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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14
God makes promises. This passage is a part of His response to Solomon after the Temple is completed. He also expects His children to seek Him. This passage is OT, so Jesus had not come yet. We have Jesus now. We have the Holy Spirit. Whereas God was to be found in the temple, now we call on Him directly because the veil has been torn.
Tyre Nichols was buried on Wednesday in the aftermath of an ice storm. The city responded to the tragedy by seeking Christ and grace appeared. Not a day later, Officer Geoffrey Redd, an active man of faith, was shot while responding to a dangerous man at the White Station Library and is now in critical condition. Messages of car jackings with small children in the car and a man being shot at and chased by attempted robbers on Friday made their way around the community on Saturday. We feel continually harassed and attacked by evil right now.
We’re called to prayer. Many others in comments online respond with the same call. The call to prayer by His children in Memphis is pronounced. Though I don’t know him, Will Jackson, wrote a column for the Daily Memphian on Feb 4. https://dailymemphian.com/section/opinion/article/33947/will-jackson-memphis-needs-prayer-peace-in-wake-of-tyre-nichols-death
He writes the following:
“We in Christ are powered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), and thereby should show kindness and peace, two fruit of that Spirit (Gal. 5:22). Let us model what we desire and expect all others to model.”
Thank you Will.
Lord, tonight we bow our heads and call on You. Rid us of the sin in our own heart. May we confess it. Cleanse it in Your light. Then, Lord, we ask that the Holy Spirit fill us with a desire for You, love for You, awe for You. May the Holy Spirit overflow, so that once You fill our cups, we seek to fill our neighbor’s. We know the world is fallen, but we also believe and call on your redemptive grace for our home, Memphis. Hear the cries of your children, the innocent and downtrodden, the weak, and the repentant, and answer them. You are a God who makes His name known.
Do so now. We pray for the violence to end. We pray for the lost to be found. We pray that in our pursuit of justice and mercy, we forget neither. We pray for a hedge of protection around Your children, our families, and our friends. Lord, the young men and women who are lost tonight, wherever they are in this city, may they catch a glimpse of You tomorrow in a family member, friend, teacher, or neighbor. May they see the light of Christ shining and create an opening for You in them. Speak to us, Lord, that we may know how to respond.
In Christ’s name, Amen.