Revival

Yesterday at church some of the praise songs and part of the sermon was devoted to the concept of revival and I found myself thinking of that quote from the famous philosopher, Inigo Montoya in the Princess Bride "You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means."  And I found that I could not really do a credible job of defining it.  It must have something to do with the Latin verb "to live" and the "re" implies somehow a revitalization, a restoration, a reinvigorating, perhaps a new birth?  But it is a biblical concept or something we have cobbled together along the way to deal with the reality of a holy God and our own seeming lack of spiritual maturity.  Why do we pray for it in our churches week after week?  What do we expect it to look like if and when it comes?  Is it something God expects us to do for ourselves or are we looking for an easy out of self discipline by waiting for God to step in and do it?  Again I concludes that it does not mean what we think it means. 

I can't find the word "revival" in my concordance, and there are probably less than 20 places where "revive" is used depending upon the translation.  And when I read those verses, mostly in the Psalms, I get the sense of God lifting a heaviness or a weariness, almost a feeling of hopelessness from the psalmist who finds himself overcome by life and all it brings his way.  And so he cries out to God for relief, for the ability to lie down believing that tomorrow could be different, and wake up knowing that even if it is not that the day will not be lived outside of the grace of God.  And somehow that is enough to put one foot in front of the other and continue the journey faithfully.  That prayer for revival seems to me to deal more with consistently living each day by the grace of God, being faithful where we are able, and being aware that the love of God still holds us even when we fall short.  It is not a flash-in-the-pan that brings emotional response and spiritual blessing and complete change over night.  I don't have a good conclusion for this discussion, I only know that I have become more acutely aware of the baggage I have inherited in my own spiritual journey and that somehow the church has made the whole Christian life a lot more complicated that I think it was originally meant to be. If true revival came as the evangelical church seems to define it you would expect to see a lasting effect, something transforming, a kingdom of God on earth moment, but things seem to go on pretty much the same way they have always gone on.  I think true revival only comes on that final day when all that is dead is made alive again and death is finally swallowed up forever in victory.