Praying for a Revived Church

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV

14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Praying for a Revived Church

Last week, we began by focusing on personal revival—on coming to God with open, willing hearts and asking Him to renew us individually. Because revival always begins there, in the quiet places of each of our hearts, where God’s Spirit can stir us and transform us. But personal revival is just the starting point. God never intended for His work to remain with just one person. Real revival grows and spreads, flowing outward from our hearts into our families, our church, and then into the community around us. This week, we’re looking at what happens when revival spreads beyond each of us, igniting something powerful within the whole body of believers.

Last week, we started with personal revival—inviting God into our broken, open, willing hearts and having Him come to us and revive us personally. Because, for one thing, there is no revival without that, in the quiet corners of every heart where God's Spirit may lift us and make us new. But it's not only about individual revival. God never meant His work to remain within a single individual. In truth, revival spreads and expands outward from our hearts into our families, our church, and ultimately our community.

This week, we'll see what happens when revival sets in and breaks beyond one person, lighting up something deep in the body of believers. Imagine a little flame burning in one heart, then spreading to another, and another, until the entire place was hot and bright. Revival isn't meant to be limited; it's meant to spread. The church works best when the church is unified, humble, and deeply prayerful.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God speaks directly with His people about the power of their collective unity. He says, "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." God's call is not limited to lonesome souls here. And he calls all his people to come together — humble and unified before him. It's a challenge for the church to become one, to seek His face in prayer, and to turn from everything that has kept us distant from Him. It's a surrender to God's healing power, not only for ourselves but for our church, our nation, and the world.

What if, as a church, we would all respond to this invitation? Imagine us gathering purposefully, leaving our private agendas behind and bringing ourselves to God as a single assembly, seeking His renewal, his restoration of our calling as His people. What if we became a church that prayed for personal revival and lived as a community with a collective thirst for God's presence? And what if our meetings became a place where we didn't turn up to take our seat but instead turned up to meet God face to face, and pray sincerely for a transformation in our church, in our communities, and beyond?

In this passage, God is leading us into something great and powerful. But it begins with humility, with each of us understanding our dependence on God. He's not asking us to try to revive ourselves through our strength or good deeds. He's asking us to humble ourselves, to unite and confess that we can't make a difference on our own without Him. This humility, this readiness to acknowledge the need for God, is the seed of revival.

When we pray together, not individually, but as a family or community, things begin to happen. Prayer isn't a habit; it's access to God's heart. In the collective prayer, we are not only saying some words; we are submitting to God's will, allowing His Spirit to fill our lives and our church with His strength. And we're calling on God to heal, to restore, to revive us in order that we can bring His love and grace to the world.

As we consider God's invitation to seek revival, we discover that the first step isn't to do more or work harder. Revival begins with humility—an honest recognition of our need on God. Before any meaningful change can occur, we must approach Him with open, humble hearts, knowing that we cannot bring revival on our own. This gets us to our first point, the call to humility.

The Call to Humility: Recognizing Our Need for God

When God starts His call to revival in 2 Chronicles 7:14, He begins with a specific condition: humility. "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves..." He doesn't start with work, achievement, or repentance but with humility. God requires that we come before him with a humble, sincere, and open heart to receiving His presence.

Humility grounds revival because it reframes our outlook. Instead of trying to fix everything or prove ourselves worthy, we realize that we can't change things for ourselves and have nothing but God's grace, power, and Spirit. Transparency and honesty are fundamental to any true act of God.

We can't force revival. It's not by our best efforts or programs, work, or even. Instead, revival comes when God's Spirit flows through us. That means we need to resign ourselves and let Him do the work. Humility allows us to give up pride, power, and independence so that God can do only what he can.

We humbly confess to God: "I need You to help me. I can't do this." That's not an admission of failure; it's an admission of surrender, and surrender is the seedbed in which revival germinates.

A man once talked about a boss who was very humble, no matter his position. Not always assuming responsibility or being masters, they were happy to make mistakes, solicit assistance, and give others the credit. Their humility helped them be a respected leader. They were popular because they were honest and would lay aside pride. This kind of leadership transformed things, not because they were the most skilled, but because they were genuinely humble.

Similarly, when, as a church, we recognize that we need God when we give up and put ourselves to God when we surrender and use His power, we can become revived. Our humility doesn't diminish us; it allows God's greatness to shine through us.

Let's begin this process of revival today by taking a step inward, asking God to reveal places where we may still be clinging to pride or self-reliance. Humility, we might think, means avoiding boasting, but it's more fundamental. True humility is about fully depending on God, admitting when we don't have the answers, and letting go of the need to control outcomes.

It’s not just about approaching God with a list of wants; it’s about having a humble heart and being open to transformation. Prayer has the power to trigger the grace of God when it is offered with genuine humility. When we abandon disobedience and approach God humbly, ‘cap in hand,’ our prayers can activate God’s gracious response toward us. This kind of prayer doesn’t come from habit or some ritual. This kind of prayer is a deep, heartfelt seeking God’s presence and a readiness to let His will take precedence in our lives.

This isn’t easy—it requires sincerity and a true commitment to leave our old ways behind. But it’s through this willingness to start fresh with God that we open ourselves to His grace. Humble, sincere prayer becomes a catalyst for God’s grace, allowing Him to realign our hearts with His.”

When we come to God with hearts acknowledging His ownership over our lives, God responds with forgiveness and the chance for renewal. He offers us a fresh beginning, no matter how far we’ve strayed, and through genuine repentance, our prayers actively invite God’s transformative grace into our lives.

As we humble ourselves, we’ve let go of our pride, and as we recognize we are in need of God, we’ve taken the first steps to revival. Humility scrubs the slate clean, but God’s call to renewal isn’t finished there. And having told His people to humble themselves, He goes on to tell them to "pray and seek [His] face".

Humility opens our hearts, but to seek the face of God means to direct our attention entirely toward God. It’s pursuing God, not just for what he can provide, but for himself. Revival is not simply asking God to do something for us – revival is longing for Him to pour the Holy Spirit into our lives, our church, and our neighbourhood.

Which leads us to our second theme, "seek God’s face." An invitation to get to know God better, an invitation to know Him more deeply, to want Him more than anything else. When the church lifts itself up in prayer with a heart inwardly seeking God, then the floodgates are open to true revival flowing in.

Seeking God’s Face in Unity: Pursuing God’s Presence as a Church

Now that God has prompted His people to humble themselves, God goes deeper: "If my people... pray and seek my face." What inspires revival isn't simply a desire to be obedient to God to solve our problems; instead, it is a desire to know Him and experience Him in a genuine, intimate way. This is the point of revival; we must know God as He is, not what he can do for us.

To "seek the face of God" is to know Him intimately. It's an invitation to intimacy, to seek Him out of love. And that as a church means we must join in prayer — not just to approach Him with our requests, but to come close to His heart. Once we unite with the oneness of the need for God's presence, we have room for revival, for revival is the spillover of a life filled with God's presence.

If we want to see God's face, we want Him as a person, not simply His hand – His blessings, His gifts, His intervention. Suppose you're in a relationship where one partner constantly asks the other for something but has no interest in spending time with them. At some point, that relationship stops being a relationship because there is no need for them, except when the other person wants something.

Just as our intimacy with God increases when we come to Him for Himself, Psalm 27:8 says, "When You said, "Seek My face,"

My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek."" That's the cry of the heart to know God personally. If we go to God and seek His face, we say: "God, I don't just want answers; I want You. I need You to be with me, to lead me, and to revive our church." And that is what God wants for His people — a desire to know Him.

Revival comes to a church united in this kind of seeking, where our desire is not merely for the benefits of following God but for the privilege of knowing Him. As we gather with this purpose, we align ourselves with His will, heart, and Spirit. This unity in prayer becomes the foundation for true revival.

Consider the example of a family or close friend where one person only gets in touch when something goes wrong. After a while, it gets shallow and one-sided. Sincere relationships result from mutual care, time spent, knowing each other's hearts, and sharing life together.

The same goes for our relationship with God. When we only look to Him for a blessing, wisdom, or assistance, we fail to know Him. God wants us to be not only to go to him when we need Him but also to seek His heart, His nature, and His presence. Revival comes when we, the church, come together because we are genuinely hungry for God, because "God, we're here for You, not because of your gifts, but because we want to know You."

So, how do we seek God's face together as a church? It starts with prayer as a priority in our lives and as a church family. Let's place prayer at the center of our church life, not in a routine fashion but in a purposeful attempt to be in the presence of God. Grace Gatherings and Sunday services are all ways to commune with Him together.

When we, as a church, come together in prayer, we’re not just going through a routine. We’re creating a pathway for God’s Spirit to move, inviting Him to fill our church with His presence. Warren Wiersbe wrote "Prayer went up, fire came down, and glory moved in." Could you ask for more?”

This is the essence of revival. When humble, united prayer goes up from God’s people, He responds with power (‘fire’) and His unmistakable presence (‘glory’). This is what we’re praying for when we come together—to see God move in our church in ways beyond what we can ask or imagine.”

As we gather in prayer, seeking God's presence above all else, we are reminded that revival is far more than just humility and desire. God calls us not just to seek Him, but also to reject anything that prevents us from truly following His purpose. To experience true revival, we must be willing to change course, both personally and as a church. This leads us to our final point.

Turning from Our Ways: A Corporate Commitment to Repentance and Change

God's mandate for his people in 2 Chronicles 7:14 – is that they should become humble and pray, with one condition for revival added: they must turn from their wicked ways. The message conveys that it is not only about individual sin, but also a communal call for God's people to reject anything that undermines unity, obedience, and fidelity to His purposes. Genuine revival requires repentance, individual and collective. This repentance discards any pride, division, or complacency that may have built into the church.

Revival means to take a hard look at ourselves – as a church. Are there areas where we as a body have allowed habits or beliefs to become established that are impeding us? Perhaps there is vanity in our defiance against God, as we believe we have the ability to do things on our own. Or a divide-and-conquer attitude when minor tiffs or differences prevent us from acting together. But there are times when complacency sets in, and we stop caring so much about going after God and just go through the motions.

Turning away from our wicked ways involves acknowledging these patterns, not blaming ourselves but presenting them before God to receive a new beginning. And just as repentance changes a person, corporate repentance changes the church so that we are one vessel for God's presence and strength.

Think of the church as a garden. Plants thrive in a good garden, bear fruit, and look beautiful. Weeds allowed to grow unchecked will kill all life in the garden, including the healthy plants. These tiny weeds may seem harmless initially, but over time they become dominant and prevent the garden from thriving.

Similarly, "weeds" in the church — pride, complacency, or division — can keep us from living in the abundance of God. The path to revival involves a "weeding" process, allowing us to release what is not quite right so God can plant something new. We clear away the weeds, and then it is possible to grow, stand together, and allow God's Spirit to move freely among us.

If we are going to "turn from our ways" as a church, it is to reconnect with God's work. It's an invitation to give up all that gets in the way of what He wants. The world needs His church, the church of love and hope. But we lose that call if inner conflicts or our agendas take over. We're invited by revival to return to God's vision, put down our plans, and be aligned with purpose and fire.

Hebrews 12:1 says, "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." As a church, we are called to eliminate anything that hinders us from running the race together with vigilance and a desire for God's will above all else.

Praying for a Revived Church

I feel we are standing on the threshold of revival, God is extending a powerful invitation—a call to something greater than ourselves. Through this passage, He’s asking us to embrace humility, to come together in prayer, and to turn from anything that keeps us from His purpose. This isn’t just a token momentary gesture; it’s an opportunity for a profound change, one that reaches beyond our personal lives and transforms our entire church community.

God doesn’t call us to revival by our own strength or good intentions. Instead, He’s calling us to let go, to humbly admit our dependence on Him, and to come before Him with hearts laid bare. This is the beginning of true revival. It’s a posture that says, “God, we need You more than anything. Come and fill us, restore us, and use us for Your glory.”

And as we unite in prayer, something begins to change—not just in us, but in the spiritual atmosphere around us. When we come together, lifting up our prayers with sincerity, we create a pathway for God’s Spirit to move. It’s in these moments of united prayer that God’s presence becomes real, His healing begins, and His power flows freely among us.

So today, I’m calling each of us to answer God’s invitation. Let’s not hold back. Let’s come with humility, seeking His face, and committing to let go of anything that keeps us from fully following Him. Revival isn’t something that simply happens to us; it’s something God wants to do through us. Imagine the impact if we, as a church, are fully alive with His presence, united in purpose, and dedicated to sharing His love and hope with our world.

Let’s open our hearts to the possibility of what God can do. Let’s commit to being the kind of church that welcomes His Spirit, that answers His call, and that becomes a beacon of His grace in our community. Together, let’s step into a season of revival, ready for the transformation that God has promised.