Revival: On Mourning and Godly Sorrow
Wisdom lifts up her voice. Do we hear her: “Many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” She is greater than fine diamonds. Have we desired her: “He brings low the mighty and exalts the lowly.” By her judges rule and kings reign. Have we discovered her: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Consider wisdom:
It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth Eccl 7:2-4
Wisdom? The heart is made better by the sadness of the countenance? The house of mourning is better than the house of feasting? I thought Christian salvation was about God having a wonderful, happy plan for my life. Why all this talk of sadness and mourning? Surely the writer doesn’t understand the ways of God. Surely he doesn’t understand salvation - or does he? Is it possible that it is us moderns who don’t understand the ways of God?
Solomon understood the often overlooked and misunderstood truth that “unless a seed falls to the ground and dies it abides alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit.” He knew that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (John 12:24). Solomon understood that without crucifixion there can be no resurrection. Friend, is the modern Christian church greater than its Master?
Consider a baker preparing bread: he meticulously adds the water, sugar, salt, yeast and flour. He mixes and punches until the consistency is perfect. His guests are clamoring for the bread, but he knows he must be patient - he cannot rush the rising. To do so would ruin the bread. He could concede to the guest’s desires for faster, yeast-free bread. After all, it might taste similar to bread. It might even resemble bread. In the end, however, it would never actually be bread at all.
From powdered milk to microwave popcorn, if you want easy and fast - you’ve got it. Drive-through restaurants; drive-through dry cleaners; drive-through church, it’s alright - forget the yeast! We want weight loss without strain and Christian conversion without contrition - the rising just takes too long! Contrition? Indeed, contrition is the yeast in the bread of genuine conversion. Contrition is the house of mourning and the sadness of the countenance. It is the death of the seed and the weeping at midnight. Contrition means crucifixion to self-sufficiency and arrogance. Contrition is the sackcloth and ashes of the soul!
Without contrition true conversion and revival are impossible. Please, don’t hear me wrong. We can have big churches without contrition. We can have thousands at altar calls without contrition. We can get people to close their eyes and repeat rote prayers without contrition, but we cannot get one selfish, sin-laden soul to abandon his preoccupation with himself and be genuinely converted without contrition.
Your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God…and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes, and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the LORD (2 Chron 34:27-28).
The sacrifice of a rent garment is useless without the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart. Likewise, the sacrifices of church attendance, giving, and other spiritual activities are useless without a contrite heart. Without this inner contrition the Lord doesn’t hear. We can hire professional singers and professional preachers heralding revival, but without contrition - God does not hear and revival will not come. Without the yeast the bread won’t rise.
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death (2 Cor 7:9-10).