Revival in Families

Senior Pastor Pat McFall

New Hope Hawaii Kai
 

Scripture

DEUTERONOMY 6:4–7 (NIV)

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Observation

This was a huge moment for the Nation of Israel. They were about to step into the land of promise that God had been talking about. They were moving from being a people in slavery to living in the freedom of following Yahweh. So how were they going to make it? With all the challenges that inevitably lay ahead, how were God’s people going to stay close to His heart? Moses gave the answer: by loving God with their desires, passions, thoughts, emotions, and bodies. There wasn’t one part of their life that God didn’t want to see transformed. He wanted the rhythm of their everyday lives to remind them of God’s love and faithfulness. But God didn’t just want one generation to experience this. He wanted them to teach their kids, the next generation, how to love Him. God knew that they weren’t just going to ‘know how.’ It was up to moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, aunties and uncles to teach them how to live in love with God. This was Yahweh’s recipe for a national revival rooted in their identity as God’s children. Family is the movement. 

Application

I often think of revivals of years past, with mass gatherings, tents, preachers, healings, and salvations. While I still contend for that in prayer, when I read this scripture, I’m reminded that I want a revival to erupt in my family, not just in a stadium. I need the love I have for Jesus to spill over into my wife and children. I want the everyday rhythms of my life to remind me of the goodness of God. When I get up or drive to work, I want my heart, soul, mind, and strength to be given to Jesus, and I want my kids to see it too. I want revival to sound like the prayers of my children learning to talk to Jesus and trust Him because they saw mom and dad do the same.  

Prayer 

Lord, I am asking for revival. I want to see a global and local move of God that shakes nations and draws us to You. I want the same for my family, right in my living room. I need help though Jesus. I need to trust Your leadership. I don’t want to be too busy to practice the rhythms of revival in my family. Bring revival to my family.

AMEN.

Reflection

How can I more intentionally love Jesus with all my heart, 

mind, soul and strength, and how can I help my family do the same?