從天上賜下的復興
禱告的靈

經文
撒迦利亞書十二1-14
1耶和華論以色列的默示。鋪張諸天、建立地基、造人裡面之靈的耶和華說:
2我必使耶路撒冷被圍困的時候,向四圍列國的民成為令人昏醉的杯;這默示也論到猶大(或譯:猶大也是如此)。
3那日,我必使耶路撒冷向聚集攻擊他的萬民當作一塊重石頭;凡舉起的必受重傷。
4耶和華說:到那日,我必使一切馬匹驚惶,使騎馬的顛狂。我必看顧猶大家,使列國的一切馬匹瞎眼。
5猶大的族長必心裡說:耶路撒冷的居民倚靠萬軍之耶和華─他們的神,就作我們的能力。
6那日,我必使猶大的族長如火盆在木柴中,又如火把在禾捆裡;他們必左右燒滅四圍列國的民。耶路撒冷人必仍住本處,就是耶路撒冷。
7耶和華必先拯救猶大的帳棚,免得大衛家的榮耀和耶路撒冷居民的榮耀勝過猶大。
8那日,耶和華必保護耶路撒冷的居民。他們中間軟弱的必如大衛;大衛的家必如神,如行在他們前面之耶和華的使者。
9那日,我必定意滅絕來攻擊耶路撒冷各國的民。
10我必將那施恩叫人懇求的靈,澆灌大衛家和耶路撒冷的居民。他們必仰望我(或譯:他;本節同),就是他們所扎的;必為我悲哀,如喪獨生子,又為我愁苦,如喪長子。
11那日,耶路撒冷必有大大的悲哀,如米吉多平原之哈達臨門的悲哀。
12境內一家一家地都必悲哀。大衛家,男的獨在一處,女的獨在一處。拿單家,男的獨在一處,女的獨在一處。
13利未家,男的獨在一處,女的獨在一處。示每家,男的獨在一處,女的獨在一處。
14其餘的各家,男的獨在一處,女的獨在一處。
信息分享
多年前我從今天的一句經文得到亮光,使我對復興這課題有了全新的看法,這句經文就是:「施恩叫人懇求的靈」。經文指在基督再來的日子,神會將祂的靈澆灌以色列的百姓,令他們看到被他們釘十字架的那一位,是他們唯一真正的彌賽亞。由於聖靈在他們心裡動工,以致他們能夠以從未經歷過的禱告和代求來接近神。
我相信在那些對復興有很大負擔的人心裡,也有類似的事情發生。他們被提升到一個禱告的新領域,令他們的禱告充滿從未經歷過的熱誠和迫切感。有時一些記載復興的文獻會稱這為「禱告的靈」或「代求的靈」。
過去幾天我們一起思想了一些十分個人和富挑戰性的問題。現在請容許我再問你另一個問題:你是否願意讓神將復興的負擔放在你心中?你會不會預備被徵召進入「復興禱告」的隊伍裡?請仔細考慮後才回答,因為這須要在時間、精力、委身和努力上,付出很大的代價。不過要記得,獎賞比代價更大;沒有任何人在為神付出以後,不會得到更大的獎賞!
「神總是給予我們更大的獎賞」
進深研究
耶二十三33-40;民十一11
1. 以色列失去了甚麼?
2. 他們怎麼樣輕看它?
祈禱
親愛的父神,今天,你讓我面對另一個挑戰,求您幫助我看到,您並不是單單向我提出極高的要求,也給我力量去應付。奉耶穌的名祈求,阿們。
Heaven-Sent Revival
"The spirit of prayer"

Bible reading:
Zechariah 12:1-14
1 A prophecy: The word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person, declares:
2 "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.
3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.
4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness," declares the Lord. "I will keep a watchful eye over Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations.
5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.'
6 "On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.
7 "The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem's inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.
8 On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them.
9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. Mourning for the One They Pierced
10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit[a] of grace and supplication. They will look on[b] me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
11 On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
12 The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives,
13 the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives,
14 and all the rest of the clans and their wives.
Message
One of the insights I discovered many years ago which threw a whole new light upon the subject of revival came from the phrase found in the verse before us today: "a spirit of grace and supplication". The passage refers to the days of Christ's return when God will pour out His Holy Spirit upon the people of Israel so that they recognise the One they crucified as their one true Messiah. As a result of the Spirit's work in their hearts, they will be able to approach God with a degree of prayer and supplication that they never before experienced.
I believe something similar happens in the hearts of those who carry a great burden for revival. They are lifted out of themselves into a new dimension of praying, so that their prayers become filled with a passion and an urgency that is greater than anything they ever before knew. Sometimes this is referred to in revival literature as "the spirit of prayer" or "the spirit of intercession".
Over the past few days I have asked you some deeply personal and challenging questions. Permit me to ask yet another: Are you willing to let God put upon your heart a burden for revival? Would you be prepared to be enrolled in the company of those who know what it means to be involved in what we have been calling "revival praying"? Think long before you answer, for the cost is great in terms of time, dedication, energy, commitment and effort. Keep in mind, however, that the rewards are worth more than the cost and no one can give anything to God without experiencing something greater in return.
"God always gives something greater in return"
Prayer
Father God, help me see as I face yet another challenge that You not only set before me extremely high demands but You also provide the power by which I can meet them. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Further study
Jeremiah 23:33-40
Numbers 11:11
1. What had Israel lost?
2. How did they make light of it?
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