Do you know what is going on down there? It’s a question I have heard many times of late. The “happening” is a reference to the recent manifestation of the Holy Spirit at Asbury University’s Hughes Auditorium in Wilmore, Kentucky. Many within the Christian community have described the spiritual experience that began on February 8th as a revival.

     Asbury has been the site of other such events. The manifestation of the Spirit in 1970 is being compared to today’s campus happenings. I have read personal reflections from those who are participating in the event. One such witness comes from a student named Anna.

     Anna claims that nothing initially struck her as out of the ordinary when she entered the auditorium. People were singing. Many were praying. Individuals stood at the microphone and offered their testimony.

Then Anna felt a “shift” occurring within her soul. “A resentment that had followed me for months was lifted by the grace of God alone.” The sense of bitterness that had seized Anna was cast from her heart and mind. Anna felt a release from the anguish that had afflicted her. Likewise, she was confident the peace she sensed within was not of her own making.

     Historically, spiritual renewal or revival has begun when those who are present experience a sense of conviction in their hearts. The call to repentance they perceive strikes a spark that catches fire. Unfortunately, the hope for revival within the Christian community has become an expectation that others are the problem. “Those people” (whoever they are ) are the ones in need of change. Yet when the Spirit manifests Himself to us the light He shines always will fall upon us. To be clear, genuine revival begins with a recognition that the problem lies within us.

     A few people have asked me my opinion as to whether they should travel to Asbury to participate in this amazing event. I leave such matters for them to decide. My thought, however, is that the most direct way to encounter God’s Spirit begins on one’s knees. For God is always much closer to us than we realize.

     Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle within us the fire of your love.