There’s something powerful about a young person catching fire for God.
Recently, I was at our Men’s Retreat up north and as I looked out amongst the room, I couldn’t help but notice how many of the young men from our youth group, Encounter, were there. And not just there, but packing out the front row of two sections.
20 plus Young men in the front row, young men hungry for truth—and I couldn’t shake the thought: This is what revival looks like before it explodes. Hunger is always the spark. My challenge to the older guys there was are we going to be ready for them?
Recently I had to preach at Encounter and it was on King Josiah, it’s such a powerful story of a what the word can do in a young man’s life. He was a teenager who led one of the greatest spiritual revivals in Israel’s history—and it all started because someone found a forgotten book.
These are a few points about this story that struck me and I pray that it speaks to you too.
1. Your Age Doesn’t Define You
Josiah became king when he was just eight years old. Eight. Most eight-year-olds are trying to keep Legos out of their mouths, not lead nations.
But 2 Kings 22:2 says something remarkable:
“He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.”
By sixteen, Josiah began to seek God. By twenty, he was tearing down idols, cleansing the land, and setting things right.
It’s a reminder for every young believer: your age doesn’t disqualify you from being used by God—your apathy does.
You don’t have to wait to grow older to grow deeper.
2. When the Word Is Found Again
Fast forward to Josiah’s twenty-sixth year. The temple is under repair, and a priest named Hilkiah finds something buried under years of dust and neglect—the Book of the Law.
For fifty-seven years, God’s Word had been forgotten.
When Josiah hears it read aloud, something inside him breaks. He tears his clothes in grief because he realizes how far they’ve drifted from God’s commands.
That’s what true revelation does—it pierces through comfort and exposes compromise.
Revival doesn’t begin with noise, music, or crowds. It begins when the Word of God confronts the human heart.
3. Revelation Demands Action
Josiah could have stopped there—he could’ve just repented privately and moved on. But he didn’t.
Instead, he went public. He gathered all the people, renewed the covenant, and led them to destroy the idols and high places that had poisoned their worship.
He even tore down altars built by King Solomon—the wisest man who ever lived. Josiah didn’t let reputation stop him from doing what was right.
That challenges me deeply. Because sometimes, we protect our idols with excuses: “It’s not that bad.” “It’s just how I cope.” But Josiah didn’t negotiate with sin—he annihilated it.
Revelation without action is deception.
If God’s Word exposes something in you, that exposure is an invitation to change.
4. Right Knowledge Leads to Right Power
After cleansing the land, Josiah did something beautiful—he brought back the Passover.
The people hadn’t celebrated it in centuries. Think about that. They had forgotten the very thing that reminded them of God’s deliverance.
When Josiah rediscovered the Word, he also rediscovered worship.
That’s how it works. The Word leads to repentance, repentance leads to renewal, and renewal leads to worship.
True power isn’t found in knowing about God—it’s found in knowing God rightly.
5. The Better King
The Bible says:
“Before him there was no king like Josiah… yet the Lord did not turn from His great wrath.” (2 Kings 23:25–26)
Josiah’s obedience was incredible, but it wasn’t enough to save the nation.
That’s the bittersweet truth: even the best of men can’t fix the human heart. Josiah needed a greater King—one who could not just cleanse temples but cleanse souls.
That King is Jesus.
Jesus fulfilled what Josiah could only foreshadow. He didn’t just tear down idols—He tore the veil. He didn’t just renew a covenant—He became the covenant.
Revival Starts in You
Josiah’s story isn’t just history; it’s a mirror.
Where have we lost the Word?
What idols have crept into our hearts?
What sacred things have we stopped celebrating?
Revival doesn’t start in a crowd—it starts in a heart that says, “Lord, reveal Yourself to me again.”
Maybe that’s where you are tonight.
Maybe God’s Word has been buried under busyness, shame, or distraction.
But when revelation comes, revival isn’t far behind.
Because every time the Word is found again—
the fire starts to burn again.
The Fire & The Flood 