September 9, 2023
Dear Friend,
It is a joy that we are on this journey together! Each day, as I work on the material that we will soon study together, I pray for you. I believe with all my heart that God is doing something new that was planned before the foundation of the world. He is calling His people together for the healing of the nations, our nation, our families, and our own broken hearts. God’s heart is for our world – ALL of us.
The verse that we continue to hold on to is 2 Chronicles 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 will forgive their sin and heal their land."
The very first step required of us is to humble ourselves in prayer.
Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices but only one was accepted. Abel’s humility was seen in the way he obeyed God’s requirement for the sacrifice instead of insisting on his own.
Humility and Prayer
Psalm 95:6-7 gives us insight on how humility and prayer are tied together.
“Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you will hear His voice:
“Do not harden your hearts.”
The Prayer God Desires
Praying in humility starts with listening to what God wants us to pray for. That doesn’t mean God doesn’t care about what we want to pray for.
Remember Job. Job suffered greatly. He lost his health, his wealth, and most importantly, everyone he cared about. Those he thought were his friends hurt him even more. But, the turning point of his story came when “he prayed for his friends” who had behaved like his enemies.
Jesus reminded us to do the same in Matthew 5:44:
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”
The Reward – God Hears
The rewards of praying this way are great both in heaven and on earth!
For just a few moments, stop what you are doing. Get a pen and paper and start writing. Who hurt you? Go as far back as you can. Write those names. And then, start praying. Pray for their healing, for their health, for their happiness. We are all hurting humans. Our world is broken but here is hope. God is our Lord and He promises to HEAR us when we pray according to His will. Warning – we will be tempted to harden our hearts, but the very act of praying is humility in action.
Purposeful Prayer
Will you make this purposeful prayer a part of your routine as I am making it a part of mine? Add yourself to that list. Let’s add each other. We are a part of “the land ” and people God wants to heal because that land is destined to become the Body of the Bride of Christ.
You are loved and you have a hope and a path forward together with every member of God’s family around the world. Our God will restore us better than before. Start believing that with me!
Job 42:10
“And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends.”
Praying for you today, my friend.
Believing God,
Monisha
