Psalm 85 - A Blueprint for Revival
Revival Is God’s Work, Not Ours
Before we walk through Psalm 85, we need to begin with an important truth: revival is not something we can manufacture.
We cannot organize revival, schedule revival, or produce revival through better strategy, stronger effort, or emotional intensity. Revival is a work of God. It is God breathing fresh life into His people. It is God awakening what has grown dull, restoring what has drifted, and renewing what has weakened.
And yet, while we cannot create revival, we are not passive. Scripture shows us that we can pray for revival and prepare our hearts for revival. We cannot bring the rain—but we can till the soil, remove the rocks, and make ready for what only God can send.
Psalm 85 gives us a kind of spiritual blueprint—not for producing revival, but for positioning ourselves to receive it. It shows us how God’s people respond when they long for renewal.
Remembering God’s Mercy
Psalm 85 begins by directing our gaze backward before it ever calls us forward:
“LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger” (Psalm 85:1–3).
Revival begins here—with remembrance.
Before we ask God to do something new, we are invited to remember what He has already done. He has shown favor. He has forgiven sin. He has turned away His wrath. These are not small mercies; they are the foundation of our hope.
And at the center of these mercies stands the cross. Like Israel, we did not deserve restoration—we deserved judgment. Yet “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Our guilt has been lifted. Our sin has been covered. God’s wrath has been satisfied.
You cannot revive something that has never had life. Revival is God breathing fresh life into hearts that have grown cold. And the path back to life begins by remembering His mercy.
Pause. Reflect. Let gratitude awaken what has grown dull.
Praying for Renewal
From remembrance, the psalm moves to prayer:
“Restore us again, O God of our salvation… Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:4, 6).
Revival is not manufactured—it is prayed for.
There is a holy irony here: the very desire for revival is already evidence of God at work. We would not long for renewal unless God had begun stirring our hearts. Prayer is revival in seed form.
The psalm gives us language for that prayer:
- “Restore us” — turn our hearts back to You
- “Revive us” — awaken what has grown weary and distracted
- “Show us your steadfast love” — ground us again in Your covenant mercy
The word for steadfast love (hesed) reminds us that we are not appealing to our merit, but to God’s faithfulness. Revival does not come because we deserve it, but because God delights to show mercy.
And what is the result? Joy. “That your people may rejoice in you.” Revival is not merely renewed activity—it is renewed delight in God Himself.
Preparing Our Hearts
Psalm 85 also calls us to readiness:
“Let me hear what God the LORD will speak… but let them not turn back to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him” (Psalm 85:8–9).
It is not enough to pray for revival—we must prepare for it.
This preparation takes shape in three quiet but decisive commitments:
- A readiness to listen — “Let me hear…”
Revival requires more than speaking to God; it requires hearing from Him. We come to His Word not casually, but expectantly, ready to obey. - A resolve not to return — “Let them not turn back to folly”
We cannot ask God to renew us while clinging to the very patterns that led us away from Him. Revival calls for repentance and forward movement. - A posture of reverence — “to those who fear him”
To fear the Lord is to reorder our lives around His presence—to take Him seriously, to honor Him deeply, to walk with Him daily.
If we long for God to move, we must be willing to meet Him there.
A Vision of Revival
The psalm closes with a breathtaking picture of what revival looks like:
“Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other” (Psalm 85:10).
This is poetry, but it is more than poetry—it is promise.
Revival is where heaven touches earth. It is where God’s character reshapes our reality. Love and faithfulness meet. Righteousness and peace embrace.
Ultimately, this picture finds its fullest expression in Jesus Christ. At the cross, righteousness and peace truly “kissed.” God’s justice was satisfied, and His peace was extended to sinners. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
But Psalm 85 also lifts our eyes beyond present experience to a future fulfillment. Every revival we experience now is a preview—a foretaste—of the final and ultimate renewal still to come.
Revelation 19 gives us that fuller picture. There we see heaven opened and Christ revealed as the victorious King: “Faithful and True… in righteousness he judges and makes war” (Revelation 19:11). The One who brings revival now will one day bring complete renewal. The One who restores hearts will return to restore all things.
In that day, righteousness and peace will not merely “kiss” for a moment—they will reign together forever. Evil will be fully judged. Sin will be completely removed. The brokenness that revival temporarily heals will be permanently undone.
And the people of God—those who have been revived again and again along the way—will be the prepared bride, clothed and ready: “the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7).
This means revival is not the destination—it is preparation. It is God waking up His people, purifying His church, and readying His bride for the return of Christ.
So when we pray, “Revive us again,” we are also, in a deeper sense, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
A Call to Seek Revival
Psalm 85 gives us more than a vision—it gives us a pathway.
Look back to God’s mercy.
Cry out for present renewal.
Prepare your heart for what He will do.
Revival does not begin “out there” in the world. It begins in us. In the church. In hearts that remember, pray, and return.
And the invitation is clear: Do we truly want it?
Reflection Questions
- Where might you be trying to “produce” spiritual growth in your own strength rather than depending on God for true renewal?
- How does remembering God’s past mercy (especially in the gospel) stir your desire for revival today?
- What might it look like for you to “not return to folly” in a specific area of your life?
- How does the promise of Christ’s return (Revelation 19) deepen your longing for revival now?
Prayer
Father,
You are the God who restores, forgives, and shows steadfast love. We confess that our hearts can grow dull, distracted, and distant from You.
Awaken us again. Restore us, revive us, and turn our hearts back to You. Help us to remember Your mercy, to rest in Your grace, and to long for Your presence.
Give us ears to hear Your voice, courage to turn from our sin, and hearts that fear and honor You. Let Your love and truth meet in us. Let Your righteousness and peace shape our lives.
Prepare us as Your people—as a ready bride—for the return of Christ. And as we wait, revive us again.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.