Sometimes revival comes in such gradual ways. Without even realizing when it all began, we find ourselves enjoying the spiritual blessings and joy that revival brings. Sometimes revival comes in response to conflict, or persecution, or maybe tragedy.
Our complacency, our apathy, is shattered by events that force us to pause — to consider the distance we’ve wandered away from God, and to decide that now — now — we want to come home.
> Today is the day of salvation.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
There is no better time than the present.
Don’t put off for tomorrow what you should do today.
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The Call of God’s Mercy
Consider the mercy and the long-suffering of God.
This morning, right now, right here — God is reaching out to you. He doesn’t want you to be lost. Not one person needs to be lost.
All that He can do — He does.
God is actively working toward the salvation of every boy and girl, every father and mother, every husband and wife, every friend, and even every enemy.
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Illustration — The Cleansing Rain
Uncle Henry and I climbed until we reached the ledge overlooking a stagnant, stinking pond. Green algae covered the water. Even the frogs seemed to complain.
Then it began to rain. We took refuge under that rock ledge high above the pond. Lightning flashed. Thunder cracked. The rain came in torrents — then stopped as quickly as it started.
We peered out. The little stream that had been dry was now gushing with fresh, clear water into the pond. The new water drove the old before it, cleansing as it went. Right before our eyes, the old water was forced away and carried downstream, leaving behind a bright, clean, sparkling pond.
Uncle Henry said softly, “I’ll bet that’s just what happens when the Holy Spirit enters a life. It flows in, it purifies, and it pushes away the old.”
I said, “It’s hard to believe that’s the same pond.”
Uncle Henry smiled. “It isn’t, David. It’s a brand new pond.”
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A Question for the Heart
Why are you here today?
What is your plan for today?
What are your intentions in worshipping God?
Are you here to get in touch with your need for Jesus?
Are you here to avail yourself of the gift of salvation?
Did you come expecting something in your life?
God moves in a mysterious way — His wonders to perform.
There’s really no way to program a revival.
There’s no way in ourselves to bring about spiritual life.
We cannot start a revival on our own.
But listen — we can’t stop one either.
When God moves, no one can stop Him!
It is His desire that revival occurs among His people.
The only choice you and I have is to respond to this question:
> Whose side will you be on?
Who is on the Lord’s side? — answer now the call!
Who is on the Lord’s side? — will you give your all?
Who is on the Lord’s side? — let your voice be heard!
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Hezekiah’s Revival
One of the most sudden revivals ever recorded in Scripture took place under King Hezekiah. The very first thing on his agenda as king was to repent and to set his life right with God.
When he began his reign, there were plenty of pressing issues — invading armies, national instability, and an empty treasury. The church was corrupt. The people were chasing other gods. They were preoccupied with survival and pleasure.
And to make matters worse, Hezekiah succeeded one of the most wicked kings in Judah’s history — his father, King Ahaz.
But Hezekiah began right.
He started a work of reformation in the very first month of his reign.
Within just two short months, the entire land was swept with a wave of spiritual rebirth and enthusiasm.
What a response!
How the Lord blessed!
Revival always begins when hearts are humbled before God.
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Where Revival Begins
Revival is due only to the moving of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of men and women. But what was it that brought about such a response? Wouldn’t you like to find the key?
Let’s start with what it isn’t.
It isn’t just wanting revival.
It isn’t wishing for better sermons or louder music.
If revival is to happen, it happens with me.
(Say that aloud with me.)
If revival is to happen, it happens with me!
We love to look across the aisle.
We love to peer into the dark closets of our brothers and sisters.
But when God comes in the stillness of the evening, calling us by name —
where are we found?
We come out from our hiding places, covering ourselves with our own righteousness. We come armed with excuses that try to shift blame — onto others, onto circumstances, even onto God Himself.
If revival is to happen, it must begin right here, right now — in my heart.
Revival can happen any time, anywhere, with anyone.
Do you believe that?
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The Darkness Before the Dawn
Hezekiah never had a religious father. His father, Ahaz, was a man of unspeakable wickedness.
For sixteen years, he poisoned the spiritual life of Judah.
He made idols to worship Baal.
He burned incense in the Valley of Hinnom.
He sacrificed his own children to the god Molech.
Imagine its effect on God!
> “Wherefore the Lord his God handed him over to the king of Syria.” — 2 Chronicles 28:5
This is not just a story from a bygone day.
This is not a freak tale with little to teach us.
If anything, this story should shatter the comfort we find in our sins.
Every sin is insidious.
Every sin has an anesthetizing effect on the spiritual man or woman.
It dulls the conscience. It desensitizes the heart.
Every sin — every one — carries with it, in just a moment of carelessness,
total moral collapse.
You cannot play with sin in any form or fashion.
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The Call to Repentance
We owe it, if not to ourselves, then to our children,
to repent of our sins.
Listen to that still, small voice that presses us toward revival. Listen!
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Illustration — “The Last Judgment”
The French playwright Jean Anouilh wrote a piece called “The Last Judgment.”
He describes people standing before God at heaven’s gate — the good people clustered eagerly at the entrance, confident of their reserved seats.
Suddenly, a rumor sweeps through the crowd:
“He’s going to forgive those others too!”
They gasp in disbelief.
“After all the trouble I went through!”
“If only I’d known this!”
“I can’t get over it!”
They work themselves into a frenzy and start cursing God —
and in that instant, they are damned.
Unforgiveness damns the soul.
Those who refuse to forgive pay dearly — spiritually, emotionally, even physically.
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The Warning Ignored
When Ahaz refused to repent, God handed him over to his enemies.
That warning still speaks to us today.
If we don’t turn back to God, we too will face times of discouragement and defeat.
Yet even this was not enough to awaken Ahaz.
Scripture records, “In his time of trouble, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord.” (2 Chron. 28:22)
What will it take to awaken us?
By verse 23, the chronicler concludes,
> “The gods of the world were his ruin — and the downfall of all Israel.”
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Hezekiah’s Turnaround
Now here stands Hezekiah — the son of Ahaz — a boy raised in the middle of his father’s wickedness, yet refusing to imitate it.
He opened the closed doors of the Temple and called for worship once again.
He stood before the people and declared:
> “Our fathers were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook Him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on Him… Therefore, the anger of the Lord has fallen on Judah and Jerusalem… Now I intend to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that His fierce anger will turn away from us. My sons, do not be negligent now.”
— 2 Chronicles 29:6–11
Hezekiah’s words cut through hypocrisy. They pierced indifference.
He didn’t call for better programs.
He didn’t call for more rituals.
He called for repentance.
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The Essence of Revival
Revival doesn’t depend on a church.
It doesn’t depend on praise songs or ancient hymns.
It doesn’t depend on programs, rituals, or religious exercises.
Revival depends on a turning around.
A turning from sin.
A turning toward God.
It’s a complete about-face.
Like Judah of old, we must turn from our sin if we want to enjoy new life in Christ.
We must turn from our obsession with the failures of the past.
We are not heirs of irreversible situations.
We are not excused from taking personal action.
God’s grace will not always tarry.
We cannot presume upon His patience forever.
It is time — we respond.
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Three Commands of Revival
Each generation, every man and woman, every child and grandparent must give an answer to God.
Verse 8 of chapter 30 gives three commands for those willing to turn back:
1. Submit to the Lord.
2. Come to the sanctuary.
3. Serve the Lord your God.
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1. Submit to God
In the Lord is our salvation.
The very fact that we are invited to return implies that we’ve drifted.
Backsliding — that’s our key disease.
It means taking back our commitment.
It means losing our first love.
It means keeping the form of godliness but denying the power.
But listen to God’s promise in Deuteronomy 4:30–31:
> “When you are in trouble and all these things come to pass in the last days, then you will turn back to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you, nor forget the covenant made with your fathers.”
That is the promise we share.
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2. Come to the Sanctuary
It’s impossible to turn to God without turning toward His house.
God’s people meet together to worship.
It is He who consecrates our gatherings.
We cheat ourselves when we forsake the assembly.
Revival gathers — it doesn’t scatter.
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3. Serve the Lord
The heart of turning back to God is returning to prayer — not only for ourselves, but for others.
> “Turn to me with all your heart,” says the Lord in Joel 2:12–13, “rip open your hearts and not your garments.”
Tear away the pretense. Expose the heart.
That’s where revival begins.
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A Warning and a Promise
History will not be kind to those who learn nothing from the past.
I believe God has given us borrowed time — days of relative peace and prosperity — but the days are numbered.
Now is the time to turn back from sin and toward the Lord —
to seek His service, His sanctuary, and to submit to His name as the highest calling we own.
Do not wait for lightning from heaven or the parting of the waters.
> Where is the God of Hezekiah?
Is He not our God as well?
Where is the fear of the Lord?
Where is that boldness that comes from knowing a living Saviour?
May our repentance lead to the downpour of the Holy Spirit.
May revival come — and with it, vitality and faithful witness —
so that the kingdom of God is filled with all His children.
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Closing Prayer
> Lord, cleanse the stagnant waters of our hearts.
Let the fresh stream of Your Spirit flow in and drive out the old.
Renew us, revive us, reclaim us.
We turn from sin and toward You —
and in this turning, may Your Spirit bring new life again.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
