LIVING HOPE - Reading With the People of God: Part 18Sample

When We Long for Revival, and Wait in Hope

The prophet Habakkuk prayed in trembling days: “O Lord, I have heard the report of You, and Your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it… in wrath remember mercy" (Hab. 3:2 ESV). He looked at a world under judgment and pleaded for God to act. Revival, to Habakkuk, was not mere improvement in circumstances but God Himself displaying His power, holiness, and mercy.

Paul, writing to Titus, shows us the same work of God—but revealed in Christ. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation… training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions" (Titus 2:10-11 ESV). Grace is not passive pardon. It is sovereign power: delivering from sin’s penalty and also from sin’s dominion. Christ gave Himself not only to redeem but also to “purify for Himself a people for His own possession" (Titus 2:14 ESV).

Here’s the connection: Habakkuk cried out for revival; Paul declares that revival has come in Christ. The prophet longed for God’s glory to be revealed; the apostle points us to the appearing of that glory in Christ, and to the certainty of His return. What was shadow in Habakkuk is substance in the gospel. The same God who covered the heavens with splendor now trains His people to live holy, sober, and godly lives as they wait for their “blessed hope”—the second appearing of Christ.

So then, the Christian life is not idle waiting but disciplined watchfulness. Grace makes us pilgrims who renounce the world’s idols and live for the glory of God alone. God’s delay in final judgment is not neglect but patience, giving time for His people to be conformed to Christ. The prayer “revive us” is answered in the daily work of grace in the soul and will be consummated when Christ comes again.

A Searching Question:

If grace trains us to live godly lives, what does your daily life reveal about the work of grace in you? True hope for Christ’s return does not lead to sloth but to holiness. Examine your walk: are you waiting as one purified for His possession?

Prayer:

Most Holy God, revive Your work in us by Your Spirit. Subdue our sinful desires, strengthen our faith, and conform us to Christ. Teach us to live as those redeemed and waiting, until the glory of our great God and Savior is revealed. In His name we pray. Amen.

Primer contributed by Tomás Portillo, a sinner saved by grace.