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"Hindrances to Revival
And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them (Gen. 26. 17-18).
This incident in the life of Isaac has much to teach us in our consideration of the whole question of revival. The picture, is one of Isaac in trouble, in a difficulty. If you read the context, you will find that he had been living in another part of the country, and God had blessed him in a very striking manner. So much so that Isaac had become the object of envy of those who were living round and about him, and they had forced him to move. 'Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we . . .' (26.16).
And so Isaac was compelled to move with his family and all his servants, possessions and belongings. Then he came to this valley of Gerar and decided that he would dwell there., Of course, the moment he arrived he was confronted by an urgent and a very desperate need - and that was the need of water. I do want to emphasize that, because the need, in other words, was the need for something that is absolutely essential to life, in addition to being essential to well-being. He was not merely confronted by the problem of seeking some beauty spot where he might pitch his tent, or erect some kind of dwelling place for himself. He was not looking for entertainment, or for luxuries, he was not looking for any kind of accessory to life. The whole point of the story is that he was looking for something that is an absolute essential, and without which life cannot be maintained at all.
I emphasize that because as I have already indicated, the first thing we must realize about the situation we are in today is its desperate character. It is urgent. In other words, the trouble, as I see it, with the Church today is that she does not realize, as she should, that her primary need, and her urgent need at the moment, is the need of life itself. The problem confronting us is not a problem of methods, or of organization, or of making a slight adjustment here and there, or improving things a little bit, or keeping them up-to-date, or anything like that. It seems to me that we are really down to this basic issue. The problem of society today is not a superficial problem, it is a very radical one. The whole outlook upon life is involved. And serious observers, as you know, are appalled as they contemplate what is really taking place. A well known medical authority, charged with being behind the times and old-fashioned, said recently that he almost wished that he were dead as he contemplated certain things that are taking place. So appalled was the man at the whole trend of life and of living that he was even capable of expressing himself in such sentiments.
Now that is the situation, and it is the situation confronting the Church. There is no doubt that we have been living on the capital of the past - as you go round this country and look at the congregations, you will see that very quickly. You can carry on for a certain length of time on tradition, and by custom, and habit, but the point is bound to come when you cease to have any capital left and then you realize that you are facing something absolutely ultimate, something which is fundamental. And that, as 1 say, is the whole situation today of the Christian Church. We really are in the position of this man Isaac. And the problem confronting us is the need of life itself, the need of that fundamental power and vigour in every activity of the Church which really can make an impact upon the world, and do something vital and drastic with regard to the whole trend of affairs at the present time; the need of life, the need of power, the need of the Spirit himself."
From chapter 2 of the book. Revival, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, Crossway Books, Wheaton Ill., Copyright 1987
"Hindrances to Revival
And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them (Gen. 26. 17-18).
This incident in the life of Isaac has much to teach us in our consideration of the whole question of revival. The picture, is one of Isaac in trouble, in a difficulty. If you read the context, you will find that he had been living in another part of the country, and God had blessed him in a very striking manner. So much so that Isaac had become the object of envy of those who were living round and about him, and they had forced him to move. 'Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we . . .' (26.16).
And so Isaac was compelled to move with his family and all his servants, possessions and belongings. Then he came to this valley of Gerar and decided that he would dwell there., Of course, the moment he arrived he was confronted by an urgent and a very desperate need - and that was the need of water. I do want to emphasize that, because the need, in other words, was the need for something that is absolutely essential to life, in addition to being essential to well-being. He was not merely confronted by the problem of seeking some beauty spot where he might pitch his tent, or erect some kind of dwelling place for himself. He was not looking for entertainment, or for luxuries, he was not looking for any kind of accessory to life. The whole point of the story is that he was looking for something that is an absolute essential, and without which life cannot be maintained at all.
I emphasize that because as I have already indicated, the first thing we must realize about the situation we are in today is its desperate character. It is urgent. In other words, the trouble, as I see it, with the Church today is that she does not realize, as she should, that her primary need, and her urgent need at the moment, is the need of life itself. The problem confronting us is not a problem of methods, or of organization, or of making a slight adjustment here and there, or improving things a little bit, or keeping them up-to-date, or anything like that. It seems to me that we are really down to this basic issue. The problem of society today is not a superficial problem, it is a very radical one. The whole outlook upon life is involved. And serious observers, as you know, are appalled as they contemplate what is really taking place. A well known medical authority, charged with being behind the times and old-fashioned, said recently that he almost wished that he were dead as he contemplated certain things that are taking place. So appalled was the man at the whole trend of life and of living that he was even capable of expressing himself in such sentiments.
Now that is the situation, and it is the situation confronting the Church. There is no doubt that we have been living on the capital of the past - as you go round this country and look at the congregations, you will see that very quickly. You can carry on for a certain length of time on tradition, and by custom, and habit, but the point is bound to come when you cease to have any capital left and then you realize that you are facing something absolutely ultimate, something which is fundamental. And that, as 1 say, is the whole situation today of the Christian Church. We really are in the position of this man Isaac. And the problem confronting us is the need of life itself, the need of that fundamental power and vigour in every activity of the Church which really can make an impact upon the world, and do something vital and drastic with regard to the whole trend of affairs at the present time; the need of life, the need of power, the need of the Spirit himself."
From chapter 2 of the book. Revival, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, Crossway Books, Wheaton Ill., Copyright 1987