Revival

One of my favorite quotes is as follows: “God had a purpose for you before anyone had an opinion about you.” We grow into our purpose over the course of seeking after the heart of God and His plans for us. We then dream big dreams and follow through, facing the struggles that come alongside the pursuit. Other times, we get distracted on the way or forget our calling, or even allow fear to take over our vision. I am here to remind you today that the season of revival is here.

Revival is defined as a reawakening of something, or to something coming back to health, life or popularity. When life has got us down, it is easy to await the light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, the longer it takes for the light to arrive, the harder it is for us to wait, and hence, the light at the end no longer becomes our vision. Nevertheless, as children of God, our expectation of a good future is sure in Christ, even during times of uncertainties. In other words, revival is certain even when circumstances do not foreshadow it. That is the faith that we hold on to.

As goal-oriented people and a result-driven society, it is so easy to get frustrated when we cannot see what we are working towards. Recently, I was reading a book by Lisa Bevere, titled, “Girls with Swords.” She discusses the concept of pressure. Our perception about our situation can be quite different from the reality. We see our situation as nothing more than a season of trials and hardships, but Lisa emphasizes how our season is not without a season followed by harvest. The reality is that we need to recognize that God is very well aware of the season of difficulty that you are enduring. He allows it because of the concept of pressure. It is during the process of pressure that you are the most pliable. We often hear the example of the potter’s clay in several contexts, such as this. However, a piece of clay is easy to mold because of its pliability. When it comes to us, we are not so easily pliable.

When all things are working well for me, I am in no position to change, fight, conquer, or even equip. Leave me as is and I will stay silent. God, on the other hand, did not create us to be silent and sit still. He wants us to be more, do more, and give more. This is how He designed us and wants us to live out our best lives. At the same time, it is in the most difficult of seasons, when we are tested and walking through our hardest seasons when we are being refined and seasoned to show our true colors. Without the support, encouragement, and our strong foundation in faith, it can result in failure and even more disappointment. Fortunately, this can also result in a time of waiting out the season for the will of God to come forth, whatever that may look like. Waiting can be the worst – even worse than the challenge at hand. To shift our perspective to the God-perspective or birds-eye view is crucial at this time. 

God knows that the pressure we are enduring is essential for the full potential within us to bloom. Lisa uses the term “bloom or boom” here and adequately so. We have two choices here: to bloom or boom. To boom, we stay inactive, remain unpliable, and suffer the consequences that follow. To bloom, we endure the pressure, are refined through the process, and are revived to expose the precious thing God has sewn into us. People will have their opinions, words or actions of discouragement thrown at you but that does not mean that you are to cancel your personal calling. Instead, trust God through your pressure and bloom into your purpose. It is a proactive process but a worthwhile one – the one of the resilient overcomer.

When James suggests through the scripture that we must accept the hardships in our lives as gifts, it sounds like he is missing something here. Having walked alongside Jesus, James knows that God knows what is best. He knows when he suggests to be joyful (in the suffering), his focus is on the aftermath. He knows that the suffering is for the pressure, and that the pressure is for the refining, which is essential in the revival of a very beautiful thing – the journey of a life that simply trusts God.