Please pray with us

The phone rang and I heard a familiar voice on the other end of the phone line. It was Anne Graham Lotz and she had an important request for Jim and me. I have been privileged to sit under Anne Graham Lotz’s teaching many times. I have a lot of friends and a lot of people I admire – but I only have a few heroes. Anne is one of my heroes. When she teaches God speaks through her, to me. When she preaches, she is empowered by God’s Holy Spirit and I sense his Presence in the room. I do not say those words lightly. I say them now because I want you to know that this is a serious blog post about a serious subject. Anne has been called by God to author a prayer time for our nation. She is calling it 7-7-7 An Urgent Call To Prayer.

I have already registered to receive the seven prayers, beginning July 1st and ending on July 7th with a commitment to fast and pray for seven hours that last day. The seventh month, for seven days ending with a seven-hour commitment to ask God’s blessing on America.

Anne quotes the prophet Joel to help us understand the purpose of this prayer commitment:

Blow the trumpet…sound the alarm…for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand– Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God… ~Joel 2:1, 13

In the Old Testament the phrase “the day of the Lord” meant a historical time of intervention or judgment by God. I have just finished writing a 26-week Bible study from the Minor Prophets. I have to say, more than once during these past weeks I have sat quietly with my Bible and asked the Lord to help me understand these times in which I live and do ministry. In so many ways, the spiritual culture of the United States is today, what Israel was when “the day of the Lord” occurred. It was at that time Israel fell, taken into captivity by Assyria. And Israel has never been what it once was.

The one message that is repeated over and over in Scripture is this: God brings judgment against sin. The thing I found myself thinking about most often while writing the study was God’s timing. The “day of the Lord” occurred when God’s people were no longer faithful and especially during the time when God’s people were not teaching the truth of his word. 2 Chronicles 7:14 begins, “If my people, who are called by my name . . .” God responds to the faithful, genuine prayers of his people. Spiritual awakening will not be a political movement and it will not be a church program. Awakening will follow a time of humble repentance by those of us God has adopted as his own, the Christians.

I believe God will respond to the prayers we pray for these seven days in July. I know that Anne has prayed for God’s heart and his words so the Holy Spirit would use her to lead us to pray as we should. I hope that every one of you will sign up to receive these seven prayers. I will have a link at the top of my website asking people to join us. Jim is sending the message out to his readers as well. This isn’t another thing for you to do – it is the most important thing you can do. Don’t sign up out of curiosity, sign up because it is a genuine commitment.

Our country needs a spiritual awakening this July. I don’t want to celebrate what our country has been, I want to celebrate what God would have our country become. Please join me in genuine, repentant, prayer. God doesn’t want outward displays for others to see. He said, “rend your heart, not your garments.” He said, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways – then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Peter preached after Pentecost to the Israelites in Jerusalem saying, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord (Acts 3:19).

We need to pray. Will you join us?

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