Cornerstone

Hab 3:1-6

The concern of this prayer and the circumstances which accompanied it are parallel to a prayer breathed by Moses. The people of Israel had shown by their actions that their heart was not with God. He had been patient, kind, loving and understanding but now as God looked over Moses’ shoulder He saw the people He had tried to help thumbing their noses at Him. They had fashioned a golden calf so they could have something to worship. That told Him clearly that they did not want to worship Him. They gave of their wealth to form their god. That told God they had been holding back what they owed to Him. They danced and sang at a fevered pitch of excitement. That suggested that God was second-rate and that they had found something that far surpassed their former allegiance. God’s wrath burned and He determined to destroy them and raise a new people under the leadership of His loyal servant Moses. But Moses fell on his face in intercessory prayer and prayed for a revival. As Habakkuk later prayed, Moses lifted his voice to God saying something like this: “Instead of destroying your people, O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.” Is that our prayer for revival? Do we realize that to be revived is more than just to make up our mind to do better with our personal devotions? Do we realize that we are asking God to hold back His wrath against our insensitive rebellious ways? We are asking Him to have mercy on His people and to extend His love to us as we endeavor to draw closer to Him.

Dr. Gayle Woods

Psa 85:1-13

In a seminary class entitled “Revivalism” we conducted research on the movement of the Holy Spirit in awakenings among the Christian people. The subject matter was fascinating. The variety, the spontaneity, the powerfulness of these times was exciting. The personalities involved were glamorous. The astounding thing that surfaced during this time of research, however, was that it appeared that revivals seem to come in cycles of seventy-five years. As we plotted not just meetings but awakenings of various intensity it seemed that the pattern held true for the most part. Every seventy-five years in some part of the world a spiritual awakening was in progress. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit would not be willing to keep His people stirred to a red hot heat with revival fervor. It is to say that in the frailty of our humanity, and in an environment of depravity the human race has to learn and re-learn its intense need for God. Another thing that surfaced during this research complimented this thought. Each period of revival was preceded by a prolonged period of intercessory prayer by a group of people who were sick of sin and desired to feel the flame of God’s presence once again. Revival, drift, apathy, apostasy, destitution, repentance, revival seems to be the cycle that we follow. Where are we now in this cycle? Can we skip a step or two in the cycle if some of us get serious and begin to plead the blood of Jesus Christ for a revival of spirituality? I believe so.

Dr. Gayle Woods