We couldn’t revive her limp body.
I’d rubbed the silken bottoms of her feet and called out her name in an attempt to awaken her-but I’d known. She wasn’t breathing.
Each second collapsed into eternity as my husband bent over our daughter’s tiny frame; his measured exhale filling her lungs and returning useless. Time expanded and hope grew dim as my baby lay unmoving and lifeless. Two minutes. Three minutes. Four.
Still, my husband continued. Puff. Puff. Compress. Puff. Puff. Compress. 
Five minutes and then a ragged, raspy inhale. The sickly, ashen color vanished from my daughter’s face vanished and was replaced by beautiful creams and pinks.
Revival.
[bbctt tweet=”After the darkest night? The most glorious morning. #revival #joycomesinthemorning” username=”tammykennington”]
After the darkest night? The most glorious morning.
The child I’d beheld before with such love and tenderness, I valued even more for she was the precious one God returned into my aching arms.
Perhaps I would have the same sort of longing for my faith if it were torn from me. But where I live, faith is still protected. Neither my livelihood nor my life is threatened because I’m a Christian. Instead, my faith is stealthily picked away at by ease and amusement. Busyness and bustling. Serving and seeking after.
I forget my appointment with God because my schedule is full–sometimes by activities meant to bring glory to Him. But in giving up God for the “good”, how much have I lost? I’m convinced my heart, the Church, the nation, and our world need a revival as much as my daughter’s unresponsive body did years ago.
Revival Comes at the Darkest of Times
God had been silent for four hundred years while the people of Israel were pawned from one ruler to the next. Now, Herod served as a Roman puppet and even many of the religious leaders of Israel were corrupt-hawking animals used in the sacrifices to the top bidders.
Suddenly, the Lord broke into the status quo. Descending into the midst of a priest’s worship, the angel of the Lord said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.  He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.  And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Luke 1:13, 16-17 NIV)
Have you ever prayed for years and felt as though God refused to answer? Doubted He heard you? Friend, the people of Israel had prayed for their Messiah for four hundred years and life was grim. War, fear, unrest, and death were a familiar part of everyday life.
[bbctt tweet=”While God is the one to decide when He’ll move, we must be prepared to respond. #letyourlightshine #eyestowardheaven” username=”tammykennington”]
In the same way, God’s people have been praying for a revival of the Holy Spirt in the Church. While God is the one to decide when He’ll move, we must be prepared to respond.
Walk With Integrity
If this is the time chosen, are we ready? Am I? Are you?
According to Luke 1:6, Zechariah and Elizabeth were used by the Lord because “They were good and just people in God’s sight, walking with integrity in the Lord’s ways and laws.” (The Voice) This doesn’t imply they were sinless, but that God noted the condition of their hearts. They were in step with Him; daily living with their Lord in mind.
I know the condition of my heart and I wouldn’t measure up, but for Christ. Still, I want to live for Him. I long for others to see Jesus in my life. To know they are seen and heard when they speak with me. To know there is a wonderful Someone who came and gave all to rescue them.
Scripture tells me to set aside the chaos and soak in the things of Christ.
I am to:
pray continually (Philippians 4:6)
remain in Christ (John 15:5)
ask for wisdom (James 1:5)
yield my life (Matthew 16:24)
so that I might
take hold of peace (Philippians 4:7)
bear much fruit (John 15:8)
live a life that is “overflowing with mercy and blessings” (James 3:18 MSG) and
lose my life only to rediscover it in Christ (Matthew 16:24-27 NIV)
and, ultimately, give Him the glory. (John 15:8)
Revival (or not) it is All About Him
[bbctt tweet=”…revival or not, it is all about Him. #allaboutHim #revivalornot” username=”tammykennington”]
Like a perfectly synchronized event, my daughter took her first shaky draught of air at the exact moment several burly firefighters burst into our home. I was shouting out a thank you to God and weeping while my husband gathered the baby into his arms and then handed her to me.My little one had no pulse. No heartbeat. No breath. Five minutes passed before her life revived before our eyes and I could do nothing except thank God for his mercy.
In the same way, when God decides to shower revival on the land and in the midst of our churches he will move in remarkable ways in the lives of ordinary people. But I don’t want to falter like Zacharias who doubted the words of God; I want to respond with Mary’s heart, “I am the Lord’s servant.” (Luke 1:38)
Whether or not the pandemic continues…
whether or not riots rage…
whether or not elections and leaders rise and fall…
whether or not economies falter or topple…
whether or not personal health is at risk…
whether or not ______________(fill in the blank)
whether or not revival comes…
Jesus is the Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, and the Resurrected Lamb. Today, I choose to give Him the glory.
After all, revival or not, it is all about Him.
Peace and grace,
Tammy
I often link up with the following wonderful bloggers:
Mondays   InstaEncouragements/  Mandy and Michele, Kingdom Bloggers,
Tuesdays RaRa Linkup /GraceFull Tuesday / Tell His Story/Anchored Abode,
Wednesdays   Worth Beyond Rubies, Recharge Wednesday / Welcome Wednesday /LetsHave Coffee/
Thursdays Heart Encouragement  /  Tune In Thursday  /Salt and Light /  Five Minute Friday
Friday Faith on Fire, Blogger Voices Network, Grace and Truth Linkup