When the question of our need of revival in our lives comes, many feel that we are doing okay. But perhaps the most telling sign that we need revival is what someone has called our “attention deficit.” According to Deuteronomy 8, the time of our greatest danger as a people is whenever we forget God in the midst of our prosperity. Whenever we come to the place when “we have eaten and are satisfied,” we are in desperate need of revival.
Churches in times of difficulty are zealous for the Lord. They live near to Him because they know that, apart from Him, they “can do nothing.” Such is not the case for churches in times of ease. In times of ease, we tend to be satisfied with far less than God’s desires for our lives. Amazingly, churches in times of ease seem to be marked by the following characteristics: (1) though they have more free time than ever before, they have less time to serve God; (2) though they have more financial resources than ever before, they wantonly spend their excesses on themselves rather than giving for the sake of the kingdom; and (3) though they should look back on all they have with gratitude for God’s provision, they tend to forget God, and rather than living a life controlled by gratitude, they rarely think of God and their worship is more a matter of going through the motions than truly worshipping God.
Is this not the case in our lives? Have we come to the place where we are satisfied with our relationship with God even though we know it is not what is was years before? Are we selfish with our time, talents and financial resources, wanting more and more for ourselves though God has abundantly blessed us? Are we satisfied with our present state of affairs or will we cry out to God in repentance for our laziness toward Him?
An old hymn asks the question we all need to be asking: “I am satisfied, I am satisfied, But the question comes to me as I think of Calvary, Is my Master satisfied with me?”
In Isaiah 6, we see what ought to be our response when we are confronted with the presence of God. There Isaiah begins to care about some things about which he had not previously been concerned. We need revival because of the following reasons:
1. We care so little about God’s holiness (Isaiah 6:1-4). Even the heavenly creatures are especially sensitive about protecting God’s holiness. Yet we often treat God and His holiness as common. We need revival whenever we are casual in God’s presence rather than coming before Him in holy fear.
2. We care so little about our own sinfulness (Isaiah 6:5-7). Isaiah’s response to God’s holiness was to fully see his own sinfulness. Sure, we all admit that we are sinners, but we’ve gotten to the point where we don’t really care about our sinfulness. Whenever we treat sin in our own lives lightly, we are in need of revival.
3. We care so little about our calling (Isaiah 6:8). After God’s cleansing of his sin, Isaiah hears the call, “Who shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah eagerly respond, “Here am I; send me!” What is your response to God’s call on your life? Do you find yourself saying, “I wish they’d get someone to….” instead of responding from the heart, “Send me, Lord, send me”? We care so little about God’s calling on our lives that we are always asking God to get someone else to do the work of His kingdom. We are satisfied to be saved — but is the master satisfied with us?
4. We care so little about our world (Isaiah 6:9-11). God’s call to Isaiah was not an easy one. He makes it plain to him that his calling was to keep preaching even though the people would not respond. As Isaiah hears this, his heart for His people is broken. “How long, O Lord?” he cries. Our response is strangely different because we care so little about our world. Rather than cry out with concern for those that are perishing, we cry out for relief for ourselves. Rather than continuing to reach out to a world that not only rejects our message but also rejects us, we have decided that it is easier to keep silent rather than risk the ridicule and frustration of sharing the gospel with a world that will not respond.
Why have we given up? Because we’ve become selfish; we’ve forgotten all that God has done for us; we’ve not been daily near to God’s heart to gain His compassion for this world; we’ve forgotten that He saved us that we might be His “ambassadors” to spread His message everywhere. We’ve been given so much and we’ve forgotten that “to whom much is given, much is required.” We’ve been satisfied with far less than God’s best for our lives. But — the question comes to me, as I think of Calvary, is my Master satisfied with me?
Copyright Jim Ehrhard, 1999. You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author; (2) any modifications are clearly marked; (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction; and (4) you do not make more than 100 copies without permission. If you would like to post this material to your web site or make any use other than as defined above, please contact Teaching Resources International
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