I have visited France a few times in my life, but only briefly. I am not an expert on the subject, but looking back, I remember beautiful old churches, or cathedrals, where most of the people in the building were tourists, like me. I remember stepping into Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, and some of the visiting tourists were loud. In the front rows of the main auditorium, I could see a few people sitting quietly. I think they were mostly old people, and they might have been praying.

I looked at those front-row people, and I began to realize that they were religious people, attending a service in their church. I think the tourists outnumbered the worshippers, and my first question was; Who prays in a museum? Then I realized what those people were doing, and I quietly walked outside. I’m sure that some of the other tourists stayed and kept talking, in loud voices.

From my experiences, I am surprised to learn that now, there seems to be a religious revival in France. It might be more accurate to talk about revivals, more than one, because Roman Catholics, Muslims, and Evangelical Protestant groups are all growing. Most of the increase in new members is from young adults, in all groups.

This is much more than a few old people sitting quietly, in the front rows of an old cathedral, while curious tourists step around them, and talk over them. Something new is happening, in France.

So, what is happening in that part of the world? We are given a promise for the future, in the Bible:

This is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:16 to 18)

That does not describe what I saw, in a cathedral in France, when I was a young tourist.

What causes revivals in modern societies where most people don’t believe in God? “Cause” might be the wrong word here. People make personal choices, and I believe in God. The “cause” might be people making choices and God moving. Another question is; what are the “”drivers”? What is pushing people in this new direction?

Do you remember the Paris Olympics, in France, in 2024? The opening ceremonies included some religious images that offended religious people, around the world. If you want to see some of the images, The Times of India made a news story:

People were shocked and offended, by the modern culture of France, as shown in the Olympics, and many young people may have started looking for something with more meaning, for their lives.

Also, COVID restrictions may have re-directed the lives of many people. In Berlin Germany, near France, there is a night club culture, that is almost like an industry. At a certain age, teenagers and young adults used to start visiting night clubs and learning about a lifestyle that we might consider immoral. It was like a rite of passage, a coming of age in Berlin.

Things happen in night clubs.

During the time of COVID restrictions, the clubs in Berlin were closed, and young adults found other things to do with their free time. Now, many of the clubs in Berlin are in financial trouble, as an entire generation has lost interest, and found other things to do. The cycle seems to be broken.

If something similar happened in France, people may have missed out on parts of the secular culture, and they may have developed some interest in God and religion.

One other influence may be immigration. Many devout Christians have moved to France, from places like Africa, and also many Muslims now live in France. People in France may have started looking for spiritual things that could satisfy them, as their country changed around them.

The lesson is, life and culture can change around us, and people can be pushed to search for their spiritual roots. That seems to be happening in France, now.

We have a promise about this:

If my people, who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14 )

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