In Corporate Places, with Desperate People...
"...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV)
A few years ago, I was at a large gathering of believers from all over the United States. For three hours, we heard from speakers who told us the importance, nay, necessity of prayer. I could not argue against any of their points. I would not argue against their points! Each person was faithful in their handling the Scriptures, reasonable and logical in their conclusions and compelling in their challenges. Before I attended the conference, I was convinced of the need to pray; the conference simply served to remind me of that conviction and swell up in me a fresh desire to pray.
At the end of one of the sessions, I talked with some friends who I often see at these meetings. We discussed how right it would be to devote an entire conference to prayer. It seems strange to me to be constantly told of the need of prayer without practicing that need in a corporate way.
So, here I am today asking you all to pray.
Do you want to see revival?
Do you want to see awakening?
Do you want to see our community transformed by the power of God?
Would you like to see the trajectory of our nation turned onto a God-honoring path?
Would you like to see family members, co-workers and friends experiencing dynamic, powerful relationship with God?
Would you like to see a decrease in crime, an increase in kindness and homes filled with holiness?
Do you want to see families reconciled?
Do you want to see marriages righted?
Would you like to see children's hearts turned back to honoring their moms and dads?
Pray.
Gather in public places with desperate people and seek the face of God.
In 2 Chronicles 7:11-22 we find King Solomon has finished building the Temple. God appears to Solomon and tells him whenever the people are facing God's chastisement the people are to “... humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways...” At that response to chastisement, God promises He will “...will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
We do not have the Temple. We do have holy gathering places. We are in need of prayer. We can talk about it ad infinitum. We can extol its virtues. We can exposit passage after passage from the Scriptures. We can be inspired, encouraged, rebuked and instructed in the matter of prayer. None of these things will replace simply doing it.
Organize a like-meeting at your holy gathering place on the same day at the same time. Ask believers to join you and pray. Pick a
day. Just pray!
All of us want to see change. Few of us want to be changed.
Friend, I want to see change and be changed! I want to see a grand work of God in my day!
Listen, I'm not asking the world to buy my stew; I'm asking the people called by God's name to pray!
Read the Gospels, the Acts, the Epistles; read the New Testament. You'll unmistakeably find the call to pray. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says it most succinctly: “pray without ceasing.” In Luke 18:1, the Lord Jesus told a parable to teach His disciples they “...ought always to pray and not lose heart.” To the church at Ephesus, Paul said “...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication...” (Ephesians 6:18). Even as the disciples waited on the coming Spirit, they got it: they “...were devoting themselves to prayer...” (Acts 1:14)
We could go on and on. Do you see the point, beloved friends? Let us pray. Let us simply get after it; let us gather in public places as desperate people and seek the face of God.
Please, let us indeed humble ourselves, seek God's face, turn from our wicked ways; and, let's pray.
No comments:
Post a Comment