This week we commemorate the twenty-five year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the one year anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s martyrdom. In both cases, I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. I also remember that in both cases immediately after those tragedies, there was a sense that America was on the cusp of a great awakening. There was a renewed interest in the Christian faith and spiritual matters. But in both cases this interest was short-lived. Why is that? And will we ever see a revival that lasts?
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I was nine years old on September 11, 2001. But I remember that day and week vividly. I also remember going to church the next day for a Wednesday night prayer meeting. Our little Baptist church in Altoona was packed. Our pastor gave a moving message about the goodness and sovereignty of God in the face of evil. People in the congregation were openly weeping. Our Sunday attendance was also larger than I could ever remember. But in a week or two our attendance went back down to normal. This seemed to be the general pattern throughout the nation.
On the Sunday after Charlie Kirk’s murder, many churches around the country reported record attendance. I personally know people who expressed renewed spiritual interest after seeing the faith and courage of Charlie. America seemed poised for a third great awakening, purchased at the price of a man’s blood.
But where is the revival now? Spiritually speaking, America seems to be roughly the same country it was a year ago. Even the political and social landscape seem to have not been much altered by this tragedy.
So what happened? We can and should blame nefarious actors like Candace Owens who exploited the tragedy for personal gain and stifled a movement that had real momentum. But is that all that’s going on? I can’t help but remember my experience after 9/11.
It seems that when tragedies strike, people look toward God for a moment but then get distracted again after the hype has quieted down. It seems that revivals born out of dramatic tragedy rarely make it past the news cycle.
How can America see real revival? Do we need an even more sensational news story? Or should we look elsewhere entirely?
Americans, ever looking for a quick solution, often think about revival in the same way we think about fast food and self-checkout. It seems an easy way to change your culture. What if all bad things could be changed overnight? What if all my neighbors became Christians in one week? What if the culture was dramatically different in an instant?
But this seems to be the wrong expectation. Revivals in history are quite rare and they often come on the heels of a lot of Christians doing a lot of work over generations. So what looks like something quick and sudden was actually decades in the making.
What we call revival is just the normal working of God accelerated at a particular time and place. Most of the time God works in small ways. He changes people through the Word of God and prayer. He builds communities through Lord’s Day worship. He spreads the gospel one interaction at a time. He changes hearts little-by-little.
Sometimes God will pick up a mountain and throw it into the sea. Most of the time He moves the mountain one rock at a time over centuries.
And so do not grow weary in well doing. Be faithful in little things. Instead of looking for some big moment to change America, do the little things that you can control. Be a faithful, joyful person who loves God and loves others. Go to church every Sunday even when you don’t feel like it. Be kind to your spouse and good to your kids and grandkids. Be a good neighbor. Point people to Christ whenever you have the opportunity. Take the time to vote this November.
And then be patient. See what God will do with it. Maybe He’ll send revival. Or, more likely, He will keep changing the world one person at a time one day at a time.
And we can be confident that we will reap in due time if we don’t faint.
Joshua Stilwell is a pastor and the editor of Warren’s Voice. He lives with his family in Indianola.
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