“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” — Psalm 139:23-24
The Road to Revival
During the season, professional athletes, coaches and staff can work a grueling schedule of 60 hours or more per week. Since they have little free time, it’s easy to neglect maintenance on their vehicles. It is Monday morning and he or she needs to get on the road again for meetings. When the key turns, no sound is heard. The battery is dead. A jump start is needed.
Most people are busy and don’t want to take time for car maintenance, but cleaning the battery connection, oil changes, checking tire pressure and other routine maintenance helps vehicles last longer and keeps us on the road.
This can also be a picture of our spiritual life. We easily become like a broken-down car on the side of the road when we don’t maintain our relationship with God.
When Jacob’s spiritual life was stagnant, God told him to go back to Bethel. The name Bethel means “house of God.” Though no church is perfect, God ordained churches, Bibles and fellow Christians to hold us accountable and help us stay on the road to revival. “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God …” (Genesis 35:1). Jacob and his family obeyed God and got their priorities back in order.
If we want to roll along in harmony with the Lord, then we will let God open our hood regularly and clean our grungy heart and make us more like Jesus. Our prayer should be the following: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Ga.
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