Hab 3:1-3
A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. 2 O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, REVIVE THY WORK in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. 3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.
The prophet Habakkuk prays a prayer in the midst of the decline in the nation and looking at the judgment coming on his nation. Hearing God’s speech through another prophet named Jeremiah, who was sent to warn the nation of impending judgment and their need to repent, Habakkuk cries out for a reviving. He cries out to bring us back to life, health and a flourishing condition. Revival was the only answer.
The need of revival always indicates a state of decline exists. God has always had voices He’d raise up whose chief concern was the moral breakdown/decline of spiritual health of the nation. Men like Elijah, Jeremiah, Malachi, John the Baptist and others who’d appear at critical moments in history who’d go against the crowd, stir some, madden others but cry out for repentance and a return to righteous¬ness. Their cry for repentance (Is. 58:1; Joel 2:15; Is. 40:4; Lk. 3:4) would be the only remedy to impending judgment. In fact, revival and judgment can go on at the same time. The greatest event in human history, the cross/resurrection, happened in the midst of a nation in a cycle of judgment that of being occupied by a foreign power. Jerusalem was under Roman rule, and they were totally dispersed from their land 30 40 years after Jesus preached there. Yes, I know the NT prophet’s office is not like the OT prophet’s office but the need for repentance is the same and someone needs to raise their voice. It is also true if we walked in our redemption we wouldn’t need a revival but look around and see if that is happening.
Isa 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Pastor John Rasicci is the founder and Pastor of Word of His Grace Church in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where we are building people who are building the Church. Pastor's ministry mission is to help people discover God's dream for their Life, the Local Church, and the Last Days' Harvest. With a strong emphasis on the grace of God and with a prophetic voice, Pastor John preaches and teaches in churches, conferences, and crusades both locally and throughout the world. He has produced books, tapes, and other teaching materials to empower, enable, and equip Believers with the Word of God. Pastor John is married to his wife Candy who with their three children, Krista, Joanna, John Anthony, and two son-in-laws, Matt and Doug, serve together in the ministry. After graduating from Kent State University, Pastor John pursued a career in professional baseball before accepting the call to the ministry. He and his wife, Candy, received their ministry training from Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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