It was done suddenly

And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly. 2 Chron. 29:36

This sentence concludes the description of the restoration of divine worship under the leadership of King Hezekiah, after it had been sadly neglected under the reign of his predecessor Ahaz. The influence of idolatry had been so vast, that it was a thing of amazement that not only Hezekiah but also the people turned back to the true worship and service of the God of Israel. The change was as genuine as it was sudden, not a thing of years and generations but the thing of a few days. Indeed, "the thing was done suddenly."

Let this be an encouragement to each of us, with respect to our own lives, the church, our nation, and our world. With respect to our own lives, let us remember that the power of grace through faith in Christ is enough to end the reign of sin over our hearts, even it had become entrenched through a lifetime of bad choices and habits. With respect to the church, let us remember that no matter how decimated it might become due to bad doctrine and bad practice, the Lord is able to send reformation and revival in a moment, and history has confirmed this for us again and again. With respect to our nation and world, there is coming a Day - not so very far off in the grand scheme of things - when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.

In fact, nothing can happen that will ultimately prevent the extension of the glory of God to the ends of the earth. In that reality, we can rejoice. But until then, let us pray that God will come in the power of his Spirit to overturn all things that set themselves against the honor of Christ and his gospel. Let us not become discouraged by thinking that present circumstances must prevail against the success of his work in this world. He can do anything, and he can do it suddenly. Let us pray for ourselves and for our church and for our world that we will see a work of God in our time, and rejoice in the goodness of God in the revival of his work in the midst of the years.