Revival in Our Relationship with God, Psalm 85

For the situation to change God must deal with our sin. If we think that we can keep asking for God’s blessings while living in sin then all we are is a spiritual version of the Jerry Springer show. We are like a man who says that he wants to work on his marriage and keep his mistress.

And we see the Psalmist repent in the first portion of Psalm 85. He seeks God for revival by first repenting of sin.

Alright. Now what? What do we do? What are we looking for next? How do we know if prayer is working and if God is answering? It would be nice if you could somehow run a test for revival.

Revival would be much easier if it were more medical in nature. Think about it. You start feeling a little off. You go to the doctor and they run tests, diagnose you with high blood pressure and then they send you home with a prescription of medicine and a low salt diet. They tell you to come back in a month.

So you go back after 30 days of pills and the most bland, boring food you’ve ever eaten in your life. The nurse throws a BP cuff on you. It pumps up. They get some numbers and 40 seconds later the doctor says, “Looks great, your BP is closer to normal, the meds and the diet are working, keep doing what you’re doing.”

It’s a prescriptive path with a measurable result.

So we got in the altar together last Sunday and we prayed, like the Psalmist about God dealing with your sin. Is anything happening?

You good?

Is it working?

Is God answering?

Wouldn’t it be easier to answer that question if you got up from the altar, turned around and there was someone there ready to swab your nose, sort of like a COVID test? If the test comes out negative, get back down there in the altar, you still have some things to pray about!

So we’re watching the Psalmist. He repents of sin, now what?

The last half of Psalm 85 answers that question. Now that he has repented, he gets ready for God’s response. What do we do while we wait?

3 ways he readies himself for God’s response of revival.