See Revival: A 10-day Journey with Geoffrey GoldenSample

Ready For Revival

Revival is so much more than an event, hashtag, or Christian buzzword. Revival is awakening. It is the awakening of hearts to the reality of who God is and who we are in Him through Christ. Revival is what happens when things that are spiritually dead or dying come back to life. 

Long before there was an Azusa Street Revival, a First or Second Great Awakening, or even a radical expansion of the early Church, there was the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the valley. The biblical prophets were often called up for revelatory encounters with God, but in this case, Ezekiel is called down. The hand of God and the Spirit of God set him in a valley full of dry bones. Understand this: the low place that you find yourself in just may have been ordained by God for a great purpose. Sometimes God will intentionally put you in a space that is full of death and darkness so you can be his instrument to bring life and light. If you find yourself in a valley today, know that you are positioned for revival!

Yahweh leads Ezekiel all around the valley of bones. The prophet finds that the bones are very dry, meaning that whatever is dead there has been dead for a very long time. It was not enough for Ezekiel to see the bones; God made sure that he understood the depth of the disaster, the full extent of the destruction. The truth is that we cannot see revival until we first recognize what needs to be revived! Taking inventory of our lives and environments is critically important. What are the dry bones in my valley? Does who I am in private align with who I am in public? Is my marriage healthy? Are my children growing in the knowledge of Christ? Does my work life honor God? Is my church thriving or merely surviving?  What is it in my life or environment that needs to be revived? Be honest about where you are. Once you see a situation as it is, you can now see Jesus as He is, revealed as Lord within it and above it. 

So we’ve accepted that there is value in the valley experience, and we’ve grappled with the full extent of where we are, so what’s next? We can now hear Yahweh’s question: “Can these bones live?” (v. 3). He’s not looking for any special knowledge or ability from us; He’s only looking for faith: “Sovereign LORD, you alone know,” (v. 3). In spite of everything happening within or around me, can I believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25), and that He will be resurrection and life for me?

God is speaking now. He’s ready to address those dry bones. And He wants to speak to the dry bones through you! That’s right! “Hear the word of the LORD,” He says: you will live again! By the Spirit of God, everything in your life that has experienced death or decay outside of the will of God is about to live again. You may only see dry bones right now, but God sees a great army (v. 10). Don’t be afraid! Whatever God tells you to believe and to speak, declare it with boldness. All of heaven and earth must respond to the voice of God’s word. I declare to you, in Jesus’ Name, that you will hear the shaking and rattling of dry bones coming together. You will feel the winds of God blowing upon that which was lifeless. You will see victory in the valley! You will see revival!

Listen to the song wherever you find music!