(2 Chr 34:33) Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not depart from following the LORD God of their fathers.
We have been talking about the need for revival and how we can get on that road that leads there. But what are the effects of revival and how can we know we have arrived at our desired destination?
King Josiah was very young when he ascended the throne of Judah but as he got older he really began to seek the Lord. And as he sought the Lord in his personal life he began to see the need for revival in the land. Josiah took certain steps to bring the people back to the Lord and revival truly broke out in the land. So what were the signs of revival in Judah and what might be the indication God is truly working in our lives and land today?
A TURNING AWAY FROM SIN: God’s people broke down all the altars of idolatry and got rid of all the stumbling blocks to their spiritual growth and progress. (2 Chr 34:1-7)
Have you made a complete break with the world? Are you ready to cast aside every weight that slows you down in the Christian life? Is there something more important to you than a relationship with God? Then that’s an idol! Get rid of that stumbling block and you’ll reach destination revival in no time. (1 John 5:21) Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
A RETURN TO THE WORD OF GOD: As they were cleaning the Temple they found the Book of the Law. When it was read to king Josiah he humbled himself, tore his clothes and wept before God because they fell so short of what God had commanded in His Word. (2 Chr 34:8-33)
A true confirmation that revival has begun is a return to the Word of God. There will be a hunger for the reading of the Word for one’s spiritual growth. There will be a desire for Bible study and really digging deeper in the Word with God’s people. This won’t be just for Bible knowledge but to be a doer of the Word and to lead others in the truth that endures forever. (Ezra 7:10) For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.
TRUE WORSHIP RESTORED – Josiah restored the true worship of God in the land by keeping the Passover that had been neglected for years. The people prepared their hearts and made a consolidated effort to come together and worship God as prescribed in the Law of Moses. (2 Chr 35)
A revived heart is a heart that worships God wholeheartedly and without hesitation. It is Jesus first on the throne of the heart. It is a heart that seeks God in everything and thanks God in everything. It is a heart that rings true with the love of God and sings about the love of God. It isn’t false and weird manifestations as some count revival. It is worshipping God in spirit and in truth. A true worshipper finds satisfaction only in the things of God and finds the pleasures of the world empty and trivial.
Revival swept the land in Josiah’s day but God wants to send revival in our day. Are you ready for it? Then let’s pray . . . “Lord send revival and let it begin with me!”
Louie