6 prayer meetings
14 small meetings
10 days
and many miles later…
…I am encouraged to say that California is praying!
After a lot of thought and dialogue with Kyle, we decided to plan for a trip out to my home state for three purposes: 1- to encourage the intercessors in California and 2- to invite people to financially partner with us and 3- to build a bridge between the small houses of prayer in California to us at IHOP-KC as a resource so that they can keep the fire on the alter and persevere in what the Lord has called them.
There are several reasons why the church must pray for California- especially the church in California. Let me break it down a bit. First off, California has a large influence on the entire nation. During elections, they have the most electoral votes due to the large population. Also, there is a lot of money that is generated in the state: Hollywood, Los Angeles, San Francisco, the Silicon Valley…all of these are the base of many large multi-million dollar industries that have a lot of affluence in the nation as a whole. Also, there are many high quality educational institutions that draw people from all over the world to study there and be influenced by the direction of the state.
So, California has a big influence on the nation- how exactly is it influencing the nation? Let’s think for a moment. How does Hollywood influence the nation? (The fact that the pornography industry was birthed and is thriving from Hollywood is enough to make me tremble.)San Francisco? The secular universities? And when the Lord looks down on these acts and decisions the state is making, what is He thinking? I realize that the corporate judgment of God isn’t exactly a popular topic from the pulpit these days, but it cannot be ignored. (For references from the Word on how the Lord judges a people or nation, check out: Genesis 19, the entire book of Joel, Isaiah 5, Matthew 21 and 25…all of these are just for a starting point; there is so much more in the Word than this!)
One of my all-time favorite passages in the Bible explains the balance between the mercy of the Lord and the judgment of the Lord:
Exodus 34: 5-7 “Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
The same God who is gracious and compassionate does not leave the guilty unpunished. “But I’m a good Christian. I go to church, pray and tithe. And since God doesn’t make mistakes, why would He punish me for another person’s sin?” I was in this belief of thought for a long time…until I dug deeper into the scriptures. I saw Daniel, who was declared blameless and righteous by both angels and a pagan king. And one of the main topics of his prayer was repentance for the sins of his people and his nation. He knew that if he repented on behalf of the nation, that the Lord might “turn and leave a blessing behind.” (Joel 2:14) I thought of 2 Chron 7:14-15 where the Lord requires His very OWN PEOPLE to humble themselves with prayer and seek His face in order to Him to withhold judgment.
With all this in mind….it is necessary and right for the church in California to pray and for us in the rest of the nation to partner with them. There is no other way for the Lord to withhold judgment. And as one who went to several prayer meetings all throughout the golden state, I am so grateful for the intercessors in California who are pressing in and crying out for mercy. Keep up the good work! I am here pressing in right along with you!
Have you already been praying for California? Do you want any resources or prayer from a missionary at IHOP-KC? I’d love to support and get behind you in what the Lord has called you! Email me: michellenagy@ihop.org and we can connect from there!
