“I saw the wave towering over her as it approached her from behind. Her eyes the size of golf balls, her body tense and arms outstretched. She was frozen in a state of panic.” I recounted this image to Pastor Shannon at the end of the miracle service Sunday night (2/11/2024).
Service starts like it has many times: Pastor Grace and Pastor Alex leading the team of worshippers and congregants in joyful praise and powerful worship in preparation for what was to come. It is, after all, a miracle service, preceded by 24/24.
It is a sobering message, drawing from three scriptures. In Matthew 11:4, John’s disciples came asking Jesus if He was indeed the Coming One. Jesus informed them, “The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”
Isaiah 61:1, a prophetic word about the Messiah reads, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor, He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” (NKJV)
Jesus referred to this scripture while in the synagogue in Luke 4:18 and 19. After a dramatic pause, He clinched it for his listeners by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Unraveled, the Pharisees remain indignant and defiant, resistant to the words of Jesus. What walking contradictions they were; seeking fulfillment of Isaiah 61, yet blind to the One of whom that scripture spoke. Much like today, there are those looking for revival but because it fails look like or feel like what is expected, they discount that revival is actually here.
“We are not hoping and wishing and believing for revival, revival is here. But can you recognize it? Can you see it?” – Pastor Josh
Mark 16:15-18 cite the words of Jesus, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe. In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (NKJV)
How do we define revival? Each of us bring our own expectations to it. I’ll admit, I came with pre-conceived ideas about how this miracle service would unfold. Yet, hinging revival on the happenings of one night seems diminishing to what the Holy Spirit is consistently doing in this season at King’s. People hear the gospel and many are saved each week. Many are healed, filled with the Spirit and lives are changed. We don’t wait for a particular person to bring revival. We expect God by His Holy Spirit to move each day. We desire to stay in a place where our hopes are high and we are expectant.
God’s not our quick fix. On the contrary, He is in it for the long game. God touches us to transform our lives so we are changed into the image of Christ. What if we begin each day ready for a God encounter? What if every single moment we possess cries of a desperation for God’s presence? Could we and those around us stay unchanged? Doubtful. Pray for a holy desperation for God to rest upon the people of King’s.
Words of knowledge and healing ensues: spinal cord pain, legs losing strength, a cry for freedom from desperate hearts. This, Friends, is revival.
Altar time extends and God’s sweet presence rests there. Those who linger find it hard to leave. I did. I didn’t want to go. Then, I realize that I can take this with me. Just as we need not wait for a certain person to bring revival, we also do not need to be in a certain place. Revival can be wherever we are; at church, at home, at our work places and out in our communities.
This young woman about to be overrun by a giant wave, looked desperate and scared. In this image, I was facing her. I knew that I was just an observer. As the wave approaches, it was as though the sound was turned off. I remember thinking how strange it was that it didn’t sound like a freight train. Then, a thought: Never turn your back on the ocean! I think I may have tried to yell that to her. Time slows as I watch the wave reach her. Her hair, wave-blown forward. I expect the wave to violently sweep her away, but rather, it parts behind her, above her and around her. The same thought, again. Face. The. Wave.
Here is my take-away. How dispiriting to be in revival, immersed in it, yet to remain unaware and unengaged. I do not want to miss it. I do not want to be passed by. The young lady could represent all of us. How could she not know the wave was coming? How could she stay unaffected by the sheer force of its power? Let us face this wave of revival that Pastor Shannon spoke about. Let us be cognizant of what God wants to do in this hour. Let us be eager participants. This young woman could also represent those who are lost. Her outstretched arms could be a beckoning to us to rescue her. Perhaps her state of panic was that she didn’t understand what was about to happen. Maybe all she needed was for someone to tell her, to help her recognize the life-altering event and its far-reaching impact. Do you know those who need the revival you could bring? Of course you do. We all do. WE are the carriers, to our neighbors, our co-workers, to our friends and our families. WE are the revivalists of this age. Let us reframe our thinking. We no longer hope for revival. We are IN revival. Revival is here and it is now!