Contributed by Darren Lim • Nov 19, 2024
Confession here – Revival has always been a distant concept to me. Oftentimes, I find myself indifferent to the prayer call for God to bring revival in our nation and our church. I am not against it but I admittedly see it as good to have rather than a necessity. It escaped me why our Pastors and church leaders pray ever so fervently for one.
But this week’s sermon provides a different perspective. Revival is strikingly similar (and in many ways overlapping) to God’s promise of eternal life. Both are His promises. Both are by His grace and divine initiative. And as we strive to live out the realities of our transformed lives in light of God’s certain promises, we embark on a journey towards personal spiritual growth. The journey of spiritual preparedness increases our dependence on God and develops a certain spiritual closeness that is so wonderfully sweet to experience.
This personal growth is not self-help or self-improvement as the world understands it. No, not at all. But it is more like: Taking one step forward, a day at a time in daily dependence on God. One day lived is another day closer to the fulfilment of God’s promise. The blessings He has bestowed something to savour while the challenges, a call to lean ever more heavily into Him.
A broken relationship has caused bitterness and resentment to seep deep into my heart. The never endless peaks and troughs of a toxic relationship has created such a chasm that is humanly impossible to leap across. I lift this burden up to God, He knows best. Though I may not experience a turnaround improvement of this tragedy, I pray forgiveness permeates through my heart like sun rays rushing to illuminate the deepest and darkest crevices of my heart. If nothing else, that I may know the true “Shalom” and grow in dependence on His grace. O Lord Jesus, more of You, less of me.