Throughout the ages, there has been a been a common theme that appears concerning the relationship between God and His people. That “if my people who are called by my name would humble themselves then I would hear from heaven and come heal the land” This is the promise the Lord revealed to King Solomon for His people. Despite the changing nature of people, God is unchanging and is always faithful to His promises. The whole of the Old Testament revolves around the people rebelling then humbling themselves and God answering their cries. The way He answers is always different and shows His immense wisdom in choosing the perfect solution for that specific group of people.
The first outcry that broke out was when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt
The Lord sent Moses and led them to the promise land
In the times following the entrance into the Promise Land
The Lord would sent judges to come deliver the people from the hands of the enemy
In the times of the kings….
The Lord would grant victory and prosperity to the Land when the King would lead the people into repentance. It says in the book of Chronicles that the Lord gave him rest on every side.
In the times following the exile…
He sent Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild the city
Before the Lord would answer, the people would be in a place of complete brokenness.
They would gather from every town throughout the country to seek the Lord.
The book of Lamentations a whole book devoted to Lamenting before the Lord …
“How deserted lies the city once so full people….How the gold has lost its lustre”
And again in the book of Joel
“mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the husband of her youth….Put on sackcloth, O priests and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend a night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God….Declare a holy fast a sacred assembly.
“Even now declares the Lord return to me with all your heart with fasting and weeping and mourning”
The people would only turn to the Lord in their most desperate times, despite the countless warnings that were given to them ahead of time by the prophets. They would refuse to listen and would mock them until it was to late. In fact there are only two times from my reading the scripture that the Israelites just listened and obey. Once during th reign of King Asa and the other in the time of Zerebabbel.
Finally God sends Jesus because everyone else He sent the prophets before Jesus weren’t able to solve the problem. Jesus tells us this is the parable of the tenants.
This theme of crying to the Lord does not change but continues in the New Testament
Jesus says:
“How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while is he with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast."
Jesus is referring to the future church.
We see that the early church would be praying
When Peter was in prison “many gathered and were praying. The early church would be praying for strength and boldness after John and Peter were beaten by the Sanhedrin.
In the book of James, he describes a church that is full of many disputes and fighting and he tells them to turn their laughter into mourning and to weeping and your joy to gloom Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord and he will exalt you
In the times following the bible, the same theme would also be prevalent in the church. Every great revival ever record in history started with people praying and crying out to the Lord in desperation.
Samuel Mills was a freshman at Williams College in Massachusetts in 1806, when he met with four friends for prayer about revival and world missions. When a rainstorm hit, they took refuge under a haystack and continued to pray (thus becoming known as the "Haystack Five"). "When the rain subsided, Mills stood up, slammed his fist into his hand, and announced, 'We can do this, if we will!'" These five young collegians stepped out in faith and not only initiated the first nationwide student movement, but also began the first six mission agencies from North America.
At the age of 13, Evan Roberts began to seek the Lord. When he was 26, revival came to his hometown in Wales. He taught the people to pray two simple prayers, "Send the Spirit now for Jesus Christ's sake," and, "Send the Spirit now more powerfully for Jesus Christ's sake." God's Spirit came so powerfully that 100,000 people were born again.
It says in the book of Hebrews
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us
With these great testimonies of faith, What will our response be? Can we live up to the standard set before us by our predecessors?
Brothers and sisters, it is time for us to awake for the hour of our salvation is closer than when we first believed. We are in the last days there is not much time left. We are in desperate times, a time where the harvest has been eaten by locusts, a time when we are surrounded be an army to large for us to fight. We must understand the times we are in and the pressing urgency if we are to spread the Word of God effectively in our lives. If we are to pray with the conviction and power that we are commanded to pray with in His Word.
