The Revival We Almost Missed
OPENING PRAYER:
Holy Spirit, open my eyes to see the harvest fields I've been walking past. Forgive me for the souls I've written off and the revivals I've dismissed because they didn't fit my expectations. Make me an instrument of Your grace, not a barrier to it.
"When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened."
This verse records one of the greatest spiritual revivals in Scripture—an entire city, from the king to the common people, turning to God in repentance. What makes it even more remarkable is that it almost didn't happen because God's messenger didn't want to go.
Jonah 3:10 (NIV)
REFLECT:
The message concluded with the stunning outcome of Jonah's obedience: when he finally went to Nineveh and preached, the people listened. Their hearts turned back toward God, and as a result, at least 120,000 people—possibly up to 600,000—were saved from destruction. Pastor Todd Carter called it possibly one of the greatest single spiritual revivals ever recorded in Scripture. But here's the sobering reality: it almost didn't happen. If Jonah had gotten his way, if he'd successfully stayed in Tarshish, an entire city would have perished.
Todd emphasized that the battle in Nineveh wasn't to make it Israel. The true battle was for human hearts—to see individual people turn toward God. And when that happens, everything changes. Homes change. Cities change. The world gets changed. Because when human hearts get changed, the kingdom of heaven comes to earth. This is what we miss when we're more focused on winning political battles than rescuing souls. We miss the revivals God wants to bring through us.
Todd shared a powerful example: one of the fastest-growing churches in the world is in Iran, and it's led by women. Think about that. We can acknowledge that there's an evil dictatorship in power—that's true. But at the same time, we can be praying for the power of the gospel to save as many Iranian lives as possible. We don't have to choose between recognizing evil and believing in God's redemptive power. God has a Nineveh for all of us—a desperate group of people, a desperate city, desperate persons who are longing for God in their lives. The question is: will we go? Will we love our enemies? Will we choose God and His kingdom agenda over winning political battles?
I WILL STATEMENT:
I will confess and turn away from making politics more important than God's mission.
Make a list of the "Ninevehs" in your life—people or groups you've written off as unreachable. Choose one and commit to praying for their salvation every day this week. Ask God to give you an opportunity to share His love with them, and when that opportunity comes, take it. Remember: your obedience might be the difference between someone experiencing God's judgment or His grace.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, forgive me for the revivals I've almost missed because I was too busy being right. Forgive me for the souls I've written off because they didn't fit my political or religious expectations. Send me to my Nineveh and use me to bring Your kingdom to earth. Let my life be marked not by winning arguments but by seeing hearts transformed by Your grace. I'm running toward Nineveh, Lord. Meet me there.
PRAYER REQUEST:
Share your prayer request and pray for others.