The Lodestar

Why does revival tarry? Is God ignoring prayers for revivals? No, because God is not against revivals. God desires his people to be spiritually alive. The Holy Spirit, the spirit of newness, is still at work as he was on the day of Pentecost.

History confirms that revivals happen only when the people are spiritually hungry and waiting for it. For example, take the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the 120 gathered in Jerusalem in the first century. Jesus had directed them “to wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4). So, they waited in one accord and devoted themselves to prayer in the upper room (Acts 1:14). Finally, when they were “all together in one place” the Spirit poured out on them on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1—4).

This pattern of longing, waiting, and preparation in prayer is seen in all revivals. Sometimes, the Lord uses strange ways to prepare his people. For example, the precursor to the Ao Naga revivals in India was the prophecy of a tribal chief who prophesied that someday, a man with white skin would come and tell them about a new god. He told his people to wait for that person and follow his God. The people have been waiting for the white man for years. They preserved the memory of this prophecy like a piece of charcoal soaked in fuel, ready to catch fire. It was set aflame, and the fire covered the entire Ao Naga tribe when a white missionary strayed into their territory during the colonial period. Now, 90% of Nagas are Christians. I know many such stories from Malaysia and other countries where God prepared his people to long for revivals.

In any revival, a group earnestly waits and prays for it. Prayer and longing had prepared them to receive it. Then, in the process, the revival embraces everyone, including its critics. The first flame always falls upon an individual or a group ready for it, like a forest fire beginning with an ember from the bonfire left unattended. It started small, with people longing for it, and then spread widely.

Revival never happens when people are not ready for it. But it happens when there is longing, waiting, and readiness.

Revival does not come by accident—it comes by hunger, waiting, and prayer. The Holy Spirit is still moving, still igniting hearts, just as he did on Pentecost. But he pours out where there’s longing. If you’re tired of spiritual dryness, if you sense the embers flickering in your soul, don’t wait for someone else to start the fire. Gather. Pray. Wait. Long. Be the spark. Be the upper room. Revival begins with those who are ready.

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