We have been seeing the frenzy on many levels regarding the revivals or awakenings in several universities. Then we read that public meetings are being stopped at Asbury, reasons which are very understandable.

However, it exposes some very very pertinent truths. The first being that we are not structured nor prepared for a revival. I read of worship groups being literally exhausted as well as the leaders. Do we criticise? No. We simply recognise that if we desire an awakening we must prepare for it and the lessons for it are for us to be grateful for. We pray for what we are not prepared for.

The other lesson is that God does not look at your theology to pour out His Spirit. There are things there in Asbury and other places that I naturally would disagree, but when I went to the Lord He showed me what He was doing and I was to be quiet and not pick out theological issues. God was not testing our theology to see if we qualify rather He was humbling those of us who consider ourselves students of the Word.

The other thing God has done through this is expose our religiosity, as reports started to circulate regarding the moral standing of some of those participating in the worship. I began to examine the aspects God is shouting at us in the lessons of Asbury, God is Sovereign and He will pour out His on who seeks for Him.

We have an erroneous idea about revival and awakening. Like it’s the prize for the runners. In fact it is a threshing floor, where everything is thrown up into the air and the wheat and the chaff are separated. It is an intense process for those in the locality, in terms of the logistics, hours and hours with a venue occupied, speakers, worship groups. For those who are moved to pray an intense conviction comes on sin and they move through a process of repentance. Then they come into freedom. We have placed revival on a pedestal but unless we are ready for a terrible confrontation with our sin, our judgmental spirit, our religious spirit, don’t even desire a revival. Imagine the state of us if we resist the Lord, in this Spirit saturated place. We would be worse than infidels.

It is at the Threshing floor, like Araunah’s, where the Angel of judgment is poised to unleash upon Jerusalem, David builds an altar and stops the judgment. This is the clearest picture of what a revival is, an awakening. And at that Threshing floor comes the indication where God desires His House.

We have been humbled, challenged at every point with what God is doing. Do we still desire revival? Then be prepared to be winnowed and challenged through every place, for in that place we must face afresh our humanity in the face of God’s Sovereign plan; He is no respecter of persons.

Maranatha! Come Lord.