Revive us Lord! by Pastor Joe Dokken

Revive us Lord! By Pastor Joe

We are just a few days/weeks away from all of the deciduous trees losing their leaves- this is a key scene of fall coming closer and closer to an end. My wife taught me what a deciduous tree is; it’s a tree which loses its leaves every year and then they come back in the spring. Actually, there are conifers such as a Tamarack which loses its needles. The lifecycle of any deciduous tree is new growth, growth, decline and then dormancy or hibernation, but not death until the tree ceases to produce new growth every spring. Obviously, there are a number of spiritual connotations which can come from the growth cycle of a tree- for starters, revival.

What does revival really mean? Does it mean having daily services for a number of weeks, months or years? Is it fervency of prayer around-the-clock? Exactly what is revival? The most important aspect of revival is not what we do to stir up some kind of heightened spiritual commitment, but rather how we live day to day as people who are fully alive in Jesus Christ. We should live each day with these declarations; Lord revive us, Lord refresh us, Lord renew us, Lord refill us with your Spirit. Revival has more to do with bringing things back to life that are hibernating. When we observe deciduous trees in the winter they don’t seem dead, just sleeping, unless they really ARE dead! For the next five or six months many of the trees around our homes will not look alive. They’ll look as if nothing is happening, but as soon as spring comes the signs of life will begin to show forth everywhere. In relationship to our Christian faith, we need to take notice of how trees live and understand there are periods of great growth usually followed by periods of rest, restoration, renewal or refreshing. We should not use a tree’s growth cycle as justification for us to be in “protracted” periods of rest, or where we say, “just leave me alone, God will work on me when he needs.” Each of us needs to be pursuing the Lord 24/7, and when he does give us seasons of rest, refreshing, renewal, repentance or relaxation we thank him for those moments. Yet at the same time we need to be fully alive in Jesus Christ. Please look for the Holy Spirit to give you daily direction, possibly correction, maybe even new marching orders, or to remind us of things we have ignored which need to be completed. For some, this will be your first experience with others receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

In 30 plus years of full-time ministry I’ve witnessed many revival services, revival emphasis seasons, even seminars on how to start a revival.. Sometimes revival gets sparked by some crisis or a church is going through a tough patch such as Rivers Edge in Spooner. They’ve been battling getting their roof buttoned down successfully and being accomplished with the help of volunteers and a limited cash budget. This August a hailstorm came through Spooner and damaged roofs all over the city including Rivers Edge. With Insurance proceeds in the bank the roof can be completed by a professional crew and Pastor Dave mentioned they’ve been growing even in the midst of this crisis. This could turn out to be a great time for revival to break out at River’s Edge, Amen! Yet don’t wait for a crisis, personal prayer and fasting will always provide a great foundation and or spark for receiving from the Lord. Inquire of the Lord if you should in the next two months help spark revival at River’s Edge just by being present and worshiping with them. Who knows maybe you are they missing spark for the next great thing to happen in Spooner. The Lord dwells with his people, especially when we gather in a spirit of unity. Never forget, Together is Better.