossom as the rose, and bringing new eras of spiritual life and activity just when the Church had fallen under the influence of the apathy of the times.”
Question: Why is humility so hard to cultivate? How can we humble ourselves before God?
8 Comments
George Craig · July 10, 2018 at 10:38 am
Many people have debated what is truly necessary for salvation – repentance, faith, belief, understanding, etc. But you have identified the one ingredient that is ALWAYS necessary for salvation – humility. Every person who is truly saved has humbled themselves and admitted their need for God. That admission is necessary throughout the life of a Christian, not just at the beginning of their journey. If we maintain a proper spirit of humility (don’t make of ourselves more than we ought to), we will be displaying the mind of Christ.
Joshua Bontrager · July 11, 2018 at 10:24 am
Mr. Craig,
Your comment reminds me of Matthew 21:43-44: “Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”
Those who are humble will never see their sin as God sees it and repent, for they are righteous in their own eyes. They will never “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” for they think themselves self-sufficient.
The choice is this: Humble fall on Christ’s mercy and be saved, or proudly resist His salvation be broken by His wrath.
Chad Anderson · July 10, 2018 at 9:59 am
The three biggest things that get in the way of us being everything or anything God desired us to be are:
1. Me
2. Myself
3. I
I must die to self. I must realize that I am really not that great, that the more of me that I put into something the worse that it gets. We are a product of sin. There is a law of sin that dwells in my flesh. I am the weak link but also the deciding link. One way leads to God and everything truly good, the other way leads to evil (sin, Satan, the flesh, Spirit of the world, everlasting death). When I die to me and no longer serve myself there are two entities left that I can serve. Hopefully we choose the right one. Joshua, you asked why is it so hard? It’s me. There is something about me and in me that makes it so hard (Romans 7:7-25). Its me! I have to humble myself and lay those parts of me aside that I know are not of Divine Persuasion and try really hard to transform those dark parts into light. There are forces at work that are trying to prevent these things. Forces that hate humility and hate transformation towards godlinees, but it really all comes down to us and that we are not adequate enough. We have to have God. Lot’s of God. We have to know this.
Chad Anderson · July 10, 2018 at 10:20 am
…..I had another thought on this.
I feel like also there should be a since of desperation to our neediness. The desperate recognition of our status and the intense longing for that void to be filled by God! And quickly! Time is short.
Joshua Bontrager · July 10, 2018 at 10:22 am
Chad,
Very true. Your comment reminds me of Jeremiah 17:9, which says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
When we daily renew our mind through God’s Word (Romans 12, Ephesians 5), we can become more like Christ. Pride will always be a battle, but by God’s strength, it can be overcome. We must all begin by recognizing our fleshly pride, and asking God to strengthen us to serve Him with humility.
Chad Anderson · July 10, 2018 at 10:29 am
Amen.
Constant recognition. Constant proper response.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TONS AND TONS OF GOD’S HELP!
Ann · July 10, 2018 at 8:58 am
“Why is humility so hard to cultivate?”
That’s an excellent question! I suspect part of the problem stems from the conflicting needs we have and the very difficult task (often parental), getting the balance right. A strong sense of right and wrong is important, children need to be taught this and have both the confidence and the resilience needed to hold true to their beliefs. Strength of heart and strength of mind must be instilled, while a growing path towards absolute faith is encouraged. Unfortunately, the human condition is such that as we become convicted in our path, arrogance can creep in. We must learn to recognise it and deal with it, tasks that as difficult as they are necessary.
The parental role in guiding children in the development of their strength in faith and all it means, while ensuring that the ego doesn’t take over cannot be overstated.
Joshua Bontrager · July 10, 2018 at 10:25 am
Ann,
Thanks for your comment! Balance is such a crucial trait in life. We can become proud when we forsake God’s Word, or we can become proud when we finally feel like we are living the Christian life as we should.