The Monsoon and the Sprinkler
August 10, 2008
Last night’s 3-inch rainfall did wonders for the patch of grass that our sprinklers somehow miss. As I observed the revitalization already taking effect this morning, I smiled at the thought of taking the “get soaking wet trying to adjust the $10 sprinkler” item off my home “to do” list. Another procrastination saved by divine kindness.
Regretfully another minute’s worth of reflection wiped the smile off of my face. While monsoon season brings many of these generous rainfalls, it does not remove the need to regularly water the yard. Three inches can do wonders for yellow bermuda, but once a week of dry heat does its work, the poor blades are back where they started. So I must still face the dampening work of sprinkler adjustment.
As these thoughts rolled around my head, they converged with some historical events I have been studying in my American Church History class, particularly the first Great Awakening. The 1730s and 40s saw a remarkable heightening of religions interest and experience under the preaching of Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. It would not be exaggerating to call this revival a spiritual monsoon season, a series of 3-inch downfalls in the desert.
On one level, this is what we pray for when we pray for revival. We ask God to grant us a community-wide experience of his awesome splendor and gospel mercy. We sing songs like “Holy Spirit Rain Down” and hope for a downpour that will reinvigorate those patches of dead grass in our yard-the spiritually disinterested husband, the rebellious teenager, the faithful but weary church worker.
At the same time that we pray for such outpourings of grace, we recognize their limitations. Many of the young people who were leaders of the revival in Edwards’ church fell back into spiritual complacency once the fervor died down. Some estimate that, for all the religious excitement of the 1740s, by the 1790s the percentage of church-going Americans hovered around 5%.
Thus our prayers for revival are both/and prayers. We pray both for extraordinary deluges and for help to adjust the sprinkler head. We anticipate unpredictable outpourings and plan for ordinary consistency. In both cases, we rely on the Holy Spirit to nourish us with more of Christ, more gospel water, that we might flourish to our Father’s glory.
Praying and anticipating with you,
Pastor Chris