Where is the weeping?

Where is the weeping?

The Lord just asked me a serious question. “Where are my people, who have faith for revival, where are they shedding their tears over the state of My Church, their people, and their land?” Before I could even think about an answer, the Lord showed me this in a book I am reading :-

Joel 2:15-17 (NIV1984)

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

My wife and I were in Norway early this year, in a meeting at a Bible School. There, they had drawn a 30 feet long by 8 feet wide very carefully drawn map of Norway. Everyone was invited forward to write a town or region name in the appropriate spot on the map. When everyone was finished the map was covered in names of towns and cities the length and breadth of Norway. Then our host, the principal of the school and a lovely Godly man, invited the same people to kneel and pray over their part of their country’s map.

What followed was amazing as the Spirit of the Lord filled that place and the leading men and women of God knelt, prayed, and wept over that map. By the time we had finished the map was a sodden, almost unrecognisable wreck. My wife and I were both moved to tears with them as we all wept and cried out to the Lord for Norway and her people.

I have lived and worked in the UK for nigh on 68 years. I have never seen nor heard anything like that here. I have not heard of this happening in America either. When was the last time you wept over a map of your town, or your county/state, or your country? When was the last time you physically cried out to the Lord on behalf of your people? When was the last time you heard anything like this preached from the pulpit or even on TV? Have we concentrated on personal matters so much that we have forgotten or left behind more corporate things? Have we become so hardened to others – so self-centred and concerned for only ourselves – that we have ignored the plight of everyone else?

When was the last time any of us – in Joel’s words

“Blew the trumpet in Zion, declared a holy fast, called a sacred assembly” in preparation for revival.

“Gathered the people, consecrated the assembly; brought together the elders, gathered the children, those nursing at the breast” for the purposes of praying for God to heal our land and send revival? Everyone from the leaders to the children – even nursing babes could be involved.

“Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.” NOW we’re getting serious !!!

“Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar”. Yes, when did you see your leaders weeping for their church, their town, or their country? Have they more important things to do? Do they leave this to the prayer groups, the house groups, the ministry team perhaps? Where is their leadership towards revival???

“Let them say, “Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ “ Indeed, where do the priorities of your church lay? Are you more concerned with survival than revival?

May I suggest that there needs to be some re-alignment of priorities if we are serious about revival coming our way. It is surely time for the leaders to lead by example, leading the people to cry out to the Lord, to weep over their town, to weep for the sin of their people both inside and outside the church.

If we just pray once a week then sit back waiting for revival to come to our church, then we are in for a long wait – a seriously long wait. The Lord is sick and tired of the Laodicean Church that we have become – lukewarm. He wants firebrands who will weep over their maps, who will ignite the flames of passion and revival in their area, and who will not let go until they get it !!