January 21st, 2025
My church and many others around the world are in the last few days of a time of prayer and fasting. During this fast, and especially this week, I have been thinking about the transformative power of prayer, not only in our individual lives, but in a family, a church, a city, and a nation. If we really understood the power of our prayer, especially our prayer together, I don’t believe we would ever neglect it.
2 Chronicles 7:14 says,
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and their land.”
God has always promised to hear the prayers of His people for a nation, not just an individual and we see this truth throughout the Bible.
Recently, I asked a group of children in church to give me some examples of times in the Bible that prayer changed a situation for a group of people.
Their examples were phenomenal. They brought up Esther, Jonah, Elijah, and many others. The first story brought up was Jonah. Now, Jonah was sent to a wicked city of Ninevah. Most know the tale of the prophet in the belly of giant fish for 3 days, but the power of this story is actually in God’s mercy, toward him and the city of Ninevah. Jonah came with a proclamation of Ninevah’s destruction, but when the word of Lord reached the king, he proclaimed a time of repentance and fasting in the whole nation. Jonah 3:10 says,
“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”
God is moved repentance. He’s moved by prayer. The consequence of sin is always destruction, but God waits to be merciful to individuals and nations. God waits to hear to the prayers of His people. James 5:16-18 says
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
James’ example of prayer is the prophet who prayed fire down from heaven and prayed for a drought that lasted for years. That example was meant to encourage us to believe the power of our prayers as we stand before God robed in the righteousness of Jesus.
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.
There is another example of the corporate power of prayer in the word of God found in 2 Chronicles 20 (one of my favorite stories).
King Jehoshaphat was righteous king of Judah and in this story, he was told that multiple enemy armies were coming to destroy them.
2 Chronicles 20:3 says that the king was alarmed and “resolved to inquire of the Lord, proclaiming a fast for all Judah.”
He didn’t begin to panic or strategize how they were going to defeat the enemies coming against them. He understood that without God’s intervention, they had no hope.
The people gathered together to pray at the temple in Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat prayed a powerful public prayer. I encourage you to read this story in its entirety, but the king finished his prayer saying,
“Oh, our God, will you not execute judgment on [our enemies]? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)
After his prayer, a Levite man stood up and prophesied. God responded to the prayers of His people saying, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's… You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:15,17)
When they went to battle, they trust the word of the Lord so completely that they sent the worshippers before the military men, singing a song of victory without ever having fought the battle. 2 Chronicles 20:21 says,
‘“And when [King Jehoshaphat] had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.”’
When they came to the battlefield, the opposing armies had fought themselves until every man was dead. They took the plunder back to Jerusalem rejoicing!
We see so much powerful truth in this story. We see a people who understood they were powerless without God, but who knew that their hope was in prayer and fasting. When they called on the Lord, He answered, as He has always promised to do. When we don’t know what to do, the best prayer we can pray is what King Jehoshaphat prayed:
“We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
Especially when we don’t know what to do, we must keep our eyes on the Lord. It’s not the time to strategize in our own strength. It’s the time to wait on the word of the Lord to give the strategy. If the king had consulted his military leaders, the battle plan would not have been to send the men with the harps to the front of the battlefield, but that was God’s plan. It was the only plan that won the battle before the fight had started.
God will give us strategy in prayer that doesn’t make sense to the world but will glorify His name. 2 Chronicles 20:29 says,
“And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.”
When we pray, it will be for our victory and God’s glory.
If Elijah’s prayers alone held the power that they did, how much more power do our prayers have together, as the body of Christ in agreement with God’s word?
We can pray for the hearts of a nation to turn to back to God.
We can pray for laws that align with God’s word.
We can pray for truth to be taught in school systems.
We can pray for darkness to be exposed so that truth can be revealed.
This week, we encourage you to pray like you’ve never prayed before. This is the time to seek the Lord for transformation in lives, our families, our churches, our nation, and the nations of the world. Our prayers have great power in their working!
2 Chronicles 7:14 says,
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and their land.”
God has always promised to hear the prayers of His people for a nation, not just an individual and we see this truth throughout the Bible.
Recently, I asked a group of children in church to give me some examples of times in the Bible that prayer changed a situation for a group of people.
Their examples were phenomenal. They brought up Esther, Jonah, Elijah, and many others. The first story brought up was Jonah. Now, Jonah was sent to a wicked city of Ninevah. Most know the tale of the prophet in the belly of giant fish for 3 days, but the power of this story is actually in God’s mercy, toward him and the city of Ninevah. Jonah came with a proclamation of Ninevah’s destruction, but when the word of Lord reached the king, he proclaimed a time of repentance and fasting in the whole nation. Jonah 3:10 says,
“When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”
God is moved repentance. He’s moved by prayer. The consequence of sin is always destruction, but God waits to be merciful to individuals and nations. God waits to hear to the prayers of His people. James 5:16-18 says
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
James’ example of prayer is the prophet who prayed fire down from heaven and prayed for a drought that lasted for years. That example was meant to encourage us to believe the power of our prayers as we stand before God robed in the righteousness of Jesus.
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.
There is another example of the corporate power of prayer in the word of God found in 2 Chronicles 20 (one of my favorite stories).
King Jehoshaphat was righteous king of Judah and in this story, he was told that multiple enemy armies were coming to destroy them.
2 Chronicles 20:3 says that the king was alarmed and “resolved to inquire of the Lord, proclaiming a fast for all Judah.”
He didn’t begin to panic or strategize how they were going to defeat the enemies coming against them. He understood that without God’s intervention, they had no hope.
The people gathered together to pray at the temple in Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat prayed a powerful public prayer. I encourage you to read this story in its entirety, but the king finished his prayer saying,
“Oh, our God, will you not execute judgment on [our enemies]? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)
After his prayer, a Levite man stood up and prophesied. God responded to the prayers of His people saying, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's… You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:15,17)
When they went to battle, they trust the word of the Lord so completely that they sent the worshippers before the military men, singing a song of victory without ever having fought the battle. 2 Chronicles 20:21 says,
‘“And when [King Jehoshaphat] had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
“Give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.”’
When they came to the battlefield, the opposing armies had fought themselves until every man was dead. They took the plunder back to Jerusalem rejoicing!
We see so much powerful truth in this story. We see a people who understood they were powerless without God, but who knew that their hope was in prayer and fasting. When they called on the Lord, He answered, as He has always promised to do. When we don’t know what to do, the best prayer we can pray is what King Jehoshaphat prayed:
“We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
Especially when we don’t know what to do, we must keep our eyes on the Lord. It’s not the time to strategize in our own strength. It’s the time to wait on the word of the Lord to give the strategy. If the king had consulted his military leaders, the battle plan would not have been to send the men with the harps to the front of the battlefield, but that was God’s plan. It was the only plan that won the battle before the fight had started.
God will give us strategy in prayer that doesn’t make sense to the world but will glorify His name. 2 Chronicles 20:29 says,
“And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.”
When we pray, it will be for our victory and God’s glory.
If Elijah’s prayers alone held the power that they did, how much more power do our prayers have together, as the body of Christ in agreement with God’s word?
We can pray for the hearts of a nation to turn to back to God.
We can pray for laws that align with God’s word.
We can pray for truth to be taught in school systems.
We can pray for darkness to be exposed so that truth can be revealed.
This week, we encourage you to pray like you’ve never prayed before. This is the time to seek the Lord for transformation in lives, our families, our churches, our nation, and the nations of the world. Our prayers have great power in their working!
No Comments