How To Be Revived Psalm 119:33-40

Introduction

There are times in every Christian’s life when it seems to be dry. We have no joy. We have no spiritual energy. We need something to get us going again. Something that helps with this problem is revival. The English word means to live again. But we are speaking her of spiritual life, not physical life. Let’s look again at to see how we can have that revival.

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,

And I shall observe it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law

And keep it with all my heart.

35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,

For I delight in it.

36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies

And not to dishonest gain.

37 Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,

And revive me in Your ways.

38 Establish Your word to Your servant,

As that which produces reverence for You.

39 Turn away my reproach which I dread,

For Your ordinances are good.

40 Behold, I long for Your precepts;

Revive me through Your righteousness.

That word “revive” is found twice in these verses and several more times in this same chapter. The question we want to ask and answer is this: How can I revive my spiritual life? Perhaps there are some changes that need to be made.

Change of resources

What resources do we often select in order to feel better? It might be television. It might be friends. It might be games. Nothing is wrong with any of those. But the best of all resources is the Bible. Obedience to its teaching is our priority if we want to see spiritual change.

And I shall observe it to the end.

Change of direction

34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law

There are times in our lives when we just don’t seem to know what to do. There are too many choices and too many voices giving us advice. Our first choice needs to be the Bible. That will put us on the path of change and revival.

And keep it with all my heart.

Change of heart

35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,

It is so easy for us to set our hearts on things that don’t last. Our treasure becomes what we possess or what we wished we possessed. Instead, our treasure should be what God is doing for us and in us.

For I delight in it.

Change of vision

36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies

What we see with our eyes can be pleasing and desirable. But sometimes we only focus on things that have no value and no purpose. We need to let our eyes be turned toward God, His kingdom, and His will. It’s part of the Lord’s prayer.

And not to dishonest gain.

Change of fear

That sounds like a strange change to make. Are we supposed to be fearful? Actually, people are fearful all the time, but usually they are afraid of other people and what they think. We are to be fearful of God and what He thinks.

37 Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,

Change of desire

And revive me in Your ways.

Finally, there is a change in your desire to help you revive your spiritual life. The Psalmist has a longing for the Word of God. Sometimes we have the wrong desires. We want to relax, be free of pain and sorrow, be entertained, have fun. But the right desire is get more of God’s Word so we know what He wants us to do and then God can give us new life.

38 Establish Your word to Your servant,

Conclusion

As that which produces reverence for You.

Those are some challenging changes. They don’t come easily. In fact, you can’t do it on your own. This is the work of God in your life. That’s why the psalm writer is making these changes a matter of prayer. He’s asking God to change him.

39 Turn away my reproach which I dread,

Another psalmist said this: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and portion forever” (). It is inevitable that there will be struggling times in our spiritual lives. We will need revival. But God is our strength to get through those times. He uses the Bible and He uses our prayers to bring about the revival. He also uses other Christ-followers.  

For Your ordinances are good.

40 Behold, I long for Your precepts;

Every one of us falls into one of two groups. We are either true followers of Christ, or we are pretend followers of Christ. True followers want lives that are becoming more like Jesus Christ. They are changing. Pretend followers don’t change. They don’t want a new life. In order to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, you must begin with receiving Him as your own Lord and Savior. You must be born again and be given new life.

Revive me through Your righteousness.