Is There Hope For Revival In Darkening Days?

By W. C. Moore (1890 – 1980)

    The wreckage of civilization is around us!  We are living in a time of peril and danger, but it is also a day of opportunity.  The darker the night, the more need of the light.  Let us stir up ourselves to take hold of God and press toward the mark as never before and to continue to have faith in God regardless of how dark things look (Isa. 64:7; Phil. 3:7-14; Mark 11:22-26).

    God is not asking His people to hide away from earth’s troubles in some mountain stronghold.  Let’s get our lights out from under the bushels of fear, unbelief, and unconcern for the perishing multitudes all around us (Matt. 5:14-15).  Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).  Let the light of God’s love, and the assurance of the great salvation wherewith He has saved us, and the light of unswerving devotion to the Lord we love and trust – so shine before a frightened and frustrated people that they, too, may turn unto God!

Pray for Revival!

    One extremely important duty and challenge to Christians living in these darkening days is to pray earnestly, perseveringly, faithfully, believingly for a great sin-convicting, soul-saving, Holy Ghost revival – worldwide, upon “all flesh” as our glorious Lord has promised for the “last days”!

    “In the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh” (Acts 2:17).  This prophecy of the Prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32) began to be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, but the prophecy has not been completely fulfilled even yet.

    The fact that God has promised a thing does not mean that we are to just sit down listlessly and wait for it to come to pass.  No!  His wonderful promises are not given to stifle but rather to stimulate prayer.  “Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be enquired of…to do it” (Ezek. 36:37).

    This is God’s plan for the human race (see Matthew 6:9-15; 7:7-11).  “Let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6).  “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field” (Zech. 10:1).

See the Rainbow on the Storm Clouds!

    God is the God of the miraculous.  His promise to Abraham was indeed to be fulfilled that he should have a son and heir, but Isaac was born when Abraham was “as good as dead” (Heb. 11:8-12).

    When the miracle-working Son of God, the glorious Lord, was crucified between two thieves, and the disciples were scattered, was not that an hour of midnight gloom and unutterable defeat – to all appearances – for the followers of Jesus?  Yet in about fifty days thereafter, the great revival burst forth on the day of Pentecost!  Thousands of Jews were saved before judgment fell on the Jewish nation and they were for a time cut off and the Gentiles grafted in.  Let us sincerely believe Him to send a great “last day” revival and save multitudes from among the Gentiles before He sends fearful judgments upon them, and grafts Israel back into His favor (Rom. 11:1-32).

God’s Faithful Few

    Of all the many thousands among the Jewish people that Jesus had ministered to, taught, miraculously fed, healed – we only have a record of about 120 who “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” after His departure to heaven.  The gift of the Holy Spirit was surely to come, but the faithful remnant had to continue in prayer – until! (Hos. 10:12; Acts 1:14-15, 2:1-7).

    Will you, will I, set our faces (Isa. 50:7) and stir up ourselves to take hold of God (Isa. 64:7) and pray through until God comes and rains righteousness upon us (Hos. 10:12) and as He has promised (Joel 2:28-32) pours out His Spirit upon all flesh and saves multitudes from among the Gentiles for His glory? (Jas. 5:7).

    “And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily…” (Luke 18:7-8).

    “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?  I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isa. 43:19).