That Went By Fast!

Last Friday night, our church hosted a simulcast of CryOut16, an event that will forever be hallmark in our church’s history. If you are not familiar with this event, the press release below will bring you up to speed.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and Revive Our Hearts is hosting a large-scale simulcast prayer event on Friday, September 23 from 6-9 pm CT/PT, 7-10 pm ET/MT to gather thousands of women to pray for God’s mercy and supernatural intervention in our world, our nation, our churches, our cities, and our homes. While the world around us wrestles with wavering hope in political parties, portfolios, safety, stability, or the advancement of the right social cause—we are crying out to the only One who gives hope and peace. Cry Out! is an opportunity for you to actually do something together that will make a difference. Thousands strong. Crying out to the King of Kings to do in us and in our nation what no man-made effort can accomplish. “I’m asking the Lord to place a deeper hunger for prayer in the hearts of thousands of women for such a time as this,” Wolgemuth says. “These are dark days for sure. But this is not a time to despair. These days present an opportunity for the Lord to display His power in amazing ways. That’s why we need to seek His face and to ask Him to show His power by reviving the church and drawing the hearts of lost sinners to Himself.” This three-hour prayer meeting will focus on five areas of prayer emphasis: personal, families, churches, our nation, and the world. Each segment will be led by a different keynote speaker and will include Scripture reading, a short devotional message, corporate interactive prayer, and worship.  (cryout16.com)

Prior to Friday, some ladies wondered if they could last three hours in a prayer meeting.  Some of their family and friends declared doubt as well.  But every lady who stayed until the very end said, “That went by fast!”

Why do we question the ability to spend three hours in the presence of our loving, holy, just, righteous, omnipotent, omniscient, grace-giving God?  May I offer a few suggestions from Psalm 63:1-8?  Feel free to add others in the comment section below.

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

² To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

³ Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

⁴ Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

⁵ My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

⁶ When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

⁷ Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

⁸ My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

1. Our relationship with the Lord is not top priority (63:1)
2. We do not seek the Lord early in time (63:1). Our schedules which reflect our decisions have pushed God right out of our lives.  “Lord, I only need you when I am in trouble.”  Therefore, we are uncomfortable spending 30 minutes or more in His presence because what we do is more important than Who we know.
3. We are not earnestly seeking, thirsting, and longing for our God (63:1). Praying with your eyes and your Bible wide open, praying Scripture, will help you seek after the Lord!
4. We are content to dwell in this dry and thirsty land in our own human power achieving human results that leave us empty and frustrated (63:1). The place of refreshment in this dry and thirsty land is in your prayer closet.
5. Our eyes are not trained to see God, His character and His works, but we are well able to identify what the world is doing. We must train our eyes spiritually on our knees (63:2)
6. Since our life is not given to prayer and meditation upon Him, praise does not come frequently, nor does the uplifted hand (63:3-6). Praise in prayer is an awesome expression of devotion and love before the Father!  Taking time to meditate on Him leads to heart worship and praise . . . and greater faith.

So, what is keeping you from knowing your Heavenly Father in prayer?  If you participated in the CryOut16 prayer event, has your week started off in His presence hungering for more of Who He is?  Have you found yourself saying again, “That went by fast!”

Let these words from Psalm 34 permeate your heart:

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.