. . . if My people who are called by My name put away their pride and pray, and look for My face, and turn from their sinful ways, then I will hear from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (MSG)
Christians tend to blame unbelievers or the devil for the troubles in the world. We will spend hours talking about all the woes of the world – sagging pants, gun violence, corrupt politics, celebrities’ conduct, prayer removed from schools, etc.; when what is needed is prayer. It is apparent from 2 Chronicles 7:14 that God has charged His people with the responsibility of healing the world in which we live. With that charge, He also gave us a guideline to follow – praying and seeking His face.
Prayer has always been used by God’s people to bring down injustices, and to right the wrongs in the world. Scripture teaches us that whenever the children of Israel were in trouble, and they turned to God and cried out to Him, He delivered them. In 2 Chronicles 20:9, Jehoshaphat reminded God of this very same scripture when he heard that his enemies had formed an alliance to defeat him. 2 Chronicles 20:3, states that Jehoshaphat “… set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” The end result of his seeking God was that the Lord spoke, “Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:17, and Jehoshaphat enemies were defeated.
As slaves on plantations, my ancestors prayed and cried out to God until He caused a rift in this nation that led to the Emancipation Proclamation freeing them from slavery. During the Civil Rights Movement, the Church didn’t just preach about the issues, and they didn’t just participate in marches and sit-ins; they also prayed. They prayed because they knew lives were at stake. They prayed because they knew the protests would be of no effect without prayer. “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available (dynamic in its working).” James 5:16 (AMP). They prayed because they knew that only God could change the hearts of hardened men and cause them to pass laws for equality. “The king’s heart (those in authority) is in the hand of the Lord, as are the watercourses; He turns it whichever way He wills.” Proverbs 21:1 (MSG).
The same holds true for today. Our nation, our land, our neighborhoods need to be healed. 2 Chronicles 7:14 does not single out a particular denomination, race, or nationality; God simply says “if My people.” If you are the called out ones, God’s elect, the ones set apart by God; this scripture lays the responsibility of this nation and our neighborhood’s healing squarely upon our knees. It is time to do as Jehoshaphat did and set our hearts and minds to seek the Lord. It is time to stop blaming and it is time to stop talking. It is time to take responsibility – it is prayer time!
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:12 & 18
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Amen! Always a timely word. Recently i have been learning the lesson of keeping silent where in the past i would have spoken up about my feelings and instead praying and learning to love in spite of how i feel. It has certainly required my trust in HIM to deepen. Thank you for the reminder that we are the Church, the Ekklesia, the ones called out to unite in order to manifest His Presence in a world that is so obviously desperate for His Presence. We must remember that we were first blessed and then given the charge to be fruitful, to multiply, to replenish and subdue this earth. This is still our charge and responsibility today. My prayer is that the Body will continue to receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him through whom we are transformed.
If My people. Thanks for sharing and reminding us it is us the believer pray what God will do for us and our families and nation. I think you are on assignment from the Lord. Keep us reminded. Elder V Sullivan, Pensacola, FL
Thank you Teacher. I always appreciate your voice and love you much.
If we God’s people only walked in the power that we posses, our prayers would change things. We have spent so much time talking and so little praying that prayer is no longer in the schools, a part of the government, and at the dinner table. Why would the enemy ever be allowed to take prayer out of school unless we had stopped praying! Now minors carry guns to school and kill each other. We let the enemy in and we stood talking about it! We have a black president that so many of us decided he would carry us when instead our prayers should have carried him. Instead he is the most disrespected, dishonored president in the history of all presidents and again we stand gazing and gossiping as other statesmen refuse to shake his black hands. The killing of black men is on the rise once again, who is praying now? Who is fighting. This is too great a fight to be won with our fist, it must be won on our knees, but who is praying? Who is talking? We must pray! Please pray with me. We must gather in his name to bring down these walls. Our people will never go back to the way things were, and we can’t afford to allow this to get any worse. We must put this in God’s hands together. We are the two or three gathered in his name.
Thanks Lisa for your heartfelt plea, and thanks for being willing to answer the call for prayer for the healing of our nation!