Thank you for committing to pray. There were 110 people who stepped up saying, "I will partner with you in prayer." When you think about it, that's pretty amazing.

Prayer is the key to it all. All through the Bible we see that great movements of God began with prayer.

·      Before the Exodus, the Bible says that God said, "...I have heard the cries of my people."

·      Throughout the book of Judges you read that before the deliverer is raised up, the people  cry out. Before Gideon led the people, the scriptures say, "Then the people cried out to the Lord for help ... when they cried out ... the Lord sent a prophet."  

·      On Mt. Carmel, before the power of God was displayed for all to see, Elijah the prophet, prayed.

·      During the reign of a child king named Josiah, the word of God was recovered in the discovery of a scroll. The first thing the King did was call the people to prayer, and the next thing that happened was a great time of renewal.

·      Before Nehemiah rebuilt the great city of Jerusalem, we are told in the opening paragraph that he sat down, and cried, fasted, and prayed.

·      Before Esther went before her King to plead for his mercy and deliverance from the plans of an evil one, she called upon the entire nation to fast (and pray).

Over and over you see it again and again. Before God moves, he calls us to pray. At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon (the wisest of all men), Solomon prayed over the temple. And God answered him saying, (in part) ...

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

And then I love this next line ...

My eyes will be open and ears attentive to every prayer made in this place...

God promises that he will listen with "eyes wide open". He will be attentive.

As I shared on Sunday, I'm not sure where this call to prayer is going. My purpose was to be obedient to what I sensed God saying to me and through me - that He longs to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine - but that we are simply "not ready" in prayer.

So my request today is that you and I would begin where all great movements of God begin-in prayer, seeking His face that we might know Him, hear from Him, and respond to him in obedience and love.

In fact this next Sunday we are going to focus on an experience in which Isaiah "saw God". Would you read Isaiah 6 and discover what you see when you are in God's presence? Our first step is just to come into His presence and see ... pray with your eyes wide open.