Day 8: Prayer Focus: Revival | Isaiah 43:18-19
““Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 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.” (Isaiah 43:18–19)
Many people live in the past. Their bodies are presently here, but their minds and hearts dwell on the past. How many times do you hear another Christian talking about what God did in the past? There’s nothing wrong with looking at the past, but there’s something very wrong with dwelling on the past and wishing for things there.
We need to be people of the present. We want God to move now. God did great things in the past for sure. But the more we dwell on them, the more we miss what He wants to do in and around us now. What could God do with a people seeking His presence for today?
God wants to do a new thing. He is always focused on the present and what He wants to do through you. Isaiah asks on God’s behalf, “Do you not perceive it?” If we dwell on the past, we may miss the move of God happening in our midst. We cannot focus on the present and the new thing that springs up in front of us if our eyes are focused on the past.
Nostalgia has its place. But when we consider what God wants to do in and around us, we don’t want to miss the move of God. What is God doing in you now? What is He speaking to your spirit? How does God want to change you today? Are you growing in hearing what the Spirit says to the churches?
We want to be people of today. Seek the Lord for the revival He wants to do in you. What could God do if you are wholly surrendered to the revival and renewal He wants to bring to your spirit? God can sharpen us in His presence and do in an instant what we cannot do for ourselves. Will you step into the present, be thankful for what God has done in your past, but seek the new thing He is doing in you and around you now?
Prayer Points
- For your church to seek and see what the Spirit is doing
- ask God what new thing He is doing in your spirit (and your prayer partner’s spirit)
- Ask for an open heart in yourself and the people of your church to receive the seeds for revival
- Preparation for the harvest of souls and renewal in the Church God is bringing
