— Devotional —
What prevents God from pouring out His Spirit in another powerful revival? From the Great Awakening in early America to the Jesus Movement of the ’60s and ’70s to the brief but beautiful Asbury Revival in 2023, God has, at times, moved in ways that transformed thousands of lives and reshaped American society. So why don’t such revivals happen more often?
Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981) was a Welsh preacher who served at the renowned Westminster Chapel in London alongside influential theologians like G. Campbell Morgan. A student of historical revivals, Lloyd-Jones was convinced that his nation—and the broader European West—needed an awakening by the Holy Spirit. The problem with humanity, he said, was that “Christians are not convinced of the reality and the desirableness of revivals."
In his sermon collection Revival, Lloyd-Jones asserts that human beings have always found reasons to run from God. Adam and Eve hid from Him. Jonah fled halfway across the world to escape His call. Even disciples like Peter turned away from Jesus for a time. Lloyd-Jones observes, “The world has never been at a loss to find an excuse not to go to church to listen to the preaching of the gospel.” From the dawn of time, we have filled our lives with anything but seeking God.
In a word, we are unwilling. Unwillingness is the state of not being ready, eager, or prepared. It applies to many areas of life—the husband unwilling to invest time in his wife, the woman unwilling to prioritize her mental and physical health, the child unwilling to listen to wiser voices, the successful man unwilling to share his resources with those in need. Unwillingness is a familiar struggle, both in our lives and in our time. But unwillingness to seek God is detrimental to the spiritual life. Nothing hampers a move of God’s Spirit more than Christian unwillingness.
We must understand that unwillingness doesn’t always stem from evil or sinful activities. It can arise from having other, seemingly better things to do, or simply from distraction. As Corrie ten Boom once wrote, “If the devil cannot make us bad, he will make us busy.” When Jesus looked upon Jerusalem, he lamented their unwillingness and grieved that it was this very resistance that kept them from receiving him as their Messiah.
The real problem with unwillingness is that it runs counter to the gospel itself. The gospel declares, I am in need of God today and every day. Its story begins with our deep need for God and continues with his radical plan to meet that need through his own intervention. Therefore, we must practice willingness. Only then can we expect God to move as he did during the lives of George Whitefield and Chuck Smith.
“How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
— Jesus, Luke 13v34
King David embodied willingness. He was ready, eager, and prepared, often at a moment’s notice, to drop everything and call on God as his lifeline. Like Lloyd-Jones, David believed that what the nation of Israel needed most was not military strength or economic prosperity (though he successfully led his people to both), but spiritual renewal. In Psalm 70, we see a vivid picture of David’s willingness in action.
First, willingness is rooted in a keen awareness of our deep need for God. David says, “But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God” (v5). Willingness acknowledges that we are not perfect and that we need help. It is honest, confessing sin and recognizing our faults. It is that awareness of need that drives us to search—desperately—for a lifeline in God.
Second, willingness expresses this need with urgency and desperation. “Hasten!” David cries. “Come quickly!” “Do not delay!” When we are willing, we are eager. We want God now, not later. We walk into church early and ready to praise God. We wake up each day desperate for his presence. Prayer takes on a sense of urgency, and our whole life is moved along by the upward pull of God’s purpose.
Third, willingness is primarily concerned with glorifying God. David’s prayer was not just to have his needs met, but for the God of Israel to receive glory. He desires that people everywhere “rejoice and be glad” and shout in praise, “God is great” (v4). Willing Christians are humble people, submitted to God’s great purpose, and dedicated to the mission of making disciples who follow Jesus in the kingdom of heaven.
While revival remains God’s business—he may send one, he may not—willingness is ours. The good news is that Jesus is always willing to send his Spirit where he is desired. We might not see the revival of a nation; but the renewal of a life? Of a marriage? Of a church? Absolutely. Renewal is a guaranteed experience of a heart of willingness that cries out to God as lifeline.
