Tim's Question: "What was it all about?"

By David Ryser

“What was it all about?”

The question came from my friend, Tim, as we were talking one evening.  We were talking about revival.  I had been powerfully impacted and influenced by one of the many mighty moves of God that had occurred in the mid-to-late 1990’s.  Tim had not.  His faith walk had taken him along a different path.  As the revivals changed their focus and/or direction, or fizzled to a mere shadow of their former glory, Tim was curious about the meaning of it all.  He thought I might have some thoughts on the matter, so he asked, “Now that it’s over, what was God up to in those revivals?  What was it all about?”

Without hesitation, I answered him.  And my answer surprised me.  Perhaps some context will help you understand my answer.

It was March 1997.  And I was miserable.  I had been in the vocational ministry, sometimes full-time and sometimes part-time, for 13 years.  I was burned out.  I was tired, spent, dry, and spiritually comatose.

I was done.  I didn’t know where to turn.  I was more desperate than I realized.  I needed revival.

Revival means the same thing in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English. (I looked it up.)  To revive someone means to restore them to fullness of life.  This is not the same thing as resurrection.  Resurrection is when you are dead and then are brought back to life.  Revival is when you are mowing the lawn on a hot day and the exertion of the work has sapped your strength.  You are hot, exhausted, and on the verge of sunstroke.  Then someone comes out of the house carrying a cold beverage in a frosted, iced, and sweating glass.

As you lift the glass up to your lips and gulp the contents, you begin to be refreshed and your strength returns. This is revival!

As I was muddling along in my misery, a man from our church asked me one day if I wanted to go to a revival meeting.  Did I want to go to a revival meeting?  Does a cow eat at Burger King?  I didn’t know what I needed, but I was certain I had no interest whatsoever in attending another hyped-up church service that was a mile wide and an inch deep.  Been there and done that.  Got the T-shirt.  No, thanks!

I didn’t know exactly what I needed.  But I knew I needed something real.

I politely declined the invitation to attend the meeting, but to no avail.  To some people, the word “no” is not the answer to a question; it is an invitation to a debate.  This man was one of those people.  So he pestered me about going to the revival for several days until I finally gave in and promised to go.  He cheerfully responded, “Great!  I’ll pick you up early because we need to get there at least 30 minutes before the start of the service to get a good seat.”

Get a good seat?  I didn’t want to go there at all.  And now I had to go early to get a good seat? But, a promise is a promise (Psalm 15:4b).

When the day came to attend the revival, we walked into the church really early--and I stopped dead in my tracks.

I saw something in the front of the church that I’d never seen before...or since.  I saw a group of people worshiping God with passion.  They were pouring out their hearts to Him with all of their strength.

I instantly knew two things.  I knew these people were head-over-heels in love with Jesus.  And I knew I wasn’t.  I had loved Jesus with all my heart when I first met Him so many years before. But somewhere along the way, I’d lost my passion for Him.

I was heartbroken and terrified at the same time.  Heartbroken because I had lost my first love (Revelation 2:4).  Terrified because I didn’t know if I could get it back.

Over the next few months, I experienced God in ways I never had before.  When God shows up, church services are charged with His presence.

On one occasion, His glory came so powerfully into the worship service that my hands felt like they were full of something that felt like fine sand.  I couldn’t keep my arms up in the air.  As my arms would go down below my waist, I would spread my fingers and allow the “sand” to run through them until I could lift my arms up again.

On numerous occasions, I was “blasted” by the power of God.  As I would lie on the floor, God would stir me in the deepest part of my being and perform what I can only describe as “spiritual surgery” on me.

Miracles were commonplace.  People twitched, jerked, laughed, cried, and staggered like drunks as the Spirit of God fell on them.  Physical healings were a common occurrence.  There were thousands of testimonies of how God had touched people and changed them.

And somewhere along the way, I again fell deeply and passionately in love with Jesus.

After rediscovering my passion for Jesus, I found my understanding of revival began to change.  I realized revival was not about what God was doing.  Revival was about God Himself.  It was about loving Him, knowing Him, and serving Him.  It was about receiving His life and love, and then carrying these things to others.  It was about demonstrating His Kingdom, and co-laboring with Him to establish His Kingdom, on the earth.  It was about…

“What was it all about?”

Tim’s question hung in the air.  He waited for my response.  I finally answered, “I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me the revival and its manifestations were bait.  I stopped and looked to see what God was doing, and I found God Himself.  He used what He was doing in the revival to hook me, and then He reeled me in.  The manifestations were simply bait.”

Since then, even during my darkest days, I’ve always been grateful that I took the bait.

Responses to this article are welcomed.  You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com