Thursday, August 3

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017

"Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.  He went up to the temple of the Lord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest.  He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord.  The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book." (2 Chronicles 34:29-31)

The book of 2 Chronicles records quite a few times of revival.  Typically, these revivals follow periods that lack spiritual fervor.  Israel's prophets and kings reveal or rediscover the nation's first responsibility to their Father God, and the resulting re-dedication brings healing and wholeness to the land.

For the individual Christ-follower, for each individual church, and for the Church universal, we desperately need revival in our day.  In 2 Chronicles, we see that the restoration comes when believers seek God wholeheartedly and forsake (and often destroy) the idols that surround them.  Having been created for worship, our hearts hunger to "give ourselves away to something," according to author David Foster Wallace.  Though not a Christian, Wallace clearly understood the nature of the human heart, given the power of his writing.

How may we make ourselves ready for personal and corporate revival?  It appears that we would do well to refocus on the Word of God and to cast aside any idols that have entrapped us.  We may recommit our hearts to our first love:  God Himself.  We may lay down our bitterness and unforgiveness.  We may confess our worry, our pride, and our apathy as unbecoming of the Kingdom's call.  We may establish the Kingdom and His righteousness as our first priority.

Lord God, make me new again today.  Give me the joy of salvation.  Take my weariness and turn it into refreshing.  Send Your Holy Spirit so that I may be fully alive and re-focused on Your great love.  Allow me to hunger and thirst for righteousness and to seek first Your Kingdom.  In Jesus's Name, amen.