Likewise , in Europe today , prayerlessness is one of the biggest spiritual problems among God ’ s people , and the cause of it is just the same . We need to cry out to God for his mercy and power to help us in our spiritual lethargy . How can we remain silent when the physical description of Jerusalem during the captivity matches the spiritual captivity of the church in Europe today ?
SEEKING GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART
God has plans for his people and , despite our sin and hardness of heart , he wants to fulfil these plans to bless us and give us hope for our lives and our nations ( Jeremiah 29:11 ).
This promise made to Judah of old , is as relevant to us today , as it was to the people of God in those days . But Jeremiah goes on to show what conditions we have to fulfil in order to see this promise come about in our lives . God promises to come to those who humble themselves before him – to those who seek him with all their heart , “ And you will seek Me and find Me , when you search for Me with all your heart ” ( Jeremiah 29:13 ).
God is Sovereign in all he does . This means he moves where he wills , when he wills and how he wills – without asking anyone ’ s permission . But part of his sovereign plan is to manifest his grace and power where certain conditions are met . However this is not in our human capacity to engineer . We owe everything to the gracious hand of God moving in our lives and to the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts .
THE MERCY OF GOD
We are utterly dependent on him to pour out a spirit of prayer and supplication upon us . We are powerless without his mercy extended to us . All we can do is call upon him in desperation , knowing our total dependence on him .
Once we realise that there is nothing that we can do of ourselves to make him come to us or make him do what we want him to do , we are ready to be serious with him . he comes to the desperate , the helpless – those who know they have no power in themselves . he comes to those who have no pull on him but his sheer mercy , faithfulness and covenant love . Such dependence on God will drive us to our knees in prayer and on our faces in repentance .
Call upon him today with all the strength he gives you . It ’ s time to return to the Lord . Ask him to give you divine assistance . Acknowledge your powerlessness , because without him you can do nothing . We need him to act . Without his intervention we will surely perish . No society without God can survive in the long run . Our only hope of seeing the tide turn and God ’ s glory come back is revival .
Let him take away that old , stony heart of yours and give you a new heart of flesh that ’ s sensitive and responsive to him . As one by one we catch the fire , personal revival becomes corporate revival . Let ’ s do it ! Let ’ s seek him with all our hearts and keep on seeking him until he comes and bringing the fruits of revival with him .
26 Revival Times March 2018