Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2 NIV 1984
The story of God leading the Israelites to the land He’d promised is enthralling. It’s a plot full of twists and turns, of battles and testing, and ultimately of God bringing to fruition a promise that was over 400 years old. Over the course of this time, God moved in powerful ways. He fulfilled promises to individuals, raised up mighty leaders, fought battles for His people, set captives free, parted waters, and so much more.
In chapter three of Habakkuk, we read a prayer in which the prophet reminisces about these moves of God. He asks God to do a new work in the present, like the works He did in the past.
“Prayer precedes mighty moves of God.”
Prayer precedes mighty moves of God. “16…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16b NIV). If we want God to do a new work in us, in our church, in our community, and throughout the world, we must pray.
Jonathan Edwards, a great theologian and key figure in The Great Awakening, said, “So it is God’s will, through His wonderful grace, that the prayers of His saints should be one great and principal means of carrying on the designs of Christ’s kingdom in the world. When God has something very great to accomplish for His church, it is His will that there should precede it the extraordinary prayers of His people.”1
Do you want God to do a new work in your life? Do you want to see Him move mightily across Hampton Roads? Begin with prayer. Commit now to praying diligently together with the Liberty family for the next 40 days.
APPLICATION
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- Spend some time praying for a mighty move of God. Pray that He would do a new work in you personally, that He would do a new work in our church, and that He would do a new work in Hampton Roads and around the world.
- Pray that today would mark a moment in time when you, and we as a church, move forward in the things of God.
- Commit to getting together with brothers and sisters from the Liberty family once a week for next four weeks for the purpose of connecting to God, to others, and to service opportunities. There will be a #CircleUp connection event at each campus on Sunday. If you are not already in a small-group Bible study, this is great opportunity to join with others in praying for a mighty move of God.
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1 Edwards, Jonathan. Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 1. Christian Classics Ethereal Library. http://www.ccel.org/e/edwards/works1.ix.vi.iii.html. Accessed: 13 September 2016.