Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.’

(2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT)

Two things stand out to me from today’s highlighted verse: Humility and Prayer.

Humility

We mentioned yesterday that one of the cultural norms that we live with in our world today is busyness. The world is in a big hurry! We work extra hours; we busy ourselves with extracurricular activities and generally don’t like to be still for long.

Activity and action are not necessarily negative things. Without it, we would never get anything done.
But when it becomes an idol and we struggle or even refuse to slow down and contemplate our path, we have a problem. When we have reached this point, there is only one thing for it – we need to be still and
know that He is God (See Psalm 46:10).

‘So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power,
but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.’

(Zechariah 4:6 NIV)

Power and the wielding of control, along with busyness, have also become a ‘god’ in our modern world. People seek positions of authority so that they can affect change – which is great when that life is submitted and surrendered to the Lord. But when power is sought for power’s sake, we must – again – stop and rethink our course of action.
Whether it is the god of busyness and hurry, or the idolatry of power and authority, humility is what is needed to disable both schools of thought.

A humble heart that is willing to yield to its Creator is a powerful heart. When we lay aside our own preferences in favour of the Lord’s ways, we are setting ourselves and those around us up to win in every way imaginable. He is God in Heaven and we are humans on earth. His vantage point is far superior to ours so we must yield to His leadership and headship. Our world is desperate for it.

Prayer

Once we have made our peace with humility and yielding to the Lordship of God, we must seek Him for guidance in how we can partner with Him to bring Heaven to earth. Prayer is simply talking to God and listening for His response. We need not over complicate it further.
As simple as it is, it must be practiced. We must get used to pausing, praying and proceeding.

Pausing to seek God for what He would have us do in any given situation.
Praying with sincere hearts for our lives, nations and world.
Proceeding with obedience in what we sense Him guiding us to do.
Once we become humble enough to lay down our own selfish agendas and self-importance, we will have space to seek God for His pure and righteous agenda. An agenda that could bring our world to a place of reform and even revival.

Question:
• In order to not only see what we want to see – but what God desires for our lives, communities and nations – how can you begin persistently and consistently bringing your requests before God?
• How can you create a more intentional and focused environment for prayer to minimise distractions and allow for more meaningful and contemplative time with Jesus?
Action:
• Prayer brings Heaven (God’s agenda) to earth. Spend some time in prayer, asking God for a prayer strategy for your life, community and nation. Write down what you feel He is saying to you and commit to covering these points regularly.