There’s a lot of talk about revival these days. We look back to the Azusa Street Revival, the Welsh Revivals, and the Great Awakening that stirred the hearts of thousands in the 18th century. In more recent times, we’ve seen the Asbury College revival, where people stayed for days or even weeks, and the Toronto Blessing, which inspired countless believers to seek a deeper move of the Spirit.
Yet there’s another phrase we hear increasingly often today: the greater glory. It’s the belief that the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit is still ahead — one that will surpass even the miracles of the apostles who walked with Jesus.
Jesus Himself said, “Greater works than these will you do, because I go to the Father.” When He ascended, He sent us the Holy Spirit. Through that upper room experience, believers received the indwelling presence of God Himself. We now have the privilege and honor of being continually led by the Holy Spirit.
The patriarchs and prophets of old longed for such intimacy with God, yet how often do we take it for granted? Like the ancient Israelites who grew weary of manna, we sometimes lose our awe for the very provision that sustains us. They cried out for meat — and when God sent quail, many perished, because their hearts had rejected the perfect food of Heaven.
That story still speaks to us today. Are we hungering for the temporary when the eternal is already within reach?
But God knows my heart
We often comfort ourselves with the phrase, “But God knows my heart.” And it’s true — He does. But sometimes that phrase becomes a spiritual excuse.
When God’s will differs from what we personally desire, we may still say, “Yes, Lord, I want Your will,” but quietly add in our minds, “… but God knows my heart.” In other words, God understands why I don’t really want to do this.
Yes, God knows our heart — but we also know His. We know that His heart and His will are perfect, while Scripture reminds us that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
So instead of using “God knows my heart” as an escape hatch, let’s turn it into a confession of trust. Let’s say, “Yes, Lord, You know my heart — and I trust You more than I trust myself.” Let’s surrender that heart into His hands and seek His total will, not our partial comfort. Create in me a new heart (Psalm 51:10).
When we do that, we move from wanting our way to wanting His way — and that’s where revival begins.
The revival of one
I believe the next great revival will not begin with massive stadium gatherings or viral worship services. It will begin within a single heart — yours and mine. It will be, quite literally, a revival of one.
A revival of one means a believer who decides to go all the way with God — not just wanting to want His will but truly desiring His perfect will in every area of life. We often say we want God’s will, but sometimes we merely want to want it.
Consider the tough examples: what if God’s will leads you into a marriage that challenges your comfort zones? What if His plan involves caring for a special-needs child who requires round-the-clock attention? Would we still say, “Thy will be done” — or would we quietly hope that someone else answers that call?
This is the crossroads of true revival.
The pathway to revival
The solution — and the pathway to revival — is simple yet profound. We must once and for all purpose in our hearts that we want God’s perfect will and perfect timing. Not our version of what seems good or convenient, but His.
And here’s the key: we can only do this when we trust that God is love. Not merely loving — but love itself. When we come to God through Christ, who loved us enough to die for us, we can surrender fully because we know He will never withhold what is best.
Jesus said He did nothing unless He saw His Father do it first. That’s our model. To see what the Father is doing and mirror it on Earth. That’s revival — not emotion, but alignment.
A unified revival
If each of us were to experience this personal revival — this revival of one — imagine the synergy that would arise among believers worldwide. Every individual in the will of God, walking in His timing, moving in perfect unity with others through the flow of the Holy Spirit.
This is the heartbeat of John 17, where Jesus prayed that we would be one even as He and the Father are one. The revival to come will not simply be among us — it will be through us.
Let us pray that revival begins not in a building or a movement, but within our own hearts. Let us be revived as individuals and then united as the body of Christ in one Spirit, one mission, and one love.
We are the revival of one.
Jerry McGlothlin serves as the CEO of Special Guests, a publicity agency known for representing guests who are dedicated to helping preserve and advance our Constitutional Republic, and maintaining a Judeo-Christian ethic.
