Revive Us Again, also known by its first line We Praise Thee, O God, is a hymn by William Paton Mackay, a Scottish doctor who became a Presbyterian minister, usually dated 1863. It is sung to a tune by John J. Husband. Its five short verses praise the Father for the Son, the Spirit, the Lamb and the God of all grace, and its refrain asks, Hallelujah! Thine the glory, revive us again. The prayer comes from Psalm 85:6, Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? and Habakkuk 3:2, O LORD, revive thy work.
Revive Us Again is one of the shortest hymns in the gospel songbooks of the 1800s, and one of the most sung. Each verse is only two lines, and the refrain does most of the work. It became a favorite of the great revival meetings of Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey, whose Gospel Hymns printed it near the front, and it is still sung at camp meetings and church anniversaries. William Mackay had trained as a physician in Edinburgh before he was converted and entered the ministry in Hull, England. Below are the five verses as printed in 1894, then 12 KJV passages on praise to the triune God and on the revival that only He can give.
Revive Us Again: the words
Verse 1
We praise Thee, O God! for the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus who died, and is now gone above.
Refrain:
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, revive us again.
Verse 2
We praise Thee, O God! for Thy Spirit of light,
Who has shown us our Saviour, and scattered our night.
Refrain:
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, revive us again.
Verse 3
All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain,
Who hath borne all our sins, and hath cleansed every stain.
Refrain:
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, revive us again.
Verse 4
All glory and praise to the God of all grace,
Who has bought us, and sought us, and guided our ways.
Refrain:
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, revive us again.
Verse 5
Revive us again; fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.
Refrain:
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, revive us again.
Words: William Paton Mackay (1839-1885), usually dated 1863 (Hymns of Consolation prints 1868); music: John J. Husband (1760-1825). Text copied from Gospel Hymns Nos. 1 to 6 Complete (New York and Chicago, 1894), hymn 20, checked against Hymns of Consolation, No. 25, printed under Habakkuk 3:2, O Lord, revive Thy work (Internet Archive scans). The refrain is sung after every verse. Public domain.
Revive us again: the prayer for revival
1. Habakkuk 3:2
"O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy."
Hymns of Consolation printed this hymn under Habakkuk's prayer: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk had complained to God about the evil in his land, and God told him judgment was coming. The prophet did not argue. He prayed. Revive thy work means make it live again, do in our day what You did in the days of the exodus. Revival begins with God's work, not ours. The hymn's refrain, Thine the glory, revive us again, keeps the glory where Habakkuk put it. See our Bible verses about revival.
2. Psalms 85:6
"Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?"
Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? This psalm was written after God had brought His people back from captivity, and yet they still felt cold and distant. They remembered past mercy and asked for more. The word again in the psalm and in the hymn is important. Revival is not a new invention. It is God doing once more what He has done before. And its purpose is joy: that thy people may rejoice in thee. That is why Mackay wrapped his prayer in hallelujahs. A revived church is a praising church.
3. Colossians 1:13
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:"
Paul gives thanks to the Father, Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. His dear Son can also be read the Son of his love, and that is the phrase Mackay uses in his first line: We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love. Translated means carried over, moved from one kingdom to another. Christians have been rescued out of darkness and brought into a new country. The hymn begins where Paul begins, with thanks to the Father for the gift of His Son. See our Bible verses about God's love.
4. Hebrews 1:3
"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"
Hebrews describes the Son as the brightness of the Father's glory, who upholds all things by His word, and when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. That is the whole of Mackay's first verse in one sentence: For Jesus who died, and is now gone above. Jesus did not stay on the cross or in the tomb. Having finished the work of cleansing, He sat down, because nothing was left to do. The One we praise is not a dead teacher but a living King, ruling from the highest place in heaven.
Thy Spirit of light and the Lamb that was slain
5. John 16:13-14
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you."
Jesus promised His disciples the Spirit: when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. And He said what the Spirit would do: He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. Mackay's second verse praises God for Thy Spirit of light, who has shown us our Saviour, and scattered our night. The Holy Spirit's great work is to point to Jesus. A revival that draws attention to itself rather than to Christ is not the kind the Spirit sends. See our Bible verses about the Holy Spirit.
6. 2 Corinthians 4:6
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Paul compares conversion to the first day of creation. As God said Let there be light over the dark waters, so He speaks light into a dark heart. The hymn's scattered our night is the same picture. No one argues himself into seeing Christ's glory. God has to shine. That is also why revival must be prayed for. Only the God who made light can make dead hearts see.
7. Revelation 5:12
"Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
In heaven John heard ten thousand times ten thousand voices Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Mackay's third verse joins that song: All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain, who hath borne all our sins, and hath cleansed every stain. The praise of heaven is not vague. It is praise for a particular act: the Lamb was slain and redeemed people to God by His blood. A church that sings this on earth is practicing for heaven. See our Bible verses about worship.
8. 1 Peter 5:10
"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."
Peter closes his letter to suffering Christians with a blessing: But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. Mackay borrows the title for his fourth verse: All glory and praise to the God of all grace, who has bought us, and sought us, and guided our ways. All grace means every kind of grace we need, for salvation, for suffering, for the long road home. The God who sought us at the start is the same God who will settle us at the end.
Fill each heart with Thy love: fire from above
9. Romans 5:5
"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Shed abroad means poured out, like water from a jar. The last verse of the hymn prays for exactly this: Revive us again; fill each heart with Thy love. Revival is not first of all excitement or crowds. It is hearts filled with the love of God, poured in by the Spirit. When that happens, Paul says, hope does not disappoint. The love we receive becomes love we give, and a cold church becomes warm again. See our Bible verses about love.
10. Isaiah 57:15
"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
God describes Himself as the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, who dwells in the high and holy place, and also with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. The God of heaven makes His home with the broken. That is where revival begins: not with the proud or the impressive, but with people who are sorry for their sin and humble before God. Before praying Revive us again, the hymn gives glory to God alone. Humility and revival go together.
11. Acts 3:19
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"
After healing a lame man at the temple, Peter preached to the crowd: Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Times of refreshing is one of the Bible's best descriptions of revival. It comes from the presence of the Lord, and it follows repentance. Revive Us Again is a joyful hymn, but the joy is not shallow. It rests on sins borne and stains cleansed. A church that wants refreshing must first turn back to God. See our Bible verses about repentance.
Sing it: There Shall Be Showers of Blessing, lyrics and meaning.
12. Luke 24:32
"And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"
After the risen Jesus vanished from their sight at Emmaus, the two disciples said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? Their hearts had been cold with disappointment, and Jesus set them on fire by opening the Bible. That is the hymn's last line: May each soul be rekindled with fire from above. Rekindled means lit again. The fire comes from above, but it usually comes the way it came at Emmaus, through Jesus speaking in the Scriptures. Revival and the open Bible belong together.
A short prayer
We praise You, O God, for the Son of Your love, for Jesus who died and is now gone above. We praise You for Your Spirit of light, who has shown us our Savior and scattered our night. All glory to the Lamb who was slain and has cleansed every stain. Lord, revive us again. Humble our hearts, turn us from our sins, and send times of refreshing from Your presence. Pour Your love into every heart and rekindle each soul with fire from above. Hallelujah, Thine the glory. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
Pray for revival with the 30-Day Prayer Journal · Get the free Scripture writing plan · Memorize Psalm 85:6 with Scripture memory cards
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote Revive Us Again?
William Paton Mackay (1839-1885) wrote the words. He was a Scottish physician who trained in Edinburgh, was converted as a young man and became a Presbyterian minister in Hull, England. The hymn is usually dated 1863. The tune is credited to John J. Husband (1760-1825), an English-born church musician who settled in Philadelphia.
Is Revive Us Again the same hymn as We Praise Thee, O God?
Yes. We Praise Thee, O God is its first line, and Revive Us Again is the title most hymnals give it, taken from the refrain. It should not be confused with the Te Deum (We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord) or with modern worship songs also called Revive Us Again.
What Bible verse is Revive Us Again based on?
The refrain comes from Psalm 85:6, Wilt thou not revive us again, and Hymns of Consolation printed the hymn under Habakkuk 3:2, O LORD, revive thy work. Its verses also echo Colossians 1:13 (his dear Son), Revelation 5:12 (the Lamb that was slain) and 1 Peter 5:10 (the God of all grace).
Is Revive Us Again in the public domain?
Yes. Mackay's words date from the 1860s and Husband's tune is older still, so the hymn is in the public domain in the United States and may be printed and sung freely. Modern songs with the same title, and newer arrangements of this hymn, may be under copyright.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Holy, Holy, Holy · Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee · Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing · Nothing but the Blood · Revival · Worship · Holy Spirit · Rejoicing
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