Don Graham Revival Ministries

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"The Pathway to Revival"

I Kings 16-19

Part Four: The Preamble to Revival

I Kings 17:17-24

In our previous studies of revival at Mt. Carmel we have been focusing our attention on the preparation for revival and the antecedents of real revival. In our first study, The Precursors of Revival, we saw the situation of hopelessness and helplessness in which revival was born. In The Prelude to Revival (17:1-7) we saw the first level of work in God's messenger Elijah to prepare him for Carmel, i.e., the brook dried up! In our last study we noted how God further tested and prepared him for the work of revival by sending him to Zarephath to be sustained by a starving widow. Now Elijah is ready for his next class, Deeper Death 301! Notice how God "ruthlessly perfects whom He royally elects!" observe...

I. The Desperation that Precedes Revival (v. 17)

The sudden death of the widow's son threw the tranquil hiding place in Zarephath into a tailspin. Suddenly desperation filled the air. If you are in a desperate state today I have good news for you. You are a candidate for revival. When men acknowledge the death that is around them and understand their utter helplessness and become admittedly desperate people, they then are candidates for genuine revival.

The problem is that we are desperate but we won't face it. We, too, are surrounded by death and the question of God to Ezekiel in the middle of the valley of dry bones comes to us, also, "Son of Man, can these bones live again? " There is death all around us, in our homes, churches, and nation. Are you frankly facing the utter desperation of the hour in which we live?

II. The Accusation that Accompanies Revival (v. 18))

Revival will always meet with harsh and persistent resistance—and often it will come from beloved friends and/or family. The woman in her pain lashed out at the man of God blaming Elijah with the death of her son. Often God's man will be ridiculed and reviled if he does call his people to repentance. When people are confronted with their sin and refuse to bow to God and repent they will often grow angry and lash out at the very one who brought God's message to them.

Notice Elijah's response! Though the words surely wounded and stung deep he refused to let them paralyze him. When the enemy attacks it is easy to fold the tent and throw in the towel. Elijah resisted all temptations to quit or retaliate. Instead he was driven to his knees before the Lord. Oh, may we learn to respond so to adversarial comments! Remember, God uses all such events in your life as "stakes in His hand to keep you driven to the cross!"

III. The Intercession that Insures Revival (vs. 19-24)

Every real revival is birthed and bom on the wings of fervent and earnest prayer. When Solomon "made an end of praying the fire came down from heaven..." (II Chr. 7:1). Always that's the order! Prayer and then fire falling!! No prayer, no fire! Our churches today are bereft of prayer. God's house, designed to be a house of prayer, is filled with everything but prayer. We sing and preach, administer our programs, feast in the fellowship halls and recreate in our gyms and yet hardly ever pray. When revival broke loose in the church pastored by Robert Murray McCheyen in Dundee there were thirty-nine (39) prayer meetings being conducted every week! Five of these prayer meetings were exclusively for children! Where can we find prayer like that in our churches?

Elijah so identified with the dead boy that he stretched his body over the body of the dead boy. The first key is identification. We must learn to pray like that. There is death in your home, there is death in your church—stretch out over it until you know the agony of that death and intercede with burdened and broken hearts. We cannot be aloof to the crying needs all around us.

Importmaity is the second key! "And he stretched himself upon the child three times... " Elijah didn't lose heart and quit when nothing happened at the end of his first or second prayer session. He pressed on...He prayed persistentlyI Elijah didn't stop crying out to God until the boy was raised up. So revival praying must be powerful and persistent. (See Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-8) Will you quietly determine that you will not quit beseeching God far revival until we see the valley of dry bones around us transformed into a living army by the power and for the glory ofGod?

God now has His point-man for the revival prepared and poised for the confrontation on Mt Carmel. What ocurrs there is directly related to the breaking and bruising of the lessons at the brook and Zarephath.

Would you be willing to walk with God through the "Deep Death Curriculum" until you too, are ready for your personal Mt. Carmel?