Sometimes we think our culture is particularly wicked and beyond God’s reach. We begin to imagine life without the influence of the Gospel and wonder: What will guide and inspire the generations that come after us if it vanishes from sight? But a cursory look at history will reassure us that “when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.” (Isaiah 59:19, NKJV)

Look at James Madison’s (the fourth president of the United States) observation in 1774 and compare it to our situation today:

“Poverty and luxury prevail among all sects; pride, ignorance, and knavery among the priesthood, and vice and wickedness among the laity.”

Here’s another lament from the 1700s, written by someone deeply concerned about how influential writers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Thomas Paine had become among the colonists. Actively seeking to undermine the authority of Scripture, these French philosophers discredited the life of Jesus Christ and those who followed Him. “While I was a member of [Princeton] college, there were but two professors of religion (i.e., Christians) among the students, and not more than five or six who scrupled the use of profane language in common conversation, and sometimes it was of a very shocking kind.”

It wasn’t just college students who came under the French Enlightenment’s spell. Thomas Jefferson and many other prominent political leaders embraced deism or atheism. Henry Dearborn (Jefferson’s secretary of war) said of Christian churches: “So long as these temples stand we cannot hope for good government.”

But God … When the enemy of Christian faith and virtue flooded in, He raised up evangelists to turn the hearts of the people back to scriptural truth. We call these spiritual visitations “revivals.” You can read more about the revivals that swept through the U.S. in The Spiritual Awakeners by Keith Hardman, the book I’ve quoted from above. Without the intervention of God, we would be hopelessly inadequate to influence our communities and nations. But God never leaves His people without hope. The power of His Spirit to transform hearts is always available to the church.

We are beginning to see the first showers of a new spiritual awakening at Asbury College and other campuses across our country. Already some naysayers are judging what’s happening and deciding if they think it fits into their definition of revival. But here’s how I see the development. As long as the participants of these events are giving the glory to God for what is happening and seeking to please Him, shouldn’t we be thrilled that God is being sought in repentant prayer and worshipped around the clock? Often God begins spiritual awakenings with young people because they are more open to embracing a new paradigm and are longing for a more authentic and radical kind of faith.

Revivals don’t last forever; they ebb and flow in intensity and duration. We can expect this because they are only a foreshadow of what is yet to come … when Jesus returns and sets up His eternal kingdom. But when they occur, they are a vital “shot in the arm” for Christians who’ve grown weary in their walk with Jesus. They bolster our flagging faith and realign our priorities and focus. They also provide the opportunity for new spiritual leaders to emerge for future generations.

God’s timing is always spot on. Right now in theaters across North America a movie (Jesus Revolution) is being shown about a revival that transformed many in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. I was blessed to be a part of this revival movement that went from the U.S. into Canada, where I was living at the time. It was a reset moment in my life as I rediscovered the truth I’d been taught about God as a child. From the moment His Spirit invaded my life in 1975, Jesus became the center of everything … defining who I was and how I interacted with the world, reshaping my values, priorities, and purpose. Everything was so radically different, it felt like I’d been transported into a radically different kingdom and way of doing life. No wonder Paul wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17, NKJV) 

Without His intervention, I would have continued on as I was … lost, a slave to sin, and powerless to effect change in myself or anyone else. But the Good News is that wherever He is, Jesus becomes the But God factor that brings goodness and hope into every situation. In Him, there is life after death. Joy after sorrow and despair. Hope in the midst of hopelessness and defeat.

As Stephen pointed out in his sermon recorded in Acts 7:9, Joseph’s situation looked dire by human standards. A favored son of his father Jacob, life looked good for this capable young man. Until the unthinkable happened. “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt.” Being betrayed by your own brothers and forced to serve as a household slave was bad enough, but then Joseph was falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison. It seemed he would never be blessed again. “BUT GOD was with him and rescued him from all his troubles.”  

When Paul was shackled in a Roman prison, it seemed like the end for the fledgling Jesus movement. The one who had planted churches throughout the Gentile world and fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel to all who would listen now had to depend upon others to supply his daily needs. He adds this sad note in his second letter to Timothy, “everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me” (2 Timothy 1:15). But Paul was not in despair about his situation. He knew God was still with him. In verses 8-9 he writes: “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering … BUT GOD’S WORD is NOT chained.” The testimony of Jesus would continue, with or without Paul.

When we face dark times in our own lives, we can continue to trust that GOD WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. And when the spiritual atmosphere of our culture seems to be heading towards a complete abandonment of truth, we can take heart, knowing He will raise up a standard against the wickedness. It may not look like how we’ve seen Him move in the past, but that’s okay. He’s in charge and He gets to decide what is best. “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland … to give drink to my people … the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (Isaiah 43:19-21). We can trust, as the early apostles did, that as we repent and turn to Him, “times of refreshing will come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19). We may feel powerless, BUT GOD makes all the difference!

Our Father, we look to you in our time of weakness and uncertainty. Come and refresh us by your Spirit. You see the wickedness around us and the desperation of people’s hearts. You see the difficult circumstances we face on a personal level. Will you remind us again that you are glorious, powerful, and filled with love and compassion? Only you can bring good out of what is so evil and destructive. Help us to always remember YOU make all the difference! Thank you for your visitations that enable us to reset our lives. May the life of Jesus be evident in all we do today. We are blessed to be yours! Amen.

I’ve written a book that shares spiritual principles the Lord taught me during the revival of the 1970s. To buy this book—in paperback or eBook—click here. Filled with personal testimonies and Scripture application, Truly His will help Christians of any age to become more like Jesus. Yielding, not striving, is the key to Christian growth. Each chapter includes discussion questions, making it perfect for group Bible studies as well.

I’m thrilled to see that international visitors are finding “Adventuring with God”! Readers from Slovenia, China, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, India, Curacao, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Malaysia, South Korea, Zimbabwe, and the U.K. were among those who dropped in last month. Thank you for reading my devotionals. I hope you will tell your friends about it and pray for me as I write for Him. May the Lord bless you richly!