The devil successfully tempts no one who is not seeking to listen to his lies. Eve had already decided that God’s word was untrue and without merit for her self-identity when the Serpent came to speak to her about the forbidden fruit. If we fool ourselves into thinking that what the wickedest person on TV has done is outside our capabilities then we misunderstand not only ourselves, but the depravity that exists in all men. 

As we get deeper and deeper into those things that go bump in the night one of the foundational aspects of this that could use some more reflection is the whole doctrine of evil itself. We live in a day and age that loves to blame everything under the sun instead of the individual. It’s either nature, nurture, or environmental. The reason cannot be personal decisions or the private desire of the human heart. It must be someone else’s influence, or denial, that has led the man or woman to perform some act that is deemed to be hurtful or wrong by some measure. Yet, when we examine the Biblical record there is no sense in which anyone is ever liable (excepting of course those with documented demon possession, which is what we will take up next week), but the sinner themselves.
The free choice to transgress and rebel needs some more thought, because if we are being honest our greatest worry in this present time is not ghosts, aliens, apparitions, or Freddy Kreuger…it is other humans and what they are capable of given a chance.
The conflict between good and evil in the world, the background for the series, is always on the mind of men concerned with what is happening and why. While Christians believe and understand that the struggle is less a battle for supremacy than a mopping up action of an already vanquished foe (1 Cor. 15:55) there still remains the day-to-day reality of Satan’s attempts to defeat the undefeatable. When we read of a young man (or increasingly a young woman) shooting up a school or the like our minds are drawn to the unimaginable. How could someone think that was a rational action to take? Our commentary is often filled with terms such as insane or mentally ill and phrases including out of their mind or they lost it. A word which seems to have been lost, but was formerly popular was postal. All in their own way seeking to comprehend in some empathetic manner the motives of the killer. We could never imagine ourselves doing it so it must mean that the person who did do it has something wrong with them. Our answer of course is, yes, they did have something wrong with them. However, the truth hits too close to home. The only reason we have not done likewise is because of the mercy of God. We have not been given over to the desires of our heart (Matt. 5:22). Before we get into why we need to ask how we don’t go there.
The Scriptures tell us things including, “An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.” (Ps. 36:1) and “For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, ‘No one sees me’; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; And you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me!” (Is. 47:10) and finally, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).
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It is this aching longing that fuels our recurring (we might say continual) desire to experience revival. But it’s not the mere experience of spiritual refreshment we desire; we long for the Place, the Person, where all the refreshment comes from. We long for what Jesus longs for: that we would be with him where he is, to see his glory.

Most earnest Christians have a deep longing to see and experience a spiritual revival. Many regularly pray for it. But ask a hundred such Christians to describe what they’re longing and praying for, and you’re likely to get dozens of different answers, depending on how their cultural backgrounds, church traditions, theological paradigms, and personal experiences have formed their concept of what a revival is.

Some think of revivals primarily as large-scale historical events that result in many people converting to the Christian faith, leaving notable effects on the wider society (like the early chapters of Acts or the “Great Awakenings”).
Some think of revivals primarily as what happens when Christians in a local church or school experience renewed spiritual vitality and earnestness together (like what took place at Asbury University in early 2023).
Some think of revivals primarily as strategically designed and scheduled events that aim to evangelize unbelievers and/or exhort believers to pursue a deeper life of personal holiness and Christian service (like Billy Graham’s evangelistic crusades).
And some think of revivals primarily as what happens whenever an individual Christian experiences a transformative, renewing encounter with the Holy Spirit.

Now, apart from some debates over definitions (like what differentiates revival from renewal), most earnest Christians would agree that when the Holy Spirit moves in power to give new life to unregenerate people and renewed life to regenerate people, the results can look like all those descriptions — and certainly more.
But when earnest Christians long for revival, despite whatever concept and phenomena they associate with that term, they’re not really longing for that concept or those phenomena. If you were to ask those hypothetical hundred Christians to press deeper and describe what they most deeply long for when they long for revival, I believe the nature of their answers would be very similar.
“It’s You”
To illustrate what I mean, let me describe a touching scene that occurs at the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third book C.S. Lewis wrote in his seven-part Chronicles of Narnia series. After another wonderful Narnian adventure, just before Aslan sends Lucy and Edmund back to our world, Lucy says,
“Please, Aslan, . . . before we go, will you tell us when we can come back to Narnia again? Please. And oh, do, do, do make it soon.”
“Dearest,” said Aslan very gently, “you and your brother will never come back to Narnia.”
“Oh, Aslan!” said Edmund and Lucy both together in despairing voices.
“You are too old, children,” said Aslan, “and you must begin to come close to your own world now.”
“It isn’t Narnia, you know,” sobbed Lucy. “It’s you. We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?”
“But you shall meet me, dear one,” said Aslan.
“Are — are you there too, Sir?” said Edmund.
“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name.” (247)
If you haven’t read the Narnia books, it’s important to understand that Lucy and Edmund hadn’t enjoyed merely a few childish, holiday-like adventures in Narnia. They, along with their two older siblings, had been Narnian kings and queens for decades. They had fought in fierce battles, and shed their blood and tears for its defense. They had loved and cared for its citizens. And their encounters with the great lion, Aslan, had transformed their lives. Narnia felt more like home to them than any place they’d ever been, and when they weren’t in Narnia, they longed to be there.
So, when Lucy says, “It isn’t Narnia, you know,” she’s saying something profound. There’s a deeper longing inside her than her longing for Narnia. It’s a longing that fuels her longing for Narnia. And she names it for Aslan in two words: “It’s you.”
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If you are weary today, and searching for a source of sustenance in the midst of searing circumstances, cling to God’s promises in Psalm 18. No matter the trial, Christ is where your hope must rest. He is your rock. He is your rescuer. He is your righteousness. He is your reward. He is your refuge. And He is your ruler.  

Are you in the middle of searing circumstances? Have you been searching for a source of sustenance in the midst of suffering? Do you need a safe shelter as you battle against sin? As you serve those around you, do you need strength? Psalm 18 reminds us that sustenance, shelter and strength are found in the Lord our God. As we study David’s song, he will point us to Christ, who is our rock, our rescuer, our righteousness, our reward, our refuge, and our ruler.
Our Rock
David had come to learn that our love for God is oftentimes forged in the hardships of life. In our weakness, we learn God is “my strength” (Ps. 18:1). When we are sinking in sand, we learn “the LORD is my rock” (v. 2). When we are fighting for our very life, we realize God is “my fortress” (v. 2). When we are in despair, we realize that God is “my deliverer” (v. 2). When we are facing our enemies, we fall to our knees and “call upon the LORD” (v. 3). Regardless of the answer to our prayers, He “is worthy to be praised” (v. 3). David didn’t praise the Lord based on his circumstances, but on his confession, and so should we. Whether hard pressed by his enemies on every side, or enjoying peace in his kingdom, David’s heart worshiped the Rock, and so should ours.
Our Rescuer
In David’s deep distress he turned to God and “cried for help,” and his cry “reached his ears” (Ps. 18:6). In words laced with allusions to God’s covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, God fighting for Israel against the Canaanites, God delivering Israel from the Egyptians through the Red Sea, and God parting the waters of the Jordan for Israel to cross on dry ground (vv. 7-15), David declares that the Lord “rescued me from my strong enemy” and “was my support” (vv. 17-18). Don’t miss the reason why, “he rescued me, because he delighted in me” (18:19; italics mine).
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