Revival

This week has been our revival at church. When I was growing up I used to think that a revival involved a tent, some crazy men shouting about hell, damnation and brimstone, a bunch of wild-eyed hillbillies with pitchforks and chickens and probably even some snakes, thown in for good measure. It was a Hollywood-fueled vision of backwoods religion which was more than a little misguided.

Not so much about being Baptist, or Catholic, or any particular religion, but about a renewal of spirit, a rejuvination of soul, a calibration of my inner compass, and a realignment of my focus on that which is most important, Revival has come to be one of my very favorite weeks of the year.

At our church, we have a week set aside each Summer for our Revival. We come together as a group to refresh our faith, to strengthen our relationship with God and one another, to pray and sing and eat together as a community. To love one another. To literally set the earthly world and worries aside for a few short days and truly revive our spirits.

Most people take vacation for the week so that we can come to both the morning and evening services. The church meets at 11am for a service, then one of the families will bring the preachers and other church members into their home for a lunch, sometimes singing, often praying, and then after a short break for some rest, we meet back at 8pm for another service. It sounds exhausting, I'm sure. In some ways it really is. It's a grueling schedule, with little time for anything other that eating, sleeping, washing and back to church. And at the same time it wears your body out, it lifts your spirit up. It is such a cleansing of all the filth and troubles and pettiness of the carnal world, and such a purifying, humbling, renewing experience for your soul.

I cannot put into words the joy and fulfillment I gain during these special, holy weeks. My heart swells with love, for a just yet merciful God, for a church family who knows the power of prayer, for mankind, lost and broken, faithful and healed. It is such a joy to pray, sing and worship, then commune and dine with friends, share our homes and bounties with one another, and then meet again to pray and worship. It is beyond what any single church service is alone. It generates a feeling that grows with each service, buzzing in your ears, trembling in your heart, spilling from your soul, until you think you cannot be raised any higher up, and then... then, God passes by.

I would give anything to stand always in God's presence. To always feel his love and spirit surrounding me as fully as I do during these times. Granted, I know God is always with me, and I can kneel and pray anytime I need him and feel his presence in my life, but the week of constant searching and praising and focus on him allows me to live with him in the forefront of my life as I wish I always could. Alas, life tends to get in the way. We lose focus, we fall short, we are human and sinful. That is why I thank God for these weeks of Revival. What a beautiful and amazing blessing.