Revive Me

We are heading into a weekend of revival meetings. I've been thinking about what it means to be revived. It's an action verb which means to restore to life or consciousness or to regain life, consciousness or strength.

I like the thought of restoring my consciousness of Jesus and His work in my life. I like that it is personal and that true revival isn't about praying souls into the kingdom, it's about Jesus working on me. Just me. He asks me to search my very own heart during these times and to ignore the thoughts and judgment of others.

I'm a critical listener by nature. I do not believe whatever I am told. I must first see good solid reason and proof from God's Word that this is so, whatever "this" is at the moment. To go to any meeting and listen to a pastor expound is often a challenge for me. If I hear too much personal opinion being shared as gospel truth, I grow skeptical, which is really unfair because probably no one has more personal opinions than myself. However, If you want to keep my attention, teach me from the Word of God. 

Most likely, if one wants to experience revival they need to ask God to do it for them. It isn't something one can conjure up and make happen. And I'm pretty sure God can reach beyond my skepticism and pour in a good dose of listening heart, listening ears, and praying hands.