Thursday, December 20, 2012

Unity as a Body in Seeking

"Let us resolve even now to give ourselves no rest and to give God no rest until the people of God be 'a praise in the earth' (Isa 62:6-7)" -Roger Ellsworth

I am reading a short book on seeking God called Come Down Lord!  I also read the book of Joel this week. Chapter two really spoke to me with a number of verses that deal with revival.  I have been seeking true revival at New River for years.  Lately, though, I have sensed a powerful need for revival in my own heart and life, and begun to cry out to God for Him to break me and send it.

Joel 2:17 calls "ministers" (by the way, in the NT we are all ministers, servants, a kingdom of priests) to weep on the altar and call on God to "spare His people." Trying to be that example. But before that he says that, he says that we are to return to the Lord (implying that we have left), rend our hearts, and call a sacred assembly (Joel 2:12-15).  This was their way of saying, "we are in need of God, let's come together and seek Him."  I haven't done an exegetical study of this passage (probably need to), but it's clear that some of them felt a need to cry out to God for revival.

Here's the interesting point this morning that I reread: the totality of people that Joel says to come out and seek God together.  In Joel 2:16 he calls on the elders, probably in the sense of the older men, spiritual leaders in the community; but this indicates the older generation.  In this Hebrew mindset, if you follow the analysis of scholars like Dr. David Black in his discussion on biblical age divisions, would have been anyone past their 30s.  Then he calls on all the children, which would have been under 12 years old.  He even calls infants, those 2 years and under who have not been weaned to come to the assembly to seek God's favor.  Then he calls newlyweds, who would have been normally excused from pretty much everything to leave the wedding night marriage bed, and come!  Are you kidding me!

So he calls those who are older, younger, busy, free, mature, immature, far, near, faithful, less faithful, not faithful, hungry, full, satisfied, longing, complacent, passionate, ministers, followers, laypersons, missionaries, pastors, teachers, and even those who are enjoying the bliss of long awaited marital consummation to come and seek the Lord together.  Wouldn't it be great if this could happen in our churches?  Wouldn't it be great if God would open the eyes of whole assemblies of people to the need of revival, and enable them with passion and drive to pursue it?

O, Lord, today, may it be so!  Grant us mercy, and revive us!

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