Revival

This past week at North Dakota Discipleship Camp was a time of refreshing. Though the camp was originally intended to be a teens-and-twenties discipleship camp, it has morphed into two camps running simultaneously and intertwined—the “discipleship camp” for younger believers and a “refreshment camp” for the preachers, parents, and other godly adults that attend. Some of the teachers came to camp feeling worn out and tired, and left feeling energized with new vision and passion. I was one of them. I was profoundly affected by some of the ministry — my favorite was Al Bulow’s message on prayer. May God help us all to live this coming year walking in the power of the Spirit — on the positive side preaching the old-fashioned gospel of eternal life in Jesus Christ through his work on the cross, and on the negative side defending the truth of God against the ever encroaching apostasy, which is steadily — bit by bit —separating Jesus and the Bible. Feeling a little fire burning in my heart, I wanted to share something on revival. Here is a poem that my wife wrote many years ago.

To Taste a Real Revival

I want a visitation
Of manna from above,
Another Great Awakening,
A feast of heaven’s love.
I want the Spirit’s power
To move among the saints,
To purify our flagging faith,
And purge our selfish taints.

I want the living waters
To flow from every soul,
To bring a great refreshing flood
To wash from pole to pole.
Oh, let the arid peoples
The world around be drenched.
Oh, let their thirst awakened be,
And let their thirst be quenched.

I want the old, old story,
With old-time power again,
With old-time fire and old-time love
To melt the hearts of men.
I want the glorious gospel,
To have its fullest sway,
To win the weak, sin-burdened souls
And wash their sins away.

I want the self-sufficient,
The worldly and the vain,
To waken from their deadly sleep
And throw off Satan’s chain.
I want the lowest wretches,
The weak, despised, and base
To find God’s great redeeming love
And sing Amazing Grace.

I want the great rejoicing
Of fettered souls set free
To praise their new-found Saviour’s name
And bask in liberty.
I want the work enduring,
With depth and purity,
With fruits abounding multiplied
Unto eternity.

May God lead you into pastures green and waters cool, and may the fire in your heart grow into personal revival — the time is short, the needs are great, and soon our Saviour will burst on the scene in clouds of glory.

“Eyes wide open, brain engaged, heart on fire.”

Lee W. Brainard