When and how did the Asbury revival start? Bible definition explored as revival spreads to other universities

On February 8, a routine chapel service started at Kentucky’s Asbury University, which rapidly grew into a nonstop prayer session that is now being called a ‘revival’ by many. People from other colleges and universities are traveling thousands of miles to join the worship session after videos of the event went viral on TikTok.

Asbury is a small Christian college in Wilmore where at the tail-end of the chapel meeting on Wednesday, February 8, some of the students stayed back and informally assembled in a gathering to continue their prayers.

The prayers have been going on for over a week now. Devotees are partaking in it, keeping the prayers up 24 hours a day.

Dr. Kevin Brown, the president of the university, said:

“The first day we had a very ordinary service, I would call it unremarkable.”

As per Brown, following a morning service on Wednesday, a multicultural gospel choir performed on stage. A few students stuck around even after the choir ended, and by evening, more people trickled into the sanctuary to create something special.

Mark Whitworth, the vice president of communications at the university, said:

“It has absolutely been social media that is the mechanism that people found out about this.”

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Videos with hashtag “Asbury Revival” are racking up millions of views on TikTok

According to the Bible, revival refers to making someone feel alive again. In a revival, an individual who is alive but has fallen into a state of cold or spiritual death is brought back to life by the power of faith in God. It is a resurgence of interest in an individual in the church by both believers and nonbelievers.

In other words, revival is a spiritual reawakening where a believer transitions from a state of stagnation or dormancy to a renewal of faith. In a revival, love for God may resurface in a person. The revival is then celebrated through an appreciation of God and his holiness, a passion for God’s ways and words, and his church as well.

Revival also churns a desire for repentance in a person which then leads them towards growth and the path of righteousness. It vivifies and sometimes even deepens and strengthens a believer’s faith, leading them to open their eyes to universal truths in a new light.

Revival marks a new beginning in the life of an individual who has lived their life being obedient to God.

Students from Asbury University gathered at Hughes Auditorium last Wednesday to attend their biweekly chapel service, where they sang hymns, listened to a sermon, and prayed. Videos with the hashtag “Asbury Revival” are racking up millions of views on TikTok.

As per the faculty at Asbury University, students and staff from about 22 schools have visited and taken part in the worship and prayer so far. People from Singapore and Canada are also expected to arrive soon at the revival. Many of the attendees embarked on the trip to Wilmore only a day or two after videos of the assembly went viral on social media.

As the number of attendees continues to increase, some groups of students from other schools have returned to their own institutions where they started their own prayer gatherings, thus, giving the revival widespread exposure and acknowledgment.

Tennessee’s Lee University witnessed a similar nonstop prayer vigil by students on Monday morning that is still ongoing. Other schools with similar vigils include Ohio Christian University near Columbus, Indiana’s Anderson University, and a number of others.