God has not committed Himself to hear every prayer. Did you know that? In fact, God says, “If we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:15). The difficulty is not getting God to answer, but getting God to hear.
When will God hear? 2 Chronicles 7:14 says: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
What will God do when He hears from heaven?
"Forgive their sins." Whose sin? The sin of the prostitute or the drug addict? No, the sin of the church!
“And heal their land.” To me the issue is clear. If a land is not healed, the fault is with the people of God. The responsibility for the condition of our country lies at the door of the professing church. I believe that this is exactly the truth. If our land is not healed, the responsibility rests with us. I share the responsibility with you. I am not telling you something that is true about you but not about me.
Healing through Prayer
How can we bring healing? I am going to speak to you about prayer. I will base my teaching on the first four verses of 1 Timothy chapter 2:
- “I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
- “for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
- “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
- “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Let us consider these words. Paul says, “First of all, pray!” If you bypass prayer, you can have all sorts of plans, systems and programs, but you do not have the power to operate them. It is like having a building wired for electricity, but not connected to the generator. Nothing is going to work. The wires may be in good order and the light fixtures may be wonderful, but you are not going to get results, because there is no power. The powerhouse of the Christian church is prayer, and Paul very logically says, “First of all, pray!”
Father, I pray for the healing of my country! Teach me, through Your Holy Spirit, to pray in such a way that Your healing power can touch my country. Open my spiritual eyes and my heart to see how important it is to pray for the government. In the name of Jesus, amen!
