It is too easy to pray glibly for reformation. Who could be against that? But know that whenever God has shown His kindness in purifying His church, one of the immediate results is always turmoil. The overall result, of course, is reformation, and later historians will write about how glorious it was to be alive during that great time. And rightly understood, it will have been glorious.
But it will have also been a mess. Families divide, churches fall away, lampstands are removed, states persecute, kings convert and kiss the Son, nations are thrown into tumult, and despite everything, in the midst of everything, tens of thousands of hungry souls assemble around the ensign of Jesse, a banner set up for all the people.
This is not accomplished by the arm of the flesh. It is not done by law. It is not done through lobbying expertise. It is not done by the merchandizing experts of the evangelical world.
How does God do this? He does what He does through the weakness of the preached Word, and through the contemptible elements of water, bread and wine. Have we prayed for reformation? Yes, we have. Have we really understood our repeated request? Probably not. Is God granting that request anyway? Yes, He is – so prepare your hearts. God will not do what we had pictured, but He is doing what we have asked. He has not been tamed or domesticated. He is the Lord, and He does all His pleasure.
Gladly, that pleasure includes the salvation of this world. So let us be about the business of worshiping Him.