“O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy”
Habakuk 3 v 2
When we hear the speech of the Lord, it is an awesome experience, like nothing our senses can ever perceive. It will make our hair stand on end. His eyes are full of fire and can see us in our complete nakedness. Nothing can be hidden from His perception. He sees us as we are in the present, the past and in the future. His tongue is like a sharpened sword. His breath can slay anything unholy that enters or remains in His presence. Naturally, the prophet Habakuk was afraid as he entered the presence of the Lord.
He feared the judgement of the Lord. Moses trembled and feared when He experienced the presence of the Lord. Today, we should not take the presence of the Lord lightly or callously. No one who sees or experiences the Lord can ever remain the same. It is such reverence that leads to revelations that give us wisdom, specific direction and guidance. Reverence precedes revival. Just lying still in His presence will revive us even as a deer is revived by drinking from the cool waters of a forest spring.
The prophet Habakuk then prayed, asking the Lord to revive His work of salvation of Israel in the midst of the years. We need in this day and age to pray that the Lord revive the church in all nations in the midst of our years. Recently, the Lord has spoken through a certain sister that He wants the churches to be revived: certain denominations need to give up their perverse doctrines and practices of praying to the saints and icons, certain denominations need to give up the dead weight of proud tradition and believe and allow the Holy Spirit to work in their midst with signs, prophetic word, gifts, fruits and wonders, certain denominations need to get the focus off the pastors and onto the Lord and allow the gifts of believers and their individual calling as kings and priests of the Kingdom of God to be manifest.
The words “ in the middle of the years” implies that in the midst of calamities, persecution, trials and troubles, He will make His presence real and felt. We need to pray that people be saved in the middle of their years, well before the judgement at the end of their lives or at the end of the world.
The Lord knows the defects or faults or blemishes of His bride, the church but in wrath, He remembers mercy. Such an unique and beautiful biblical expression that emerges from the character of God and becomes a precept or principle for our lives even as it is a promise for us.
When David errs before God in disobeying Him in taking a census, he prefers to fall into the hands of God rather than into the hands of men as he knew that God is more merciful even when He is angry.
We need to examine our faith status every day and pray, “ Lord, renew me with your resurrection power and grace. Revive me.” We should also use this as a “life app” in the times when we are angry with someone or something- in our wrath or anger, remember God’s mercy to us and show some part of that same mercy in that situation or to that person.
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