Acts 20:7-12

Tucked into this little passage is a tremendous miracle. Paul, making good use of his time, was speaking well into the night because he was leaving the next day. Eutychus, sitting in a third-story windowsill, fell asleep and fell to his death. Paul went down, and the Scripture simply says, "He bent over him and took him into his arms." God had mercy on them all, and Eutychus came back to life. You would have thought the meeting might be over at that point, but I guess everyone was so stirred by the miracle that they continued until dawn.

I must say, there have been meetings I didn't want to end because the Spirit of God was so powerfully moving among His people that time just seemed to stand still. Some revivals are like that. They continue for weeks, months, and even years as God's presence seems to linger in a place. The Brownsville Revival, also known as the Pensacola Outpouring, lasted for five years (1995–2000), with nightly services held Tuesday through Saturday and thousands of people attending from around the world.

Though there has been much discussion about revivals, I believe they begin with prayer. The Azusa Street Revival in the early 1900’s certainly began that way. I also believe that hunger for God often precedes a move of God—though God is, of course, free to move whenever He chooses. Throughout Scripture, we see that God responds to those who earnestly seek Him. This thought is reflected in Jeremiah 29:13–14, where the Lord says:

"If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the Lord...

The question then becomes, How badly do we want God to show up? Are we willing to take time out of our "busy" days to seek His face? What is truly important to us? How we spend our time often reveals what we value most.

As my father-in-law has often said, "Most people just want $3 worth of God, sliced thin."

It is important to give God His due. And what is His due? Everything! Even if we were to apply the principle of the tithe to our time, that would amount to approximately 2.4 hours each day devoted to Him. Yet many struggle to give Him even one hour on Sunday.

If we want God to show up in greater measure in our lives, we have to make room for Him. Revival rarely begins in a crowd—it begins in a heart that longs for God.