An ice-cold heart can burn again. Yes, it is possible to lose the thrill of worship — and recover it again. Restoration is a wonderful thing.
The Old Testament story of King Hezekiah’s reign is loaded with lessons. You can read it in 2 Chronicles 29 – 32. The 25-year-old monarch had his head screwed on right and his heart in tune with the Lord when he came to the throne. He started with the doors of the Lord’s house that had been closed. How can people properly worship if the doors to worship are closed off? Hezekiah understood something vital: worship dies behind closed doors. He opened them. Revival began when the doors were opened again.
The renovation crew was ordered to –
“Carry out the filth from the holy place.” 2 Chronicles 29:5
He really cleaned house. Sometimes we must do that. All the clutter in our lives, hindering our worship, needs to be shovelled up and heaved out of our lives. Hezekiah cleaned up as many things as he could find that were hindering God’s blessing in the nation’s life. When the burnt offering began, it says:
“The song of the Lord began also….
and all the congregation worshipped and the singers sang
and the trumpeters sounded….
they sang praises with gladness and
they bowed their heads and worshipped.”
2 Chronicles 29:27-28, 30
Although not everyone was happy with the nation’s house-cleaning, many saw the positive results and the possibility of even more blessings. When the Passover feast was re-instituted, the people enjoyed the feast so much they didn’t want it to end. They extended it for another seven-day period. It was not a dry and barren event to them. Their hearts were warmed, and their enthusiasm was overflowing. The New Testament describes believers like this as being:
“fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11
Don’t you remember a time in your life when you didn’t want a Bible conference to end? Do you remember not wanting to end your little session with the Lord before you headed to school or work in the morning? You were enjoying your Bible so much back then. Reading it was not a duty but a delight! The disciples on the Emmaus road understood this feeling well:
“Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” Luke 24:32
When these ‘restored and rejuvenated’ people were asked to make contributions, they immediately responded. And they weren’t skimpy givers! Their heaps were so generous that they had to construct new warehouses just to accommodate the ‘heaps’ of supplies donated. (2Chronicles 31:11)
The word ‘heaps’ is mentioned four times in Chapter 31. Their giving was just an outlet for the overflow of enthusiastic and rejoicing hearts. There will be no problem with generous giving when hearts are warmed and enthused about the things of God. If I am a reluctant giver, my heart is not warm towards the Lord. Something is wrong with me.
When we lose our enthusiasm for the things of God, there is something wrong in our lives. Here’s the critical question: when the thrill in my soul is gone and truly enjoying Christ with a desire to sing, sing, sing and give, give, give becomes a distant memory, how can I bounce back? How can I recover that lost enthusiasm?
It all started in Hezekiah’s heart. From there, it gained momentum. Closed doors were opened. Filth and clutter were removed. Spiritual activities and responsibilities regained their priority. Yielding themselves to the Lord was the least they could do.
No matter how cold my heart has become or how far away I have wandered, I’m never too cold or too far away to be drawn back to the Lord.
That little remaining spark beneath the debris of my life and the rubble of my heart – beneath that crusty, hard ice of life – yes, that small flickering spark can be fanned into a red-hot flame of devotion again.
It’s happened to others. It can be my experience too. A heart that once burned for Christ can burn again. The ice will melt, and the glow will grow.