Revival

Jonathan Edwards said, "A revival of religion [is] a blessed outpouring of the Spirit of God, in awakening and converting sinners, and in enlightening, quickening and building up saints in faith, holiness and comfort." [1]  Elwell provides a class definition, calling revival "a period of unusual and heightened spiritual activity in a section of the church, brought about by a renewing and empowering work of the Holy Spirit, bringing a new sense of the presence of God, especially in his holiness, resulting in a deeper awareness of sin in the lives of believers, followed by new joy as sin is confessed and forgiven." [2]

In the above video, Pastor Robert Marshall discuss revival at a worship night at Risen Life Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Here, he outlines what it is and gives a brief history of revival in the in the U.S.

My personal history contains no "revival meetings" in the traditional aspect that some may know them.  It seems that every quarter or maybe every year some churches will host a planned "revival" where there's lots of worship and preaching.  But while we can call these meetings revival meetings, aren't they really just a worship service unless God brings revival or awaking?  Rather than planning these revival meetings, wouldn't the time be better spent praying that God brings about revival?  And then we can have worship meetings until revival comes?

Are you praying for revival and awakening in your area?  If not, why not?

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1.  Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2001) 1025. 
2. Ibid.