Isa.66:8 – Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Can a land be born in one day?
Can a nation be given birth all at once?
As soon as Zion was in labor, she also delivered her sons.
Revival, no matter how much we pray for it and want it, always comes in a sudden and quite shocking way. The rushing mighty wind and the tongues of fire caught the apostles by surprise, the speaking in tongues at Azusa Street was really over the top, the overwhelming presence that fell in Northampton, Massachusetts surprised the conservative Puritan congregation pastored by Jonathan Edwards. No matter how ready we think we are when God comes down it is more real, more powerful, and better than we even hoped. We are now surprised and hopeful as the news of a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God is rocking the Asbury University in Kentucky. Hungry people from far and wide are making their way to the University, sounds quite similar to the 1904 outpouring in Wales. It appears to be young people and worship driving this move similar to the Welch Revival directed by young Evan Roberts. Here is a quote from Jonathan Edwards on the sudden outpouring in Massachusetts in the 1700’s.
“And we have reason from Scripture prophecy to suppose, that at the commencement of that last and greatest outpouring of the Spirit of God, that is to be in the latter ages of the world, the manner of the work will be very extraordinary, and such as never has yet been seen; so that there shall be occasion then to say, as in Isa. 66:8, “Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” It may be reasonably expected that the extraordinary manner of the work then, will bear some proportion to the very extraordinary events, and that glorious change in the state of the world, God will be about to bring to pass by it.”
Jonathan Edwards seemed to believe that the outpouring would be somewhat proportional to the state of events in the world at the time of the move of God. If Edwards is right then we should have a tsunami of the Spirit of God this time. The crazy, unhinged world we live in is crying out; heaven will respond.
Well, revival has quite a mixed history in the church (those who call Him Lord) Debate and tradition for some takes precedence because something new puts everyone one equal ground, again. Leadership fails when we begin to dictate how, when and where we receive inspiration from God.