Posted on May 21, 2007

TAYLORS, S.C. (BP)--As we continue studying the great passage, 2 Chronicles 7:14, we see God's requirements for renewal and revival. We continue to see what God would wish for us. I ask that we continue in a spirit of self-evaluation and analysis as we ponder our spiritual position and condition.

Second Chronicles 7:14 says this, "And (if) My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."

After God establishes that only His people can experience genuine revival, He goes on to tell us of His requirements for humility. Only when humility comes are we able to begin to see the true picture of our spiritual condition. That is why God then commands us to pray.

Virtually everyone talks about the importance of prayer, yet few model this in schedule, priority and programming. Our prayer meetings are rarely more than the sharing of physical ailments. Rarely do we see the kind of earnest, heartfelt prayer that the Bible talks about in James 5:16, where it says, in part, "The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful."

It is nothing but sheer duplicity to claim that we want spiritual renewal, but to not spend serious time in prayer. It is disingenuous to beg God for spiritual renewal, but to not fill our churches, meetings and ministries with heartfelt, serious praying.
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Frank Page is president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C.