“My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place” (2 Chronicles 7:13 NLT).
I don’t know about you but I want the prayers in my household to be heard right now. Life as we know it has changed. The world is in a panic and this is just the start of the birth pains. Those of us who are called by our names and written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are being called up. It’s time for us to pray and humble our hearts to God and to one another, He is listening and watching and this IS only the beginning.
God’s promises are always true whether it feels like it or not. I opened this post with one of those promises but there is a lot of things He is calling us, His kids, to do. We, as the Church, are being called to Unite and serve one another during each of the plagues sent on us. I opened it with the promise, but I have to let you read the rest for yourself so I will put it here…
“Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 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 7:12-14).
Humility is tough, let’s be honest. Why is it tough? Growing up, all of the members of my family were really smart. Each of us had our own gifting but most of us, possibly all, are really good with words. We are influential and we like to be held in high esteem. I’m not sure what Enneagram numbers the rest of my family are, but we each can hold our own and yet are quite different. Being the last one born by four years and the only girl, I fought to be heard. It wasn’t until I met Hubby that I ever really felt heard. By that time I was in full habit mode of fighting to be right with words and Hubby wasn’t quite as gifted so I won a lot of the debates (we all know they were actually arguments), or so I thought. He had never really given in on what he believed about things but it made life easier if he simply said nothing. We’ve been together now for 30 years and just these past few years did I stop fighting so much. So did he. We both learned to practice humility because the truth was, we could both be right.
In this passage God is telling us that if we want Him to hear our prayers and have Him answer them, humility is what it will take. In today’s world we are all fighting to be “right” about things that we believe in and the truth is, all sides have some “rightness” to them. What will it take for us to lay our weapons down, to be okay with someone seeing things differently than we do? I know that we have it in us as the family of God but are we willing to risk our pride, ego, or blind spots with the goal of Unity in Christ? Maybe all three?
My prayer as we are facing uncharted territories is that we as a family will Unite in Christ and that His love will be known. God doesn’t want for anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9) and Jesus showed us what love looks like (John 15:13). It’s time dear family, let us show God that we are faithful to Him too. Humble yourself before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and one another. Please pray for a hedge of protection around your town and that anything passing through from this virus would do so quickly, protection over our jobs and economy, and very most pray that God will use this to win the lost. Stand firm in your faith and be different in the storm that is around us. Remember that Peter was able to walk on water with faith (Matthew 14:29).
As Beauty Unfolds... 