I have often heard of revivals as a religious concept. People fear that the spiritual state of their community has descended into apathy, and so pray that God would "revive" the spiritual health of the community. This psalm is a prayer for a different kind of revival- one that takes place in a time of desperate rescue. The story of the transplanted tree is the story of Israel, a story that in the minds of the Hebrew people was to end in perpetual growth and prosperity. Imagine the complete shock to the system created by the exile! And so the people are left craving a holistic salvation.
I wonder if, in our appeals for revival, we miss out on the fact that salvation is a physical/mental/social/spiritual reality. The Kingdom of God means something to all areas of life, not just an emotional experience of life. So when I pray for revival today, I pray for those who are in need of rescue. Our rescue may be from depression, or drugs, or slavery, or injustice, or prejudice, or any form of human brokenness. May the Kingdom of God be present today. Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
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