HOW TO HAVE A PERSONAL GREAT AWAKENING (Psalm 138)

Throughout history, there have been spiritual awakenings.

For example, in the 1730s and 1740s, under the ministry of men like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield, there was a deep awakening of God’s people and a turning toward the Lord. Under the ministry of D.L. Moody in the second half of the 19th century, there was a great stirring among the people of God.

I wonder if we are ripe for another one. Are you ready for it? How would it begin?

Psalm 138 is a psalm of personal revival. It is a great awakening psalm, but the awakening in question is not national. It is deeply personal.

Verse 7: “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.”

Listen to the phrases “revive me” and “save me.” It doesn’t get any more personal than that.

This is very unique. Throughout Scripture, many of the revival prayers and promises refer to a collective work.

“O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years” (Habakkuk 3:2).

“Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (Psalm 85:6).

These passages suggest groups of believers. But when I say, “Revive me,” I am not thinking about the condition of the world around me or that of other believers or churches. The only thing that matters is the condition of my own heart.

Real revival is never national or congregational first. It is always a personal matter. Psalm 138 helps us understand how we can have a personal great awakening.

Verse 7 refers to being “in the midst of trouble.” That is where God does His greatest work. We like to think that if we can just get out of the trouble we are in, we can see the Lord's work. But He wants to work in the middle of it because when He does, we know that it is not anything we did or any kind of favorable circumstances or luck. It must be the Lord, and He alone will get glory for it.

There are only eight verses in Psalm 138, and I want to challenge you to spend some time meditating on them and applying them to your own life. If you want a personal great awakening — your own revival — then you should follow the pattern found in these verses.

How does that personal great awakening come?

It will come when praise and worship become a way of life

Verses 1-2: “I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”

It isn’t about what we do or listen to, and it is not tied to any specific genre of music. It should be a way of life for every child of God.

The word “praise” is defined as “holding out hands.” The idea is that the heart is so full you can’t help but put your hands out to God.

Praise and worship are not owned by the contemporary Christian movement. In fact, it is not about men at all. The point is to get the eyes focused on God. I would venture to say that much of what passed for “praise and worship” in today’s culture is anything but that because it makes us think more of man than of God. Praise and worship are meant to bring us to God alone.

Note the reference to “thy holy temple” in verse 2. At the time this was written, the temple had not yet been built. David wrote this psalm as a word of faith, an acknowledgment that he was looking to the Lord and His throne.

The latter part of verse 2 illustrates the connection between worship and the Word. You cannot separate true worship from the Word of God; there is no real revival without both. If you want revival, then get in the Word and learn to praise and worship God again.

Verse 3: “In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.” Do you want strength in your soul today? It is the same idea that was expressed in verse 7.

It will come when your prayer gets desperate

When you get to the end of yourself, you reach the beginning of God. That is where He begins to work.

Someone once said, “There has never been such a thing as a prayerless revival.” I believe that. Every revival is unique, and every spiritual awakening is remembered for different things. But there is one common thread, and it is the fact that the people of God learned to pray.

It will come when you have a desire for others to know God

Verses 4-5: “All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.” Not only was the psalmist going to praise God, but he wanted everyone else to do it as well.

It could be that sometimes, when we pray for revival, what we actually want is just relief. If our motive is simply personal comfort, we have missed the point. It is never about our comfort and always about God’s glory.

Do you want personal awakening in your own life? Then pray this way: “Lord, do something so mighty in my life that everyone else will get to know the true and living God, and You will get the glory for it.”

It’s not just about us. You can pray for the right thing for the wrong reason. That is when you “ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” according to James 4:3. That is selfishness and self-centeredness. If you want a personal great awakening, let it be that others would come to know God through you.

Revived hearts become the greatest witnesses. A revived people is the greatest testimony of the reality of our God.

It will come when you get low enough

Verse 6: “Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.”

I don’t want the Lord to know me afar off, do you? I want to get as close to Him as I can. We must humble ourselves in the sight of our God.

The Lord’s fire will fall once the kindling wood is ready. We’ve got to get our hearts to a place where God can do what He wants to do. One thing I have learned is that when you get low enough, God comes near.

It will come when you begin to speak in faith

Verse 8: “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.”

One thing that will limit God’s work in your life and this world is your unbelief. This psalm opens and closes in faith: “I will” (verse 1) and “the Lord will” (verse 8).

I hope you will determine today, by God’s grace, to seek the Lord and believe that He will bring a personal spiritual awakening to your life.