Jeremy L. Berg

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” (2 Chr. 7: 14).

The classic Bible passage for the National Day of Prayer is 2 Chronicles 7:14.  This scripture calls for a corporate display of humility and dependence upon God.  The entire nation of Israel is here invited to national repentance from self-sufficiency and to turn as one people to seek God’s face through prayer.  The hope, of course, is that the floodgates of God’s mercy and blessings will once again be poured out on the land.

I love BIG VISION, crying out for BIG REVIVAL, organizing BIG NATIONAL gatherings and inviting God to move in BIG WAYS. The National Day of Prayer is the one day a year where we dream big dreams of more widespread revival and renewal — not just for private prayers for close family and relatives.  Tonight I will gather with friends in my community to pray for the government, the schools, the community, the future and revival.  Once a year we are invited to lay BIG national causes at the foot of our mighty God and think more globally.

Yet, should all of this focus on the BIG — the GLOBAL, the NATIONAL, the HOPE OF REVIVAL that would spread like wildfire, or perhaps the swine flu — be balanced with a more “mustard seed” approach to prayer found in other scriptures?   Tonight as I share some reflections at a local prayer gathering in town, I am going to focus on the Apostle Paul’s prayer for his people found in Philippians 1:9-10:

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. ¹⁰ For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. ¹¹ May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

As I’ve said before: When Paul prays, I listen.  I want to know the drumbeat and rhythms of this man’s prayer life and emulate it as much as possible.  Paul reminds us in this passage that the BIG revivals that sweep nations, cross oceans, make headlines, change lives and “heal the land” all begin with individual transformation in individual hearts.

Do we want revival?  Then we should pray, like Paul, that our brothers and sisters, cousins and coworkers, neighbors and enemies, will all encounter the living God and begin growing more and more in knowledge and spiritual insight.  As they do, their love will overflow more and more until that love begins spilling into the streets, changing marriages, advancing the causes of social justice.  As we are filled more and more with “the fruit of salvation” our character will become contagious, spreading God’s love across our lawns to our neighbors, and overseas as missionaries go out, and so on.

So, this National Day of Prayer, I’m trying to balance BIG DREAMS with small, quiet prayers for small mustard seeds of faith to be sown.  Overtime, with God’s help, we’ll be part of reaping a great harvest.  But every national revival begins with a series of smaller, individual revivals of the soul.

So, Lord, heal our land, yes; but heal me first!