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2 Chr 7:14 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.
On our 3rd day of prayer I am reminded of God’s command that we should pray.
But true prayer requires humility. Have you ever thought about it this way?
This is because a self-sufficient person doesn’t need to pray. Afterall, the
have everything under control. But a humble person recognizes the truth – that they are just a small part of a really really big picture, that they are limited (at least sometimes) and that ultimately their life is finite and there must be something more than themselves.
Pride however is the opposite of humility. The people of the ancient city of Nineveh were destined for destruction. Their vanity, which led to a perverse way of living, had brought this upon them. When the prophet Jonah shared the news, he thought they would not heed the warning, since they were proud. However, surprisingly they responded in true humility.
From the king to the child, the entire nation was humbled. They stopped eating and started mourning and they put on sack cloth, which was the roughest cloth they could find. This humility went beyond simply fasting. They forsook their wicked ways as well.
Friends, we do need to pray, but primarily we need to be humble. Like the Ninevites, who were really broken up about their sin, we need to repent of our wicked ways.
Wickedness may not always come in the form of something malicious butrather it could be sins of the heart that we have compromised to commit. Maybe pride, or indifference or being judgemental. God wants to move but he needs us to be humble. Then, once we demonstrate our humility by forsaking our ways, he is free to move.
And move he will. Not just in our lives but in the lives of those around . us. He promises to heal our land and bring restoration. You and I know that our land needs healing and many need restoration. God does promise it.
So this new year can I invite you to pray? Pray like you have never prayed before. Trust that God can do what he said he would do. But before you pray, examine your heart and life. Humble yourself before God and you will surely see him move.
– Pastor Olu Jegede