After a Mountaintop Experience, What’s Next?

Those who attended Adventist schools will recall Weeks of Prayer, in which a nightly meeting lifted the collective spirits on campus with a renewed focus on Jesus. But come Monday morning the blues sometimes set in as schedules returned to normal and much of the mountaintop experience vanished. It has many parallels to church revivals or evangelistic meetings: The challenge is maintaining a continuous connection with Jesus.

We see this spiritual lesson played out in the life of Elijah, who called for a revival on Mount Carmel. After a great victory we see him fleeing in fear and discouragement, collapsed under a tree, praying that he might die (1 Kings 18:20-19:18). He was not immune to discouragement. Yet God was as near to him then as He had been on Mount Carmel.

These special events can be wonderful spiritual experiences, often resulting in baptisms or recommitments—evidence of the working of the Spirit. Yet the positive and spiritual effects do not linger as long as we’d like. What was obviously a Spirit-led event can quickly fade away as the focus returns to daily responsibilities. How can we avoid this?

What Is Revival?

The concept of revival is derived from the Hebrew word châyâh, meaning “to live, to keep alive, or to restore to life.”[1] In a biblical context, it is a sovereign work of God in which believers are lifted out of spiritual indifference. A significant scripture that outlines key principles of revival is 2 Chronicles 7:14, often cited as the “formula” for revival.

Revival happens when people respond to God’s call, when they humble themselves, pray and seek God’s face, repent from wicked ways. Then God responds by forgiving, healing, and restoring. Here are some of the common characteristics of revival we notice from both the Old and New Testaments.

• Deep Conviction of Sin and Repentance: A profound sense of brokenness over sin and a strong desire to turn away from it, leading to a restored, holy lifestyle. (Jacob, Moses, and John the Baptist)

• Manifest Presence of God: An overwhelming, undeniable sense of God’s nearness, holiness, and majesty. (Hezekiah and Pentecost)

• Passion for Prayer and Worship: A significant increase in fervent, corporate prayer and heartfelt, joyful worship. (Elijah, Samaritan woman, Pentecost)

• Hunger for the Word of God: A renewed, deep commitment to studying, believing, and obeying the Bible. (Josiah, Ezra, and early Christian church)

• Bold Evangelism and Transformation: A passionate, shared desire to win the lost, resulting in large numbers of conversions and visible changes in the community. (Jonah and Peter)

• Unity and Love: Increased love, generosity, and unity among believers. (Josiah and early church)

• Unexpected Physical/Emotional Manifestations: While not the focus, revivals can include visible signs, such as weeping in repentance or intense joy in forgiveness. (Josiah and early church)

The goal of revival is for God’s people to freshly rejoice in Him (see Ps. 85:6). This is always preceded by a return to a life of obedience and holiness. Revival does not affect only one individual. Though it may start there, it always results in entire communities being changed.

What was obviously a Spirit-led event can quickly fade away as normal schedules and focus return to daily responsibilities.

J. I. Packer defines revival as “a work of God by His Spirit through His word bringing the spiritually dead to living faith in Christ and renewing the inner life of Christians who have grown slack and sleepy.” He further adds, “Revival thus animates or reanimates churches and Christians to make a spiritual and moral impact on communities.[2]

Characteristics of True Revival

According to the following biblical examples, genuine revival typically includes:

• Repentance: A deep remorse for sin and a conscious decision to turn back to God’s ways. (the repentance of the Ninevites [Jonah 3])

• The Fear of God: A restored sense of awe and reverence for God’s holiness. (Mount Sinai [Ex. 32-34] and Mount Carmel [1 Kings 18])

• Fervent Prayer: Intense, persistent intercession often precedes and accompanies these movements. (the infilling of the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost [Acts 2])

• Rediscovery of God’s Word: A renewed hunger for reading, studying, and obeying the Bible. (Josiah [2 Kings 22, 23] and also Ezra reading Scripture [Neh. 8])

• Changed Lives: Outward signs include reconciliation, bold evangelism, and a commitment to social righteousness. All true revival results in lives changed that are sustained by the renewed power of God’s Spirit. (Zacchaeus [Luke 19])

Revival’s Shared Experience

One of the best starting points of revival is found by unpacking the 2 Chronicles 7:14 formula:[3]

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Humility

The Hebrew word for “humble” is kana,[4] representing the first crucial step of submission to God. It means “to be brought down, subdued, or brought into subjection,” and in this context, voluntary, brokenhearted submission to God’s authority. Humility is a posture in which we seek close proximity and focus on God and not ourselves. C. S. Lewis wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”[5]

We see the act of humility demonstrated by the king of Nineveh, who, after hearing the word of the Lord, “covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes” (Jonah 3:6), and by King Josiah, who tore his clothes in repentance (2 Kings 22:11-13). We see the centurion falling at Jesus’ feet and feeling unworthy for Jesus to enter his home (Matt. 8:8).

Practicing humility might also look like confessing your sins to God or apologizing to someone. It could be admitting that you have imperfections, or as simple as encouraging others instead of seeking attention for yourself.

Prayer

After we humbly admit our need of God, prayer is the petition and request for help from God. This will include personal prayer, small group prayer, and corporate prayer. J. Edwin Orr is famous for the statement “No great spiritual awakening has begun anywhere in the world apart from united prayer.”[6] He stressed that revival is God’s response to His people praying for it, particularly in humble, persistent intercession.

Ellen White echoes the centrality of prayer: “A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer.”[7] We see in the book of Acts that 10 full days of prayer and fasting preceded the day of Pentecost. “A prayerful church is a powerful church.”[8]

Prayer plays the central role of inviting God to revive His church. This takes on the form of the intense personal prayer of each member, meeting in small groups and praying together, and in every corporate gathering for worship and prayer—all done with a spirit of intense hunger and thirst for God. As Martin Luther said: “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”[9]

Seek My face

This is a powerful biblical phrase calling us to pursue God’s presence, character, and favor rather than just His blessings.[10] In Hebrew culture the “face” (paniym) represents a person’s presence, emotion, and wholeness of being;[11] seeking it means desiring to know God’s true nature. This signifies a deep relationship and desire to know God, requiring focused attention, prayer, and a heart aligned with His will. “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). This is the intentional pursuit of an intimate connection, or, as in the earnest words of Paul, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10).

The Aaronic blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26 depicts the intimacy and blessing that await those who earnestly seek the face of God. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” God’s smile awaits all those who seek His shining face.

Revival is not something the church does itself, but something God does to the church.

To earnestly seek God’s face is to desire personal, heartfelt, face-to-face fellowship with Him, just as Moses requested on the mountain (Ex. 33:18-23). We also see throughout the life of David, even in the highs and lows of life, an earnest pursuit of God, for which he was known as “a man after God’s own heart” (see 1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). In Psalm 105:4 we see the appeal to “seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!”[12] This is a daily pursuit, not just an occasional visit—not as a transaction, but abiding in constant conversation and passionate pursuit of God.

Daniel 9:3, 4 shows Daniel intensely seeking God’s face: “Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, ‘O Lord, great and awesome God . . .’ ” Seeking God’s face involves intentionality and prayer, to know the very heart of God, and to reorient our own hearts from self-centeredness to God-centeredness.

Turn from their wicked ways

This is a call to repentance—to humble ourselves and stop following our own ways and turn toward God. The Hebrew word “turn” (nāḥam) means to “turn back, to be deeply sorry, and a commitment to change direction.”[13] The path of wickedness implies selfishness, ignoring God’s instruction, outright and willful breaking of God’s law, or anything not done in love. There is no genuine repentance without faith and no genuine faith without repentance. We cannot add Christ to our lives without subtracting sin.[14] As Jesus clearly stated in Mark 1:15: “Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

David in the Old Testament (Ps. 51) and Zacchaeus in the New Testament (Luke 19) represent recognition of sin, a deep sorrow of heart, and a conscious effort to make things right. This is exemplified in Proverbs 28:13, which says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Revival and a time of refreshing will come when there is a spirit of wholehearted repentance and true conversion. As Peter urged in Acts 3:19: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” This allows God to reform us so that He can refill us with His Spirit.

Conclusion

When we humble ourselves, pray and seek His face, turn from our human devising and sin, we open the way for God to do what only He can do: breathe new life into us. Revival is not something the church does itself, but something God does to the church. When individually and collectively, we have sought the Lord earnestly, He will always hear our petitions, forgive our iniquities, and heal our war-torn souls.

Ellen White’s commentary on 2 Chronicles 7:14 shows us all of the necessary ingredients for revival. “A revival of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of all our needs. To seek this should be our first work. . . . But it is our work, by confession, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer, to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us His blessing.”[15] May this be the daily heart cry of every believer: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps. 42:1, 2).

[1] https://biblehub.com/hebrew/2421.htm

[2] J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1990), p. 36.

[3] For more information on 2 Chronicles 7 and revival, see Randy Maxwell, If My People (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1995), and also Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Quest for Renewal (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986).

[4] https://biblehub.com/lexicon/2_chronicles/7-14.htm

[5] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2012), p. 128.

[6] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/beg-god-to-move-again#:~:text=The%20great%20historian%20of%20revival,a%20similar%20burden%20for%20revival

[7] Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1 (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1958, 1980), p. 121.

[8] This quote is most often attributed to Charles Spurgeon.

[9] https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_luther_385793

[10] This injunction is frequent in Scripture: “Seek the Lord,” 104 verses; “Seek my face,” 19 verses; “Seek and find,” 23 verses; combinations of “Lord” and “face,” 156 verses. See, for example, Psalm 27:8.

[11] https://www.ancient-hebrew.org/definition/face.htm

[12] According to 1 Chronicles 16:6-22, Psalm 105 was written by David.

[13] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5162/kjv/wlc/0-1/

[14] According to Sermon Central, this statement is attributed to a sermon by Patrick Morely, “Conduct Matters.” https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/conduct-matters-stephen-weatherby-sermon-on-sanctification-258872

[15] E. G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 121.