Category: Devotion of the Day

Prayer Is Not Enough

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
II Chronicles 7:14

It will readily be seen here that God requires four things, not just one. And He will not settle for a fourth of what He requires. If we are going to use this verse let us use all of it. Sometimes we make it sound as though a prayer meeting alone were sufficient to produce a revival. God has said more here than “pray.”

We are to humble ourselves – not pray for humility, but humble ourselves, “as a little child” (Mt. 18:4), “in the sight of the Lord” (Jas. 4:10), “under the mighty hand of God” (I Pt. 5:6). We are to seek God’s face, His favor, the smile of His approval. “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek” (Ps. 27:8). Is that what your heart says?

And we are to turn from our wicked ways. That fourth note is rather subdued these days. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Prov. 28:13).

Praying is not enough if God requires more. And in this sadly misused text He certainly does!

Supposing

But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey.
Luke 2:44

Joseph and Mary supposed Jesus was with them when He was not. How many religious groups and movements run on for years long after Jesus has dropped out from the procession!

How many churches still carry on their programs, their Sunday-by-Sunday uprisings and downsittings and yet, like Samson, wist not that the Spirit of the Lord has departed!

And all because so many of us go on many a day’s journey after we have left Jesus far behind, so far as the conscious sense of His presence and blessing is concerned. We sing the same songs, say the same prayers, give the same testimonies, but men see Him not in their lives because His presence is only a supposition.

It will not do to proceed on a supposition. We must make sure of Jesus or we travel in vain. Nothing is so futile as religious activity that only imagines the Lord’s presence. We might well inquire, “Is the Lord among us or not?” It is wrong to doubt His presence when we may be sure of it, but it is foolish to imagine His presence when there is proper occasion to doubt it.