Revive me...do you mean it?
We love to sing songs asking God to revive us, to return to us the joy of HIS salvation, we love to ask HIM in prayer to in HIS wrath remember mercy. We sing songs with passion and emotion and then once we walk out of the Worship service it is back to life as usual...nothing is changed, nothing is different. God longs to revive and restore HIS children to HIMSELF and we should sing those songs and pray those prayers, but if we are serious and if we mean what we say then we will change what we do!
If a father gets angry and backhands his son sending the son flying across the room and then moments later profusely apologizes for hitting his son, the son accepts the apology, but the behavior by the father continues and he does this to his son multiple times each day and each time the father profusely apologizes...is the father really sorry? NO! You want to take the father out and beat him don't you?
What about us? We sing all these wonderful songs to our heavenly father, we sing "where ever HE leads I'll go." Then we HE asks us to go across the street and tell our neighbor about Jesus we come up with several reasons why it's not convenient right now!
Have you noticed in Psalm 119 how many times the Psalmist cries out "revive me?" Did you also notice how the revival comes? It comes by knowing God's Word, HIS ways, lovingkindness (saving grace), precepts and ordinances = Word. The changed and transformed life comes in, through and by the Word of God. Remember Romans 12:2, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The renewing of the mind is an inside job, it is the working of the Holy Spirit with the Word of God.
Ps 119:25 My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.
Ps 119:37 looking at vanity, And revive me in Your ways.
Ps 119:40 I long for Your precepts; Revive me through Your
Ps 119:50 in my affliction, That Your word has revived me.
Ps 119:88 Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So
Ps 119:93 Your precepts, For by them You have revived me.
Ps 119:107 Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.
Ps 119:149 Revive me, O Lord, according to Your ordinances.
Ps 119:154 Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.
Ps 119:156 O Lord; Revive me according to Your ordinances.
Ps 119:159 Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.
The way we feed and nourish our souls on the Word of God is by prayerfully meditating and pondering and thinking deeply on the precious Word of God. When we come to HIM in humility, desperately dependent on HIM to reveal HIMSELF and HIS ways through HIS Word...HE will open the eyes of our hearts and enable us to behold HIS glory and become more and more like HIM!
Ps 119:15 I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways.
Ps 119:23 Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
Ps 119:27 Your precepts, So I will meditate on Your wonders.
Ps 119:48 Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes.
Ps 119:78 with a lie; But I shall meditate on Your precepts.
Ps 119:97 O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.
Ps 119:99 For Your testimonies are my meditation.
Ps 119:148 night watches, That I may meditate on Your word.
Je 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Father in heaven,
Create in me a clean heart, a heart that longs to pursue YOU and YOU alone...for YOUR glory and my JOY in YOU!
love,
m