READ : Nehemiah 8:1-6, 9-12 I get excited when I read in verse 1 about the way the people eagerly asked Ezra to read God’s Word to them. They also listened to Ezra read from daybreak until noon, and they did this “day after day” (v. 18). This strong desire for God’s Word, and the people’s repentant response, can only be explained as evidence of the Spirit’s working in their lives. The result was great blessing. When God revives …
God Says: “Is It Time . . . ?”
READ : Haggai 1:1-8 We usually spend time, energy and money on things we consider to be precious. But, it’s also possible to begin investing time, talents, and money into certain things, and then discover that those things have gradually become very important. In this revival under Haggai, God wanted to lead His people from that first situation to the second. Fifteen years had passed since the people were freed from their captivity in Babylon, and God’s house was …
That Recurring Melody
READ : 2 Chronicles 34:19-28 Like a recurring melody in classical music, we have repeatedly heard the theme of humility in 2 Chronicles. Remember, God announced way back in chapter 7 that the steps to revival required that God’s people “. . . humble themselves and pray and seek my face . . . “ This is what King Josiah did, and God blessed him because of it. But, what does it mean to “humble oneself”? First, it means …
Wear Some Old Clothes
READ : 2 Chronicles 34:9-19 Today’s passage describes an unbelievable situation! Somehow, God’s Word had been lost for many years; and it wasn’t until King Josiah gave instructions to cleanse and purify the temple that the Bible was found. Even then, it doesn’t sound as if they were looking for the Bible, but that they found it “by accident.” It’s no wonder the nation had once more fallen away from God; they were no longer hearing Him speak, and …
A Young Boy’s Decision
READ : 2 Chronicles 34:1-8 Boys and girls, I hope you paid close attention to the Bible story, because it was about a boy names Josiah, who became king of Judah when he was only eight years old. More importantly, he “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” So, Josiah shows us that obeying God and seeking Him are not things you must “put off” or wait to do until you are older. Josiah made a …
Revival Singing
READ : 2 Chronicles 29:20-31 Since revival is primarily something that God does in our hearts, it’s hard to create a picture of what it looks like for our visually oriented culture. Revival is also a process, so we can see it better in a moving picture than in a still one. As the camera pans past the events of this revival under Hezekiah, we see that it took the Levites only 16 days to completely clean and reconsecrate …