Anastasia's Name

 During our regional InterVarsity staff conference last July, we were talking about revival and we were engaging in a time of listening prayer. During the debrief, I (Samantha) remember saying, “This sounds crazy but I feel like God was telling me that I’m going to have a baby, she’s going to be a girl, and I’m supposed to name her Anastasia because she will symbolize the hope we have for revival.” This felt crazy to me because I was not pregnant at the time and we were uncertain about trying for a third child. I was also not a fan of the name Anastasia. Anastasis means resurrection in Greek (like in Jn. 11:25), essentially it means revival. I found out I was pregnant in September and even then did not fully give into this word from the LORD until after confirmation that she was a girl. As I’ve prayed for her, I prayed that she would be a symbol and an embodiment of the hope we have for revival, both in our day and ultimately on that day when Christ returns and death is defeated forever. I’ve prayed that she would see revival in her days and that she would be an active participant in that revival. But perhaps what’s been most shocking is what I’ve already learned and seen during her brief time on earth so far. As I’ve prayed for revival on college campuses, we got to witness the Asbury revival and others around it. More closely, I’ve seen revival at our local university campus, UVU. In January of 2023, with a baby on the way, we knew we would no longer be able to staff this campus AND fulfill our role as area directors. But UVU was our original calling - why we moved here in the first place. And it is still very much unreached. It seemed like there wasn’t much we could do - so we started praying. And in just four months, God sent us an intern who will be helping at UVU in the fall, a missions team whose week here brought surprising fruit, and two students from that mission team who were so eager to work here that they decided to move here for the summer. Something we thought was dead had been revived. Through this process I’ve learned that longing for revival is a lot like having a baby. God desires us to deeply desire (to long for) revival but He also wants us to expect it (it IS coming) and to prepare for it. Just as we knew Anastasia’s birthday would come and we prepared eagerly for her arrival, so we place our hope in Jesus, anticipating His resurrection work in our lives and communities and asking Him to prepare us for what our role in that revival will be. Be encouraged friends - revival is coming!