if my people, who are called by my name, will humble
themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will
I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (II Chronicles 7:14)
Last summer some people at my church gathered on a weekly basis to pray about the upcoming election. There were people there who didn’t know for whom they would vote. There were people there who knew. We didn’t pray for the victory of any named candidate or party, but rather for the victory of the candidate and the party who would do what needed to be done. We prayed about issues. We prayed for wisdom. Today’s passage was the foundation of those prayer meetings. Unfortunately, they seem to have stopped once the election was over.
As I consider this passage this morning, one of the things that comes to mind is that it is not “If my persons,” but “If my people.” I agree that we should pray as individuals. I agree that we should pray as families. I suspect, however, that the next step is to come together as communities or whole peoples. There may be churches that still have Wednesday night prayer meetings or something like it. Small groups (by whatever name) may have prayer times within their meetings, but how often does the church come together with the express purpose of prayer? I’ve no doubt that there are groups that do this, but I wonder how prevalent it is.
Direction? Maybe, because my attitude is “Oh no, do I have to?” That's usually a sign that it's not my idea.
Last summer some people at my church gathered on a weekly basis to pray about the upcoming election. There were people there who didn’t know for whom they would vote. There were people there who knew. We didn’t pray for the victory of any named candidate or party, but rather for the victory of the candidate and the party who would do what needed to be done. We prayed about issues. We prayed for wisdom. Today’s passage was the foundation of those prayer meetings. Unfortunately, they seem to have stopped once the election was over.
As I consider this passage this morning, one of the things that comes to mind is that it is not “If my persons,” but “If my people.” I agree that we should pray as individuals. I agree that we should pray as families. I suspect, however, that the next step is to come together as communities or whole peoples. There may be churches that still have Wednesday night prayer meetings or something like it. Small groups (by whatever name) may have prayer times within their meetings, but how often does the church come together with the express purpose of prayer? I’ve no doubt that there are groups that do this, but I wonder how prevalent it is.
Direction? Maybe, because my attitude is “Oh no, do I have to?” That's usually a sign that it's not my idea.
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