100 HOURS OF PRAYER FOR SBC - WHATS NEXT

 Greetings,

"Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning; And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil. Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?" – Joel 2:12-14

Last week, we dedicated ourselves to a protracted time of prayer for 100 consecutive hours. We sought the Lord's grace, mercy, and divine help for all of SBC life. Although a small remnant joined us for this time of prayer, it was powerful. Out of 10 million active SBC members, and 4 to 5 million Sunday morning attenders, over 100 individuals participated. It reminded me of Gideon's army—300 warriors against the Midianites. Yet, we know it’s not the number that matters, but the faithful application of prayer. As Samuel Chadwick said, "A prayer life is a life that prays." Setting aside such a dedicated time for prayer is critical in these days of evil and uncertainty about our future. God has raised up a faithful host to seek Him, understanding the urgency of our present hour and the need to prevail in prayer.

The verses from Joel are clear in their message: we need God's divine help. How many times might we have cried out during those 100 hours, "Help us, O God, help us!" We recognize God's judgments going out against our nation, our families, our cities, and even the church. But we are also witnessing a movement of the Spirit across our nation. Great things are happening on college campuses. We are seeing baptisms and hearing reports from those who have not baptized anyone in years. God is moving among us. Yet, alongside this wave of grace, a tide of evil continues to sweep through our society in the form of various epidemics. We desperately need God to move with even greater grace and mercy.

Earlier in Joel, God lists the judgments He brings upon a nation, calling for a solemn assembly when we see these things. We are to come before Him in worship, confess our failings, and plead for Him to relent from the calamity He has warned us about. Why have a solemn assembly? Why dedicate extended times to prayer? Why continue calling for prayer gatherings for the SBC and the entire church? Because, as the Scripture says, "Who knoweth if He will repent and return and leave a blessing behind Him."

Some may question or even be skeptical about such calls to prayer. But I know that these times of prayer can prevail with God. They can change the course of our nation's fate and give us more time and opportunity to serve Him. Every revival in the church’s history has been preceded by the prayers of a faithful few, much like Gideon’s 300, going to battle—not with weapons, but on their knees—seeking the holy, righteous God, whose desire is that none should perish.

I thank you once again for those of you who joined us for the 100 hours of prayer. Why did I organize this? Because the Lord told me to, and I obeyed. Why do I continue calling for more prayer gatherings and solemn assemblies? Because I know that God honors the prayers of His saints. I do not want to look back on the other side of judgment and wish that I had prayed more or done more. No! I will do all I can now, because of that recurring phrase in the Old Testament: "Who knows if He will turn and leave a blessing behind Him." Hear our prayer, O Lord, and repent of the evil determined against our nation. Heal us and revive us again, O Lord!

SUGGESTED PRAYER EMPHASIS:

  1. Annually set aside times for extended prayer, such as 100 hours of prayer or a special day of emphasis on prayer.
  2. Organize Concerts of Prayer, remembering how during the Great Awakening, the first day of each month was set aside for prayer and fasting for revival, the church, and society. Churches and regions would gather to cry out to the Lord. He was faithful to hear and answer (Jeremiah 33:3).
  3. Restore the spiritual discipline of fasting, both individually and corporately. Remember the Scripture: "This kind can come forth by nothing but prayer and fasting."
  4. Establish regional prayer times throughout the year to seek God and wrestle with Him for victory. "With great wrestlings, they did wrestle and prevailed." We must do the same!
  5. Examine the state of prayer in our lives and churches. How is your prayer life? How is the prayer life of your pastor and your church? I recall the first time I attended Don Miller’s prayer conference in Florida. A longtime pastor and prayer leader in the SBC, he opened the night with a striking statement: "I prayed for God to remove my pastor from the pulpit. This past week, he resigned. I did this because he was not a praying pastor." Wow! That statement stunned me and stayed with me ever since. We are called to be houses of prayer and people of prayer.

These are a few suggestions to consider and implement in the prayer life of the SBC. While we still have time, let us be obedient to the heavenly calling of our Lord.

Blessings!

Summary:

We completed our 100 hours of prayer for SBC. Quite an array from across SBC life. Very grateful for all that joined us and helped during this prayer time. 

around 100 participants;
4 of the 6 seminaries participated;
20 state conventions represented;
SBC leadership - Jeff Iorg & Clint Pressley; along with several SBC executive committee trustees and officers;
SBC entities: IMB & WMU; Paul Chitwood of IMB signed on; 1 SBC foreign missionary;
7 SBC state executive directors;
Several SBC state convention officers;
Several associational leaders;
Several SBC churches signed on and took time slots;

The greatest influx was from Southwestern Seminary. David Dockery had already signed up before I met him in Nashville. I shared my thanks and appreciation for joining us and talked a moment about prayer. He then proceeded to have the whole campus alerted to the call to pray. Then dozens began to sign up and join us. How much more may have signed on, had other SBC leadership initiated to make their people aware of this and help more to sign on.


Until,
Dan Biser
rdbiser@live.com



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