Lead With Prayer

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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. - 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

What do you notice about this verse? What jumped out at you?:

2 Chronicles 7:14 is a perfect example of how prayer can shift the atmosphere. In the previous chapters of 2 Chronicles, it discusses the earlier years of King Solomon’s reign and how he longed for the people of his nation to seek and encounter God’s presence. One of the ways Soloman did this is by helping to build a temple in which he believed would be the ‘appointed place’ that people would encounter God and all His glory.

We see in the later verses, that the Lord was pleased about Solomon’s decision and made there promises to the people. And those promises still hold true for us today. The first is that He will hear you, the second is that He will forgive you, and the third is that He will heal your land. Although God’s promises are true, the people still had to “put in the work” to see those promises fulfilled. The first is that they had to come to the Lord in humility when communing with Him, the second is that they had to earnestly seek God and go to Him in prayer, and the third is to deny their own fleshly desires and turn from wicked ways. The Lord wants to bless us, but also wants to know that we submit to His will alone, through obedience.

2 Chronicles 7:14 displays how critical prayer is; not only in your individual relationship with God, but for our families, friends, communities, nation, and world as a whole. Prayer is a powerful weapon used against the tactics of the enemy. It is so powerful that as a believer you can intercede (in prayer) for those who do not believe in God, and they will be covered by a God they still have yet to know. Prayer is so powerful that you can be in one location and pray for someone across the world and God will have the ability to meet that person right where they are (even though you physically can’t). As believers, we need to “lead with prayer” and be the example. God’s promises won’t just change your life, but it will profoundly impact those around you, and generations to come after you.

Answer & Reflect on the following question (s):

“Lead with Prayer” was the title of the message this past Sunday. Ask yourself, are you truly leading all aspects of your life with prayer (your health, your home, your family, your job, your ministry, etc.)? Is prayer apart of your daily life? If not, ask yourself why it isn’t and make it a point to fit prayer into your everyday routine. If you truly want to be intentional, ask another believer to be an accountability partner for you. You can also set an alarm or reminder on your phone. Make it a point to not just commune with God through prayer when you have a need, but because you truly want to seek Him in all things.

Speak to the Lord and spend some time in prayer:

Father, we thank You for always being there. We thank You that You are a God who longs to hear from His children; that You long to commune with us. So many people feed into the lie that they are alone in this world, but we know that with You, we are never truly alone. Through You, we always have a line of communication. We pray, that we do not take You for granted. Help us to not just come to You in times of desperation and trouble, but help us to earnestly seek You in all things. In Your name we pray… Amen!