Revival: On Mourning and Godly Sorrow
Oct 29th, 2008 by Daniel LaLond Jr.
Wisdom cries out, she utters her voice in the streets - can you hear her: “The first will be last and the last will be first.” She is more precious than rubies - have you sought her: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled but the humble will be exalted.” By her kings reign and princes decree justice - have you found her: “I must decrease that He may increase. Consider wisdom:
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting and sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. 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?
What Solomon understood is this: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit” (John 12:24). He understood that “weeping last for a night, but that joy comes in the morning.” Solomon knew that without crucifixion there would be no resurrection. Is the Christian church of this age greater than its Master?
Consider: a baker prepares bread by meticulously mixing water, sugar, salt, yeast and flour. He rolls and kneads until the dough is perfect. His guests are hungry and pushing for the bread. The wise baker knows, however, that he must be patient - rising cannot be rushed. Though the guests ask him to omit the yeast the baker knows that even though a quick, yeast-free concoction might taste similar to bread - 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 genuine gospel salvation and revival are impossible. Please, don’t misunderstand. We can still play church (even mega-church) without contrition. We might have thousands at our crusades (and probably will) without contrition. Sinners can even recite rote prayers without contrition. We cannot, however, get one self-obsessed soul to repent and be genuinely saved 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 torn garment is fruitless without the sacrifice of a contrite and broken heart. In the same way the sacrifices of church attendance, giving, and other spiritual endeavors are useless apart from a contrite heart. We may shred every garment we own and even assent to all the right doctrinal stuff, but without a tender and humble heart God does not hear and revival will not come. Remove godly sorrow from the bread of conversion and our converts just won’t rise.
I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death (2 Cor 7:9-10).
