For many years now, the Lord has put the issue of revival praying upon my heart.
Initially, I must admit, my prayers were fairly generic: “O Lord, please revive us.” As I have grown in my approach to prayer, I’ve learned more specific requests, especially in using the Word of God to help format and provide content for my prayers. Psalm 80 and Isaiah 63 and 64 have helped me to petition the Lord for revival with both variety and the power of Scripture behind my requests.
Recently, I have been praying through the Psalms again. I began to lift before the Lord the words of Psalm 74. To my delight, I found another “revival” prayer. My desire is that this psalm will provide fuel for the fire of intercession and petition in your life as you beseech God to once again bless us with His presence in revival.
As you pray through Psalm 74, please notice that before major sections, I share some comments to help you see the aspects of revival in each passage. I encourage you to move beyond Bible study however, to passionately praying the heart of the psalmist.
The Awareness of the Need for Revival
At the beginning of Psalm 74, we find the agonizing realization that God’s presence is not near. In fact, because of sin, there has been a sense of rejection. As is typical in revival praying, there is a cry for God to remember His people and return to them:
“O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture? Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, the rod of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed, this Mount Zion, where You have lived. Move Your footsteps to the perpetual desolations, to all the harm the enemy has done in the sanctuary” (Ps. 74:1-3).
The Result of God’s Apparent Absence
When sin is accepted in the life of the people of God, the consequences begin to be felt. The enemies of God and His people begin to afflict the nation. Notice that the psalmist uses the phrase “Your foes roared.” This reminds us that our ultimate enemy is Satan, the one whom Peter tells us roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour (see 1 Pet. 5:8).
“They have cast fire into Your sanctuary; they have defiled the dwelling place of Your name to the ground. They said in their hearts, ‘Let us destroy them together.’ They have burned up all the meeting places of God in the land. We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, nor is there among us any who knows how long” (Ps. 74:4-9).
Turning to an Awareness of the God to Whom We Are Praying
An important lesson to learn in prayer is that ultimately, we need to be concerned about God and His reputation and the extension of His kingdom and purposes. Revival really isn’t about us having better meetings or being happy. It is about God’s name being exalted and more praise and honor given to Him on this planet. Notice that the psalmist asked God to go to work, because He is the one being reviled and mocked through the attacks on His people. Note also that this portion of the psalm then moves into a wonderful expression of recognizing God’s power and ability to handle any attack. It is as we understand the awesome power of the one we are addressing in prayer that our faith will grow, and we will begin to pray in a way that moves the hand of God.
“O God, how long will the adversary scorn? Will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever? Why do You withdraw Your hand, Your right hand? Draw it out of Your bosom and destroy them!
“For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the dragons on the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gave him for food to the people inhabiting the wilderness. You split the fountain and the flood; You dried up ever-flowing rivers. The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have established all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter” (Ps. 74:10-17).
The Request for Revival
Once again, this prayer is focused upon the honor of God and the integrity of His covenant with His people. The concern is for the Lord and how He is perceived by the nations. The cry for God to rise up and defend His cause will mean that Israel will once again walk in right relationship to their God. When He prospers them, they cry that God will be honored, not only by Israel, but by those nations in the area who see how He protects and prospers His people when they obey Him.
“Remember this, that the enemy has scorned, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed Your name. Do not give the life of Your turtledove to a wild animal; do not forget the life of Your poor forever. Have regard for the covenant; for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of violence. May the oppressed not return ashamed; may the poor and needy praise Your name. Arise, O God, plead your own cause; remember how the fool insults You daily. Do not forget the voice of Your enemies, the tumult of those who rise up against You continually” (Ps. 74:18-23).
Our Prayer
Here is a prayer to pray that embraces the principles of revival in Psalm 74 and makes them our own:
Father, like ancient Israel, we too live in a day in which Your name is mocked. Many times, this happens because of the shortcomings and sins of those of us who are followers of Your holy Son, Jesus. Lord, we confess our sins and the way we have lived our lives as Christians apart from complete dependence upon You. We repent of this shameful self-sufficiency and throw ourselves upon Your mercy.
Gracious God, our lifestyle has often led unbelievers to insult and attack Your very nature and character. We ask You, Lord, to rise up and defend Yourself. Would You awaken Your people to the reality of Your presence in our midst, and in so doing, transform our lives into the character of Christ You desire to see in us? May Your life lived out in Your church begin to demonstrate to the world Your love, grace, mercy and overwhelming power on behalf of Your saints. Would You allow the kingdom principles that govern heaven to begin to be made manifest on Earth? We ask You to revive Your people so that we may rejoice in You and demonstrate in our lives the awesome, transforming power of Jesus Christ in His church. Amen. {eoa}
Dave Butts is the president of Harvest Prayer Ministries and the author of numerous books including When God Shows Up and The Devil Goes to Church.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett