Unsung Revival

I’m sitting in an empty room. The walls are blank and just beginning to give that slight echo of a house without residents. Some folks would find times filled with blank walls and packed boxes to be bittersweet or perhaps even sad- but few people probably find comfort in the reset of moving quicker than the child of a United Methodist Pastor.

Growing up in the world of itinerancy, I learned fast that the anxiety of leaving one place is quickly overshadowed by the excitement and refreshment of the new. This carried over into other aspects of life easily. Sure, Middle School was fun- but now there's High School to look forward to. High School was awesome, but College will be a real adventure! Now, being a senior in College, it's been a while since I’ve had the experience of moving with my family, but COVID-19 has made sure that I would be home this time to take it all in again. The anxiety of packing a house, the finality of leaving a church- but the excitement and anticipation of new ones.

This way of life has taught me something that I think is incredibly important: that big changes in life often come when we need them most- even if it’s not when we think we want them. Often in life we mistake stagnation for stability, and the rejuvenation we find ourselves praying for ends up with God shaking us up in ways we didn’t expect.

I think this extends to our lives as Christians as well. Christians praying for revival often expect a spike in church membership, but may be met with calls for sweeping systematic change. Prayers for social morality may be answered in cries for social justice. After all, the prayers of Jewish religious leaders for a Messiah were answered in a man they saw as a threat to themselves.

Sometimes our prayers are answered in ways that shake us up- unsung revival which is popularly viewed as unwelcome change. But the chaos brings us out of stagnation, the noise of change makes us look up; and when we do, we see our prayers being answered in ways we didn't expect. The sooner we begin to look at moving as an adventure, the sooner we start to understand our gift and the giver.