Revive Us Again
Revive Us Again
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 has shown us our Savior
And scattered our night.
All glory and praise
To the Lamb that was slain.
Who has borne all our sins
And has cleansed ev’ry stain.
Revive us again—
Fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled
With fire from above.
AT FIRST, the words of this hymn may not seem to fit together. Is it a prayer for personal revival or is it a hymn of praise? The first three stanzas are outbursts of praise to the triune God, so that the natural response is “Hallelujah, Thine the glory.” Only the last stanza ties in with the title, “Revive Us Again.”
But the author, William P. Mackay, a Scottish physician-turned-minister, knew what he was doing. The hymn was first published in 1875 under the inscription “O Lord, revive Thy work.” Psalm 85:6 asks, “Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?” In commenting on this psalm, Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote, “A genuine revival without joy in the Lord is as impossible as spring without flowers or daydawn without light.” When surrounded by discouragement and fear, it is good to sing praise to the One “who has borne all our sins, and has cleansed every stain.”
Restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?
Psalm 85:4-6
From the book
