Revival Organization

When some hear the word “organization” they recoil as if it were a bad word. Organization sounds boring, limiting, and even dead. But the human body is organized, something for which you can be thankful. And there is even more organization in spiritual life. According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word “organize” means to have a systematic coordination of parts forming an integral element of a whole. Words like organ, organic, organism, are all built upon this word. It is a word that describes life, especially revival life.

         One of the things that Hezekiah did during the twenty-nine year revival, according to 2 Chronicles 31:2, was to organize the Levites into their divisions for service, “And Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and of the Levites, division by division, each according to his service, the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and peace offerings, to minister in the gates of the camp of the LORD and to give thanks and praise.” King David was the first to do this, and Hezekiah was following his example for revival.

         King David organized the Levites into divisions, according to 1 Chronicles 23 – 26, to lead Israel to “…make offerings before the LORD and minister to him and pronounce blessings in his name forever.” 23:13. They were “…to stand every morning, thanking and praising the LORD, and likewise at evening,” 23:30. He also arranged the Levites to sing his songs of praise with instruments he had made (23:5), and stationed them as gatekeepers and on the walls surrounding Jerusalem (26:1 – 19).

David surrounded and guarded the city with songs of praise and thanksgiving, declaring the greatness of God’s name and power. The people of Jerusalem were literally surrounded by praise. Anyone approaching the city knew immediately whose city it was; it was the LORD’s! Hezekiah followed this same arrangement. He had the record of David’s administration as well as the songs he wrote (the Psalms).

You do the same thing as you regularly, daily, and systematically begin your day with one of the Psalms and readings from the Bible. It is a discipline, which requires organization and administration. You set the thermostat of your life and day with praise, thanksgiving, and blessing by organizing your life and day around God’s word. Neglected, your life becomes a thermometer of problems and stresses of the world. But resting your heart and mind at the start of each day on the goodness and majesty of the Father brings focus with an eternal perspective, and literally changes the environment around you. As people come near you, they can sense that you are different and, like Jerusalem during the days of David and Hezekiah, that you belong to the Lord.

Taking one of the verses from the Psalm for the day, and/or one of the verses from the readings or Psalm 119, keeps the gates of your heart, the eye-gate and the ear-gate, guarded and well armed. The sacrifice of praise from your lips is offered up continually throughout the day. This is what revival looks like and sounds like. Hezekiah learned it from David’s life, according to God’s word, and so can you. Stay faithful in the organization of revival.