The description in 2 Chronicles 15 reminded me of today. It’s January 2023 as I’m writing this. I don’t mean this date, but our current times.

A prophet comes and speaks to Asa and describes how there was no peace for anyone because there were disturbances for everyone. It says they were broken in pieces because God had troubled them with every sort of distress.

In our world today, people have been distressed by plague and rising prices and aggressive foreign nations.

The prophet clearly tells Asa that the Lord will be with him if he is with the Lord. He says that if you seek the Lord, He will be found by you. He says that if you forsake the Lord, he will forsake you.

I teach that all the time. The New Testament teaches the same thing. If we deny Christ, He will deny us before the Father. No one’s getting into heaven unless Jesus says, “I know this one!”

Seek the Lord with your whole heart, and you will find Him. The Lord will not choose to abandon you, but you can choose to abandon Him. He will be with you if you are with Him. You just choose to go with Him.

Asa put away all the “detestable idols” and repaired the altar of the Lord. He gathered all the people of Judah, which included those of the other tribes who had fled to Judah from Israel because they recognized the Lord was with Asa. All the people entered a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul. They swore to put to death anyone who would not do so.

Their decision to rejoice was the point of revival. They break out in rejoicing. They are excited that they will seek the Lord with their “whole desire.”

And, as promised, the Lord was found by them and the Lord gave them rest.

If you want a personal revival, put away your idols. Tear down and put away anything that has your desire. Make the decision that your whole desire will be for the Lord. And there will be rejoicing.