THAT is revival.

no, no! revival??
i don't mean these pictures.
what's going on??
i don't know.
SS! (LtoR: rachel, evan, me)
evan, how's cambs treatin u?

last week, God showed me somethin wow-worthy. while i was just spendin time playin my woodbone (that would be my guitar if u're wonderin) and the passage 2 kings 19 dropped into my mind. didn't recall what its contents were, so i flipped open my bible and read.

i began to be amazed at king hezekiah's story of victory against sennacherib of assyria and his prayer for his countrymen. the messenger of king sennacherib sent a msg sayin somethin to the effect of 'you israelites are going DOWN!'. ooh, scaaawwy!but king hezekiah prayed. then prophet isaiah sent a message from the Lord to say 'the Lord has heard your prayer...' and that was it. sealed, the deed's done and the battle won. God always wants His ppl to win, yet with His promises comes the condition - 2 chronicles 7:14. it's not so much 'the harder you pray, the better the outcome' because then our focus would always be on how our prayers will be answered (which means we only pray so we can get) - rather, KNOWING well that God promises victory and all that, we still come to Him - we still pray, because there's no other way (ooh, it rhymes!)

utterly broken, totally dependent.
sore on our knees but strong in faith.

that we may pray so we know Him deeply, and our focus would always be on 'Lord, i'm here to ask of You. and to claim Your promise.' and that in itself IS revival in the making. then God spoke to me and said, 'you wanna see revival? being in love in My presence and asking of Me, that IS revival.' gather with those of the same heart and pray, THAT is revival.

king hezekiah prayed not out of doubt. he knew God promised deliverance. he prayed to PARTNER with God's promise, not twist God's arm. imagine his joy and faith-lift when the victory DID come and the enemy killed. if he didn't pray, what's there to rejoice abt? 'oh wow, God! i didn't expect that...but, thanks anyway!' it's different though, when you DO pray. 'oh wow, God! we're been hearing You say so, and praying abt it...and now we see it!'

expectation. passion. tenacity.

then as i pondered, psalm 33 came to mind too.

"No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine."

this is the season of being so immersed in His love and glory.