Read Isaiah 6:1-7 and 1 John 1:9.
For 10 years, God has burdened me with the idea of an awakening or revival in the United States … leading me to study revivals, my favorite of which is the Hay Stack Revival.
In 1809, five men prayed for revival in New England. As they prayed one night, a powerful storm hit, causing them to seek refuge near a haystack. This event revealed to them that they needed to not only pray for the hearts of others, but for their own hearts. They were sinners in need of a personal revival.
Revivals always start here—with fervent prayer, a high view of God, reverence for His Word, repentance and confession. Through these things, the Church is awakened. We see this example clearly in Isaiah 6.
Isaiah was God’s messenger and had a gift in communication, but he’d become prideful, sarcastic and selfish. In this passage, he’s confronted with the presence and holiness of God, driving him to become a confessing fool.
And God was faithful to forgive and cleanse Isaiah of his sins and unrighteousness.
If you and I fully understand the holiness of God, we too would react to God like Isaiah, and God would have the same response towards us. This is where a revival in our nation starts—with the awakening of our own hearts.
God, we confess that apart from Christ we stand condemned before you. As we plead to You for revival in our nation and around the world, let it start with our own hearts. Amen.