Behind the Hymn: Revive Us Again
by Pastor Tom Yarbrough
One of our church’s most beloved hymns over the years has been “Revive Us Again” (We Praise Thee, O God, For the Son of Thy Love); it seems like each time we sing this song together, the Lord grants a fresh measure of corporate grace to us and joy multiplies among us. Indeed, though written in the mid-19th century, the song has endured with timeless appeal, both because of its singable melody and gospel feel and because of its deep roots as a revival hymn. It’s difficult to sing this song and not be spiritually rejuvenated.
For many of us, the word revival conjures up memories of late night church services, often outdoors (sometimes in a tent!), sweating preachers, singing every verse of “Just As I Am” or “I Surrender All”, and people “walking the aisle.” My own story of how Jesus has pursued my heart includes a childhood profession of faith on the final night of this kind of revival. My church had invited a guest preacher for the week and by God’s grace, this man’s plain and clear communication of my sinful condition, God’s love for me, and Jesus’s blood shed for me pierced my young heart in a way that my own pastor’s faithful preaching never had. Thinking back, I was one of the few, if not the only, new believer to walk the aisle that week. I am thankful that God, in his providence, sent this Spirit-filled preaching (and much since then) into my life. But the mission of those revival services in my little town in 1980 was not only to bring the unbeliever to belief but also to awaken the dozing believer. We gathered as a group of believers to be “rekindled with fire from above.” “Revive us again!” we sang. Again? How many times must we be revived? As often as we lose consciousness.
A Scottish medical doctor turned Presbyterian minister, William MacKay, would no doubt have understood what is required to physically revive a human body from unconsciousness to consciousness, or from unhealth to health. In fact, his own story of coming to faith as an adult includes a moment of acute awakening and conviction. While attending to a dying patient, he discovered among the man’s few possessions his very own Bible, which he had sold for a small sum years earlier when money was scarce. He was so struck by the comfort and hope the dying man had found in the Bible that he had treated with such disregard that he credited this moment as being crucial to his own conversion. MacKay would go on to become a minister and hymnist, his best known hymn being “We Praise Thee, O God, For the Son of Thy Love”.
According to this song, MacKay’s tried and true prescription for spiritual revival was simply this: Praise to the triune God to whom all praise is naturally due. When we glorify God, declaring what the Spirit has revealed that Jesus has accomplished for our salvation and we ask Him to fill our hearts with His love, we are awakened to the goodness of who He is. The Spirit breathes on the ashes of cold faith and reignites the flame that warms our hearts, invites the cold and weary, fuels our mission, drives away darkness, and consumes the temporal like a bonfire eating paper.
As a church, let us never grow tired of praying for revival in our own hearts and in our corporate body. But we should be prepared to get what we ask for. True revival, though never chaotic, can and should powerfully sweep us away from our own plans, dreams, and hopes and set us on a course that leads to deeper worship, higher praise, and greater devotion in all areas of life as we respond to the revelation of who God is and the lengths He has gone to in order to offer us salvation.
We praise thee, O God,
For the Son of thy love,
For Jesus who died
And is now gone above.
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Hallelujah, Amen!
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Revive us again.
We praise Thee, O God!
For Thy Spirit of light,
Who hath shown us our Saviour,
And scattered our night. [Refrain]
All glory and praise
To the Lamb that was slain
Who hath borne all our sins
And hath cleansed every stain.
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Hallelujah, Amen!
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Revive us again.
All glory and praise
To the God of all grace,
Who has bought us; and sought us,
And guided our ways.
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above.
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Hallelujah, Amen!
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Revive us again.
Worship Resources:
Revive Us Again – Rhythm Chart
