Awakening Again

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” Habakkuk 3:2 (NIV)

What do you notice about this verse? What jumped out at you?:

Habakkuk is crying out for God to, once again, revive His mighty works, yet asks for mercy in the midst of His judgment. Habakkuk acknowledges God’s past faithfulness and longs for Him to reveal His power again; but, he also clearly recognizes that judgment is part of God’s process—God’s justice and mercy go hand in hand. Revival, and eventually, a great Awakening, comes only through a refining process, which always requires a radical transformation of the heart. God moves from Glory to Glory, and that's a process that requires continual growth. As we mature in our faith, God expects us to respond to His revelations. The sins we once ignored become clear, and He patiently waits for our obedience. However, His forbearance is not indefinite. There comes a point when He expects true transformation—a radical heart change (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Answer & Reflect on the following:

As our Pastor mentioned on Sunday, God, in His love, grants us a “forbearance” period—a time of grace, where He patiently reveals, in His perfect timing, the areas in our lives that need refining. As we continually grow in Him, He continues to unveil more of our shortcomings: not to condemn us, but to call us higher in His will for us, as it directly relates to the will for His Kingdom. Just as a lender may offer a grace period of “forbearance” before expecting payment, God gives us time to repent and change before requiring us to move into deeper levels of transformation. If we desire true revival and awakening, God requires this kind of deep change in our hearts. If we want to see God move powerfully as He has in the past, we must be willing to let Him refine us. God provides us with windows of opportunity for repentance and growth, but if we resist, we risk missing the fullness of His plans for us. Just as Habakkuk pleaded for God to act in mercy, we must respond with urgency, allowing Him to shape us so that we are ready for the greater glory He desires to reveal.

Speak to the Lord and spend some time in prayer: 

Heavenly Father, I stand in awe of Your mighty works. You have been patient with me, revealing my shortcomings in Your perfect timing. Thank You for Your mercy and for giving me time to grow into Your will for my life. Help me not to take Your grace for granted, but to actively pursue transformation. Lord, I pray for Revival and a great Awakening in my heart and in this nation. Move again as You have in the past. May You have all of the Glory. I pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.