When Josiah became king at the age of eight (2 Kings 22:1), Judah was plunged into idolatry, corruption, and complete forgetfulness of God. Nothing seemed able to change the situation.
Yet, in the midst of this chaos, a young king made a decision that would transform everything: to seek the Lord with all his heart (2 Chronicles 34:3).
Everything began when the Book of the Law of the Lord, given through Moses, was found in the abandoned temple (2 Chronicles 34:14–15). This forgotten text became a light in the darkness. As it was read before Josiah, the Word pierced his heart. He understood that his people had turned away from the living God. In humility, he tore his clothes in repentance and declared:
“Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance of all that is written there, concerning us” (2 Kings 22:13).
But Josiah did not stop at emotion. He acted.
He made the Word of God read to all the people (2 Kings 23:2), destroyed idols, demolished pagan altars (2 Chronicles 34:4), purified the temple, and publicly renewed the covenant with the Lord (2 Kings 23:3).
From that moment, a spiritual revival broke out. What seemed lost was restored. A people walking in darkness returned to the light, and the Bible testifies:
“Before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses” (2 Kings 23:25).
This story reminds us of a powerful truth:
Change begins when the heart returns to the Lord.
Even when everything seems broken, even when life takes the wrong direction, there is a path: returning to God, returning to His Word, returning to His presence. This return can restore a person, a family, and even a nation, as it did for Judah.
Today, God still waits. He has not changed. He opens His arms to anyone who chooses to return.
PRAYER:
Lord, I return to You.
Restore what is broken in me, reignite what has grown dim,
and make my life a place of revival. Amen.
Apostle Dr Jean-Claude SINDAYIGAYA