REVIVAL

There’s no more fear and doubt

My bitter disappointments

Became my greatest victory

You called my name

You made all things new

Oh I was dead, but look at me now

I found revival in You

You gave me life cause that’s what You do

Oh I was dead, but look at me now

I found revival in You

Sometimes it’s easy to feel disappointed in ourselves—it’s easy to think, How many times can I mess up before God gets tired of forgiving me? When will enough be enough?

The original Greek word for repentance literally translated means ‘changing one’s mind or purpose.’ This goes hand in hand with the word revive which means to ‘thrive or flourish again.’ Part of what repentance is for believers is telling God that we know we messed up and that we can’t go through this life without Him. Hand in hand with that repentance is revival—accepting that we have a new purpose, which is to thrive and flourish in the new life and freedom we’ve been given because we are forgiven. Our disappointments then turn into our victories because as it says in Isaiah 25:8, “he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth.” 

There is something important to remember through all of life’s ups and downs, in the times we mess up and the times we thrive again—and that is that there is nothing we can do, no forces around us that can separate us from God’s love. 

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble of calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears today nor our worries about tomorrow… 

– Romans 8: 35, 37, 38

Take heart—you have been given a new purpose and God will continue to revive you because He rejoices when you thrive. 

Amen.