January 31: Debrief

SO, WHAT HAVE I LEARNED?

Thirty days ago, we embarked on a great adventure, 60 DAYS OF PRAYING FOR REVIVAL. We called this adventure, A Heart Cry for Revival. Here are some highlights I have gleaned from my journey:

• I have noticed that my prayers focus more on God and His attributes now than when I first started. I confess that I have usually been too eager to launch into the litany of requests and needs without properly aligning my focus on God and His character.
• My awe-factor has also increased. Our God is amazing and should elicit a feeling of reverence and amazement every time we enter into His sacred presence in prayer. Now, I am not suggesting that God is not always with us. He is ever-present. But when we focus on Him, we should be aware that He is “holy, holy, holy.”
• I am learning that I need this. For some, 30 days may seem interminable and boring. For me, 30 days are not enough. I am sure that when 60 days are finished, I will conclude that they are not enough. I don’t want the intensity to diminish, nor the passion. I want to keep going as long as I can. God is not finished with me yet. And I need Him now more than ever.
• I have been encouraged by the interest and engagement of fellow travelers. It is spiritually invigorating to know that there are many others learning and growing along with me. I also sense that revival is in the air.
• When I heard the phrase, A Heart Cry for Revival, I knew that this is at the heart of true revival: a heartfelt passion for revival. It is this that will sustain our pursuit of revival. My heart is groaning for a mighty wave of the Spirit, filling every heart with His love and power.
• I have noticed that, because of this initiative, I have been consciously practicing the presence of God. I have become more aware of and sensitive to His leading in my life. Things that might discourage or derail me before have no power to do so now.
• I have been learning what it means to live a prayerful life. I am sure that I should have learned this sooner. Often, busy lives and constant pursuits blind us to what is truly important. The urgent crowds out the important, especially what is supremely important. I believe that I am more aware of what is truly necessary in my life.

The world out there is not waiting for a new definition of Christianity; it’s waiting for a new demonstration of Christianity.

In revival, God is not concerned about filling empty churches, He is concerned about filling empty hearts.

Leonard Ravenhill

APPLICATION

January 30: 2 Chronicles 20

PRAYER AND EXPECTATIONS

When we pray, we should always expect God to answer our prayer, but we must avoid the temptation to tell Him how to do it.

then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

2 Peter 2:9 ESV

The victory God gave Jehoshaphat and the people was miraculous. They would only need to trust the LORD to be with them. This was His battle, and He would deliver them. They were not to “fear or be dismayed” as they went out to face the enemy. This message had been delivered by the Spirit-filled prophet Jahaziel. Jehoshaphat embraced this message and reinforced it as the people prepared to go out.

And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”

2 Chronicles 20:20 ESV

When we look at the ways that God delivers people in the Bible, we see that He works in diverse ways. Here, He delivers Jehoshaphat and the people without them having to raise a sword or fight a single person. He delivers David and Israel from Goliath, but David has to swing his sling. God causes the walls of Jerico to fall, but only as the children of Israel obediently walk around them for seven days. Moses raises his staff and the Red Sea parts. He strikes the rock and water flows. When he repeats this at another place, rather than speaking to the rock as commanded, the water flows but he is severely reprimanded. When Israel gets to the overflowing Jordan river, God again parts the waters, but this time the priests have to enter the water with the ark of the covenant. What we see throughout Scripture is that God delivers His people, but on His terms and in His way.

It is tempting to try to figure out how God is going to deliver us. We develop certain expectations as we do this. We may even allow our expectations to guide our prayers. For instance, we may assume that the answer to our prayers involves God providing more resources or money. He may instead provide another way. We may be praying about needing food. He may send a friend who offers cash for grocery shopping, or He may send a friend with food stuffs for the pantry. When we develop expectations about how we feel God should provide, we will inevitably be disappointed with the answer, since it does not fit our criteria. Sometimes, these expectations will even prevent us from seeing the answer God has provided. God is more than able to generously meet our need, but He will do it His way, not ours. Answered prayer will meet our needs, but not our expectations.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV

APPLICATION

Have you been guilty of failing to see God’s answer because of your expectations?

As we pray, let us check our prayers to remove any expectations or directions we may have for the LORD, as we present our needs to Him.

January 29: John 4 

True Worship 

John 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

Jesus, returning to Galilee from Judea, was traveling through Samaria. John, who often makes statements with more than one meaning, says that it was necessary for him to make the journey through Samaria. Of course, it was the most direct route, though strict Jews avoided traveling through the region of outcasts. They would opt for the longer route, crossing over the Jordan and traveling up the east side to avoid defilement. He also needed to go through Samaria to keep a divine appointment.

Jesus, weary from the journey, stopped at Jacob’s well, a historic site in the area. The tomb of Joseph lies near the well. It is situated at the base of Mount Gerizim near Sychar and that city lies near the ruins of Shechem, the city of Jacob’s day. Nearby is the valley between the two mountains, Ebal and Gerizim, where the curses and blessings of the covenant echoed in Joshua’s time. He has sent his disciples to town to find something to eat since it is around noon, a hot time of the day. Jesus is the only visitor at the well until a woman approaches the well. 

She comes alone, and as we learn about her story, we understand some of the reasons. Most women would come to the well in a cooler time of the day and would gladly join with other women to enjoy the fellowship, as well as the help. But this woman has several strikes against her. She is a woman in a man’s world, an inhabitant of Samaria which was lowly esteemed by Jews, and her personal history of broken relationships spoke volumes about the pain, disappointment, and possible abuse she had endured. After trying marriage five times, she had given up and was living with her current partner. She was an outcast among outcasts. 

What intrigues me about this encounter is the depth of the interaction and the depth of spiritual teaching Jesus shares with this woman. Jesus uses the setting as an opportunity to point to a deeper thirst and a more substantial provision he could offer her: living water. Just like Nicodemus she mistakes his offer and thinks only in literal and physical terms, although we can certainly understand her error more readily because she did not have the religious background of Nicodemus. 

The question she raises concerning the place of true worship highlights the differences between the views of the Jews and the Samaritans. The Samaritans had their own version of the Pentateuch, their own temple on Mount Gerizim, and their own rendering of Israel’s history. However, Jesus went directly to the heart of the issue rather than engage in religious wrangling. 

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. (John 4:21-23) 

A new day is dawning. Gone are the tabernacle, temple, Levitical ministry, Aaronic priesthood, emblems and instruments used for worship, and sacrificial ritual as well as a specific geographic place for worship. Worship that pleases God must be true and spiritual. This is what the woman at the well needed most. A spiritual encounter with Jesus will change the course of her life. 

True worship must conform to spiritual realities, and at the foundation of worship is the truth that it is spiritual in nature because God is Spirit. We tend to think of worship in material terms such as a building, music, preaching, ritual, activities, etc. In doing so we show that we have much in common with this woman. True worship is not about any of these things (although it may involve them). Worship is simply connecting to, relating to, God spiritually. It is this simplicity that makes spiritual worship profound. Worship can take place anywhere, anytime, by anyone. Jesus has opened a new way, a spiritual way to approach God. 

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  
 

Hebrews 10:19-25

The great news is that worship is the simplest and most sublime experience – God is searching for, longing to meet with, those who are desperately reaching out to him. These are the worshipers that find him, and in finding him, they find all that they need. 

As we begin to focus upon God the things of the spirit will take shape before our inner eyes. Obedience to the word of Christ will bring an inward revelation of the Godhead (John 14:21-23). It will give acute perception enabling us to see God even as is promised to the pure in heart. A new God-consciousness will seize upon us and we shall begin to taste and hear and inwardly feel the God who is our life and our all. There will be seen the constant shining of the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:9) More and more, as our faculties grow sharper and more sure, God will become to us the great All, and His Presence the glory and wonder of our lives. O God, quicken to life every power within me, that I may lay hold on eternal things. Open my eyes that I may see; give me acute spiritual perception; enable me to taste Thee and know that Thou art good. Make heaven more real to me than any earthly thing has ever been. Amen.

– A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, Apprehending God 

January 28: 2 Chronicles 20:1-12

Responding with a PLEA (verse 12)

We acknowledge that we are unable to face the situation on our own and we look in humble faith to God for His help. Have you done this?

One definition of humility is “an act of submission.”

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

James 4:6-10 ESV

Notice that this passage begins with and ends with humility. Humility forms brackets for this section, much like parentheses function in English. What is found inside these brackets fleshes out what God expects from those who will humble themselves. The essence of Biblical humility is submitting ourselves to God. Rather than giving in to the devil, we draw near to God. We repent (turn away from our sin in sincere devotion to God). When we humble ourselves before the Lord, He promises to exalt, lift up, deliver us.

Jehoshaphat and the people reveal their humility by seeking the Lord (v. 4), recognizing their need for God’s help (v. 12), and exhibiting the appropriate posture and attitude (v. 18). Our deepest needs can only be met by God, and we can only receive help from Him when we humble ourselves before Him.

APPLICATION

How do you express humility before God? Can you truly say that you have humbled yourself before God? Submission is an unpleasant and controversial word in our culture. We may still be refusing to fully submit to God and obey Him.

Are you willing to pray: “Lord, I acknowledge Your authority in my life. I admit that so many times in my life, I have not known what to do. I want my eyes to be on you. I surrender myself to you and offer my life a living sacrifice to you. Do with me as You see fit. I trust You completely to lead and guide me in the way that I should go.

January 27: 2 Chronicles 20:1-12

Rehearsing the SITUATION (verses 10-11)

God already knows what we are facing, but it is important for us to rehearse what we are facing and why we need God’s help.

When I was president of Southern Methodist College, I traveled alone a great deal. This was before technology was sufficiently developed to give easy access to audio books and podcasts. During these lengthy drives I would have the opportunity to meditate on the problems we were facing (there were always problems) and praying that God would lead us to solutions. God often opened my eyes to the root problem and would give guidance concerning the solution as I sought Him in the silence of my automobile. Sometimes we think the problem is a person when it may be a system or procedure instead. And likewise, the problem may be a person with an attitude problem or a skillset that doesn’t match the job. The real problem can be masked by our lack of information, our lack of perspective or our lack of awareness. Thinking through the problem and verbalizing the situation with God allows Him to show us what we really need to know and to give directions for meeting the need.

Jehoshaphat describes to God the situation, as he sees it. He recalls that God would not allow the Israelites to invade Moab, but now Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir have decided to take advantage of Judah and have amassed a huge army to defeat them. He also acknowledges that they are not confronting Judah but are defying God and His possession (the land) which He gave as an inheritance to Israel. Jehoshaphat clearly sees that this invasion is more than a threat to the nation. It is an affront to God and His promise. Therefore, he is confident that God will act to deliver His people.

 Jehoshaphat asks God to judge them. God as Judge is a fearful thing, if we oppose Him, but can be an encouragement, when we are in the right and on His side.

 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Exodus 34:6-7 ESV

Finally, thinking about the situation and clearly understanding the threat, Jehoshaphat and the people recognize the immensity of this challenge and the great need for God’s help.

APPLICATION

After going to God and meditating on a situation, have you understood it better, gained insight into solution, and recognized how much you need His help?

January 25: 2 Chronicles 20:1-12

Remembering WHAT GOD HAS DONE (verse 7)

Remembering the ways God has acted in our behalf in the past encourages us to trust Him in the present situation.

Jehoshaphat recalls how God had been faithful to His people in giving them the land that He had promised them. This included miraculous interventions by God on their behalf. God had driven out the wicked inhabitants of the land and had given the land to Abraham’s descendants as He had promised. This encouragement was a reminder that God would also be faithful to help them keep the land.

When I was a young boy in my early teens, our family lived where plum trees lined both sides of the road beside our house. My brother and I had acquired slingshots and were adept at using them. One afternoon he and I were playing, he on one side of the road and I on the other. We were taking shots at one another, using the green plums that were readily available. As the shots landed, they would produce a sharp sting on our bodies, sometimes leaving lingering whelps. I remember bending down to pick up a plum and reload my sling. As I stood up to take my shot, my brother had just launched a plum toward me. The timing of the shot landed the plum squarely into my left eye. The pressure of the shot caused a split in the rear of my eyeball. It started filling up with fluid.

 I spent two weeks, one in the hospital and another at home, flat on my back with both eyes covered. I was wedged between pillows and was not allowed to turn my head to either side. Because I could not see, I had to have constant attention. I could not lift my head to eat. The doctors were concerned that I might lose sight in that eye. When the eye patches were removed, I discovered that I could still see and my sight in my left eye was barely diminished. The consistent faithful prayers of family and friends had been answered.

My mother told me about an incident that happened when I was an infant. I happened to be allergic to various forms of milk that they sought to give me. One evening I stopped breathing and started turning blue. While my mother sought help, my grandmother picked me up and cradled and rocked me on her breast, praying as earnestly as she knew how. I started breathing and God spared me.

Really, there were many times I came close to death. Did I mention that time a rattlesnake bit me on the top of my boot, or the time I almost reached into a feed sack to find a six-foot rattlesnake, or the time a water moccasin chased me?

Why recall these events? They are reminders that God is faithful and answers prayer. They are reminders that my life is in His hands, and I can trust Him to care for me.

 APPLICATION

What memories of God’s faithfulness has brought encouragement to you?

January 24: 2 Chronicles 20:1-12

 The Prayer (verses 5-12)

Remembering WHO GOD IS (verses 5-6)

Prayer always begins with a focus on God’s character (e.g., The Lord’s Prayer). Remembering Who He is reminds us that He is greater than any circumstance we will ever face. Has this emphasis made an impression on you?

 It’s important to remember who God is. We don’t tell God who He is so He will know. He already knows who He is. We tell Him because He delights in hearing us acknowledge who He is. We also remind ourselves of who He is. And I confess that I need that reminder. It’s easy in the challenges of life to get our eyes focused on the situation and off the Savior. It’s easy to become overwhelmed and think that there is no way out. In these times of distress, we need to remember that we serve the God of the impossible, the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God. Our God is bigger than any problem, any circumstance, any difficulty we may face.

 “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10, ESV)

Jehoshaphat remembers who God is:

• LORD—Yahweh—the self-existent, covenant-keeping God 
• God of our fathers—the God who has been with us in the past
• God in the heavens—Who rules from His heavenly throne
• Ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations—even these kingdoms who are coming against us
• Power and might are in Thy hand—all powerful; Lord, we know nothing is impossible with You.
• No one can stand against Thee—“If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

The names of God are an expression of His character, of who He is. As we learn to contemplate, meditate on and call on these names, we grow in our understanding of who God is.

January 23: 2 Chronicles 20:1-12

The Response (verses 3-4)

Often, circumstances that apply to a group, community or nation invite leaders to issue a call to prayer and believers to bind together in prayer over the situation. Consider the effect that people bound together in prayer can have. Have you observed the power of corporate prayer?

Now, let’s be clear about Jehoshaphat: he was not perfect before the LORD.

• He allied himself by marriage to Ahab, king of Israel (whose wife was Jezebel), one of the evilest kings of Israel. This he did by giving his son, Jehoram, to the daughter of Ahab.
• Jehoshaphat agreed to fight with king Ahab and Israel against Aram, even though Micaiah, the true prophet of God, warned them of the disastrous consequences of doing so. In this battle king Ahab was killed and Jehoshaphat almost lost his life.
• He also made an alliance with king Ahaziah, wicked son of Ahab, to make ships to go to Tarshish and expand trade. God destroyed those ships. These experiences must have taught him valuable lessons:
  

“The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.” (Proverbs 10:8, ESV)

“The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked; he throws the wicked down to ruin.” (Proverbs 21:12, ESV)

Why do I mention these failures? Because I want to emphasize that we do not have to have a perfect track record in order to seek the help of the LORD. Jehoshaphat, like his ancestor before him, king David, committed some glaring sins and made some unwise decisions. But, like king David, he sought the LORD. He did not let those failures keep him from turning to God for help.

In his fear he knew where to turn and he knew that he needed his people to turn to God for help as well. He proclaimed a fast (a serious measure emphasizing the enormity of the situation). The people responded to this call. I believe that they did this, not just because the king proclaimed it, but because they too saw the need to seek the LORD.

APPLICATION

As a child, I witnessed true revival where the lives of people I knew and observed were changed dramatically by the gospel of Jesus Christ. I witnessed a pastor who tirelessly shared the gospel and gave his life to God’s service. I saw people saved from addictions, marriages restored, and the lives of individuals took a whole new direction. I saw revival services extended beyond the one week they had been planned. I saw and felt the Spirit’s work. I believe that those experiences were not unique to a particular place or period of time. I believe that we can see God move in powerful and miraculous ways today. The solution is always the same.

“Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1Chronicles 16:10-11, ESV)

“The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.” (Psalm 14:2, ESV)

““Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7, ESV)

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, ESV)

January 22: 2 Chronicles 20:1-12

The Circumstances (verses 1-2)

Are there circumstances you are facing that God may be using to get your attention?

 Each passage we have studied so far includes circumstances which brought the need for prayer. Isaiah was moved by a new vision of God’s glory. Daniel was moved by God’s promise found in His Word. Nehemiah was moved by the condition of God’s people. And Jehoshaphat and the people were moved by an enormous threat. Most of us have realized that there are always circumstances driving us to our knees. Let us find our source of comfort and strength in God through continual, committed prayer.

The armies posing the enormous threat to Jehoshaphat have come around the southern part of the Dead Sea and have amassed near Engedi. The enemies, Moab and Ammon, were descendants of Lot. God would not allow the Israelites to attack Moab (Deut. 2:8-9; 2 Chr. 20:10) because of this. But now these nations have forgotten the history and relationship they share. They, joined with some Meunites from the area, are determined to invade Jerusalem.

 I have visited this area. Although only about 30 miles from Jerusalem, the sharp rise from 1,400 feet below sea level through the rolling hills of Judea to 2,500 feet above sea level where Jerusalem lies will take time for this large army to maneuver for their attack. This gives Jehoshaphat, who has just learned that the army is gathering there, time to call for a great prayer meeting. It is obvious from Jehoshaphat’s fear that the situation is overwhelming, but a little background study will help us understand why he readily sought help from the LORD.

 Jehoshaphat’s father, Asa, started on the right path with the LORD (2 Chr. 14:2) He removed the foreign altars and high places and tore down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherim. He sought to reestablish the true worship of God and because the people sought the LORD, Judah had rest for ten years. Then a threat appeared from a huge Ethiopian army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots. Facing such overwhelming odds, Asa called upon the LORD and He gave Asa a miraculous victory. Then in the thirty-sixth year of his reign, Asa was confronted with another threat, Baasha, king of Israel. This time, however, Asa resorted to an alliance with Ben-hadad, king of Aram, to help him defeat Israel. This was a costly decision, both financially and spiritually.

 Asa was confronted by Hanani the seer and chastised for relying on men rather than on God. But, as Charles Ryrie points out in his study Bible, “Asa’s kingly pride had been offended by this forthright reminder that he had failed to trust God.” For the rest of his life Asa refused to seek God’s help with disastrous consequences. Jehoshaphat witnessed all of this. He had heard and seen how God had blessed when His people sought His help. He had also seen what happens when God’s help is refused.

 The Chronicler gives this evaluation of Jehoshaphat’s rule:

“The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.”

2 Chronicles 17:3-6, ESV)

 APPLICATION

In the challenging circumstances of life, where do you turn for help?