The Asbury Revival is something that has sparked a great deal of attention within the past few days. Since Wednesday, February 8, 2023, hundreds of people have been gathered at Asbury University in Kentucky.
Over one hundred people fell at the altar on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, and it has since “turned into a Holy Spirit outpouring that shows no signs of stopping.” With this new information flooding our feeds, what are we to make of it?
The 2023 revival that is presently still occurring on the campus of Asbury University is not the first revival to have happened at this location. Back in the year 1970, Asbury University had a similar revival.
A 50th-year anniversary celebration was held in 2020; however, three years after this anniversary, Asbury is once again experiencing a new revival. This revival has been going on for over 100 hours. This is an astounding amount of hours for the normal Wednesday chapel service to keep going on.
At Asbury University and praying for God to revive our nation and to start a revival on the campus of @Cedarville! Join me in praying for Jesus to be exalted high! pic.twitter.com/lBd1WV8fkq
— Thomas White (@DrThomasWhite) February 12, 2023
Rather than being persuaded by intense feelings of emotions, this revival is more peaceful and is marked by gentle worship, prayer, meditation, reflection upon the Bible, and healing.
There have also been remarkable numbers of personal testimonies during this revival, in which people have been sharing what God has done for them.
This is an amazing phenomenon that is happening right now. Many churches and individuals have been praying for revival, but how can one know if this is an answer to prayer?
Through this revival, there is a great number of people coming to this revival and not wanting to leave. Numerous individuals are claiming that they believe this revival is part of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring.
Since this is a Christian University, the majority of the attendees are already believers; however, this revival is helping them refocus on Christ. Through days upon days of praying, worship, and reading Scripture, the individuals involved are not planning on leaving anytime soon.
The people within Asbury University are deeply moved by what is happening in their midst and the revival that is happening before their eyes. Revival is when a person refocuses their eyes, hearts, and minds on Christ.
At Asbury … God is here. Very real. I very quickly turned from spectator to broken participant. How can you not in Gods manifest presence? pic.twitter.com/RRnMAEbrjW
— bill elliff (@belliff) February 11, 2023
Maybe they had lost sight or have become stagnant in their faith, yet through revival, the believer once again has the desire to grow in their knowledge of God and to spend more time with Him. A deep love within the heart of the believer is awakened when revival happens.
As is the case for the individuals at Asbury University, they have a new love for God and a deep desire to grow closer to Him.
Revivals are important for the church because we have all, at times, become dormant in our faith. We get used to the truths contained in the Bible, and they don’t have a huge impact on us anymore.
Maybe we read something in the Bible, yet through our stagnant faith, we don’t even consider what it says. Or maybe, we aren’t even picking up our Bible anymore. Growing stagnant in our faith is terrible because we start losing focus on the Lord.
The more we lose focus on the Lord, the more prone we will become to falling into sin. It is vital that we rediscover the love we have for God as we did at the time we accepted Him as our Savior and Lord.
As we can see from the individuals at Asbury University, this revival has radically changed them. Maybe they, too, were once stagnant in their faith, yet this revival has once again filled their hearts with the joy of Jesus and the deep desire to know Him better.
Many individuals may look at this event and try to turn it into something it’s not. There are multiple revivals that happened in the past — to which many were seen as unbiblical.
Revivals in and of themselves are not unbiblical. A revival is, in a way reliving and experiencing, for the second time, the great joy that accompanies salvation.
From what we can observe from the Asbury University revival, there is nothing that is unbiblical. Rather, these are believers who are having revivals in their faith. The revival is so strong that these individuals do not want to leave Hughes Auditorium at Wilmore, Kentucky, as this is their place of worship.
They would prefer to stay together in worship, meditating on Scripture, and talking with God through prayer. Their love for Jesus far outweighs any other commitment they have to their career, school, or other relationships.
They are choosing to remain at the university and are even staying overnight in the place of revival. This shows us the true dedication and desires these believers have for Jesus.
Similar to what had happened at Asbury University, pastors and believers across America are praying for similar revivals to happen on their campuses. As believers, we need to also be praying for more revivals to occur across the globe.
Revivals are beautiful things because they help us rededicate our lives to the Lord. Participating in a revival can also act as a reawakening of your soul and give you a fresh perspective on life.
Many revivals occur on the campuses of universities, which could be in part due to the weary souls of the students and teachers. Through this weariness, it could be that this one normal Wednesday chapel service in Hughes Auditorium turned into the great revival it is today.
The revival at Asbury University can give us hope for the future. Oftentimes revivals can come in surges, which might mean there will be more revivals in the near future.
As believers, we need to pray for Asbury University and pray for more revivals to start happening across the globe. Through more revivals, we will have more believers who are ecstatic about their knowledge of Jesus and will have a deep desire to help others come to know Him.
With more willing believers through revivals, there will be more people going out and fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Nobody can fulfill the Great Commission if they are stagnant in their faith.
Through revivals, we are given a fresh perspective and a renewed love for God. This will be a catalyst of change to our own lives.
Just as the Asbury University revival has changed and affected many people’s lives, future revivals can affect our lives as well. Keep praying for revival, and it will come.
As we are shown through the revival at Asbury University, we can see God is at work, and He is bringing His children back to Him. While believers are the ones who pray, God is the one who ultimately brings about the revival.
Be intentional to pray, but also be patient. Revivals can take some time to come into being, yet when we are consistently praying, there is nothing that is impossible for God.
The revival at Asbury University is a marvelous thing that has happened in Kentucky. It has caused hundreds of people to have spiritual re-awakenings to rededicate their focus on the Lord.
They are no longer stagnant in their faith, but rather, they are joyful in worship, prayer, thanksgiving, and Scripture reading.
There is nothing unbiblical about this revival as it is a genuine revival. These individuals are rediscovering their love for Christ and their deep desire to know Him better. This is the beginning of not one but one of many great things that will happen in the future through revivals.
For further reading:
What Is the Significance of Revival for Believers?
What Is a Spiritual Awakening and Are We Experiencing One Now?
A Glimpse of Revival Under King Hezekiah
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Hanna Busing