This week I am preaching a revival meeting in the low desert of Arizona. (Yes, it is hot. No, it is not a tent meeting!) The pastor has worked diligently to prepare the church and hearts have been very responsive to God’s Word.

I have come to realize that the most important days in a revival meeting are not the meeting itself. Instead, they are the days before the meeting. Prepared hearts are more important than prepared sermons.

No evangelist brings revival – God Himself revives His people when they get where they can hear Him. Vance Havner used to call this being “in tune with heaven.” For this reason I have come to believe that the prayers of God’s people are more important than any preaching I can do. We don’t need better preaching; we need better praying.

Someone asked me recently what I believed was the most missing element in special meetings. My answer was: expectancy. Very few people come to a revival meeting truly expecting to hear from God and ready to respond.

Expectancy grows out of prayerful preparation. It has been my joy to be with many pastors over the last 18 months who have led their people to get ready for revival long before the evangelist arrived. You can tell a difference when you walk into the pulpit where people have been praying!

This month’s free resource is one that could be used individually or collectively leading up to a revival meeting. It is my prayer that God will use it to help raise expectations and encourage a definite prayer effort in many churches. When you provide your email you will receive an automatic download with two parts:

• An audio recording of a lecture I gave at the Conference On Revival and Evangelism on “Creating A Revival Spirit.”
• A corresponding handout for notes and personal reflection.

This is more than a message for preachers. This is for all who hunger to see revival. I hope you will use it with your own family or with members of your church family in preparation for special meetings.

O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2)

May God grant a true spiritual awakening in our day!

RESOURCE LINK