STEPS TO REVIVAL

"In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the Lord's temple and repaired them." 2 Chronicles 29:3

If you read the last few verses of 2 Chronicles 28, you get a picture of the deplorable situation Hezekiah inherited from his wicked father, King Ahaz: Idols filled the land and even the Temple of the Lord. Ahaz eventually put the Lord's Temple out of business, fired the priests, and shut the doors.

When Hezekiah ascended to the thone he wasted no time in dealing with that situation -- "in the first year of his reign, in the first month!" The first thing he did was open the doors of the temple and bring the priests back on duty. Next, he told the priests to remove every vile thing from the temple (v5). Then he told the priests to resume the practice of burning incense to the Lord each morning and evening (vv 7,11). After that they offered animal sacrifices, sprinkling their blood at the altar as a sin offering (vv 23-24). Finally, they "struck up the band" and began to sing the songs of David (vv 25-30).

Each of these "steps to revival" has present application for us:

1) Just as Hezekiah opened the doors of the Temple, we must open the doors of our hearts to the Lord. This suggests the idea of living openly and transparently before Him, not hiding sin, but bringing everything to the light, as 1 John 1:7 says: "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanses us from all sin."

2) Just as the priests removed all the vile idols from the Temple, we must remove all known sin from our lives. No more dabbling in sin, tolerating on-going disobedience. We must deal with the idols that have hindered our walk with the Lord. Idols like sexual sin, unwholesome entertainment, materialism, uncontrolled anger, and self-pity. In the New Testament we read, "Therefore, dear friends, since we have such promises, we should wash ourselves clean from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, making our sanctification complete in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1).

3) The sprinkling of the blood of sacrifice reminds us that the blood of Jesus completely cleanses us from all sin. Once we have repented and renounced our sin, we must claim the "wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb" to remove all our defilement (again, see 1 John 1:7). No more living under guilt, beating ourselves up for past failures. We live free and whole and righteous before God and man.

4) Resuming the incense offering in the Temple is figurative of prayer. Each day, morning and evening, the priest would go into the "holy place" (the first room in the Temple) and burn fragrant incense to the Lord. The psalmist likens this to prayer: "May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141:2). When Christians deliberately carve out time each day to spend with God in prayer, revival is near.

All of this amounts to "planned spiritual activity." Revival is a sovereign move of God, but it doesn't happen in a spiritual vaccuum. God sovereignly sends revival to people who intentionally prepare themselves for it.

We believe He is wanting to send a "near" revival -- one that begins in our hearts, our homes, our church, and our community. If we will begin to live openly and transparently before Him, cleaning out the vile things from our lives, letting His precious blood cleanse us anew, then carving out time to seek Him in prayer, God will respond. How can He not? He has promised: "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

When we take these "steps to revival" and God responds, then when we "strike up the band" we will have something to sing about!