ISAIAH 41:13-20

When the Holy Spirit visits a congregation of Christians, He descends with almighty power, to such a degree that the whole assembly and the wider community will be aware that the supernatural is at work.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:8

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

John 3:8

The power of of the the Spirit is both irrepressible and irresistible. There is a sovereignty in the Holy Ghost’s actions as He revives the Church, which takes all men and women by storm. This study will focus on three characteristics of the power of the Holy Ghost as he descends upon upon His people with revival blessing.

Visitation

For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand,
saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel;
I will help thee, saith the LORD,
and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel

Isaiah 41:13-14

Revival is the personal visitation of God with His divine presence. These verses contain valuable lessons about the presence of God visiting His people.

Our undeserving condition is highlighted because we are only worms of the dust. We are rebellious and lawless creatures who deserving but the visitation of wrath.

Our insecure nature is also referenced because twice in a short space of time we are told to “fear not”. As we observe the state of the world and the condition of our own society we are apt to be afraid.

But when revival visits the people of God will not be afraid. At times in the past revival came just before days of terrible persecution but the people were not afraid to suffer because they had known the intimate presence of God. Prior to Simba uprising in the Belgium Congo (now Zaire) in the 1960’s the foreign missionaries were privileged to be part of a local Church movement that was in revival. Yet, as one missionary said we must also be willing to pay the price of revival. Many of those missionaries, especially the Americans were called to die for their faith. But they were willing to go through with God. It is only the presence of God which explains why early Christians faced the lions in the Roman Amphitheatres, and why the Reformation martyrs embraced the stake.

The one whose presence visits His people is our redeemer. Calvary is a constant in our Christian walk, particularly when revival visits. Only sin and ingratitude can be dealt with under the shadow of the cross. the picture of God grasping the hand is physical, tangible and very reassuring. The grasp of the hand is there to support, to keep us from stumbling and to keep us safe.

Intervention

Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth:
thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small,
and shalt make the hills as chaff.
Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away,
and the whirlwind shall scatter them:
and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD,
and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 41:13-14

Revival is God’s extraordinary intervention into the affairs of mankind. In the passage He is taking a weak and fearful people, strengthening them with His presence to such the degree that they are unrecognisable. They are more than sharp threshing instrument, they are a new sharp threshing instrument with teeth.

The greatest example of this principle in the Christian Church is the apostles of our Lord. Prior to Pentecost they were cowering and fearful. But when the Holy Ghost came down they were were willing to go anywhere sacrificing their lives for the sake of the Saviour. There was a new energy in the Acts of the Apostles that we don’t recognise during their three years with Jesus Christ.

The Christians at Rome are another example. They were facing severe persecution, being appointed as sheep for the slaughter, yet the mighty promise made them sheep who conquered.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:37-39

Satisfaction

When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none,
and their tongue faileth for thirst,
I the LORD will hear them,
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
I will open rivers in high places,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys:
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree;
I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:
That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together,
that the hand of the LORD hath done this,
and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

Isaiah 41:18-2

The final picture of the Spirit’s power is the effect of waters upon a barren countryside. Forests grew where nothing had grown before. The reason for this burst of life was the rivers, the fountains and the springs that were dramatically opened. Such was the change that there was only one explanation; “the hand of the Lord hath done this”.

We are not to consider these days to be so spiritually barren that God will not work. He remains the one who brings life to the wilderness. Indeed, when the children of Israel returned from Babylon to resettle and rebuild even their enemies recognised that God had intervened:

When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion,
we were like them that dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
and our tongue with singing:
then said they among the heathen,
The LORD hath done great things for them.
The LORD hath done great things for us;
whereof we are glad.
Turn again our captivity, O LORD,
as the streams in the south.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126

Even when God came, however, there were tears. The one that sowed frequently wept because of the value of the precious seed that he was casting into upon the earth. All they had in this world was bound up in the seed. Yet they must sow the seed, cast it forth with faith that the harvest would come, that life would visit the land.

Isaiah tells us that when there is no water and we are dying of thirst we will cry and God will hear. Do we not sense our great barrenness today? – Our need for God to come and work and pour his Spirit forth. We are dry but are we thirsty, thirsty enough to cry unto God and not stop crying until the blessing comes?

But let us remember God will work not for our praise but for His own; so that it might evident that He has intervened and done this new thing:

…if we make God our praise and glory, we become to him for a praise and a glory…God does great things for his people, that He may be taken notice of.”

Matthew Henry