Welcome! We are returning to the messages from our last sermon series: “Experiencing The Presence of God.” I am convinced that God will take these truths and apply them directly to our lives as we take the time to remain teachable before His Word.

Let’s take a moment to…
Recapture What God Has Taught Us…
With 2 Chronicles as our backdrop, we remember that the temple had been built, the glory of God had come, the fire of God had fallen, and the power of God was so great they could not even enter into the temple. They gave, they sacrificed, and they dedicated it to God. God’s success was all over the people, but in the night, the Lord woke Solomon up and told him, “Solomon, when I shut up heavens,” which clearly communicated the fact the there would definitely be a time when He shut up the heavens. “What exactly is God saying when He says, “When I shut up the heavens?” He means when He keeps His blessings from flowing or when He literally moves judgment among His people. This whole concept of “when I shut up the heavens” was a prophetic word. It was a prophetic word to Solomon’s life. It was a prophetic word to the people of the text. It was a prophetic word to us today. It is a prophetic word to each of us personally.

So, with that in mind let’s…
Understand What That Means Personally…
There will be times in your life when God shuts up the heavens. Do you know what that’s like? That’s like when you pray and you don’t feel like your prayers are being answered. It’s when you are living for Christ and there seem to be no benefits. When I shut up the heavens. This is not some new concept that shows up; in fact, we read about it over in Deuteronomy 11:17. There are five references to the heavens being shut up in the entire scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Deuteronomy 11:17, 1 Kings 8:35, 2 Chronicles 6:26, 2 Chronicles 7:13, and it was even used in a prophetic manner concerning Revelation 11:6. So, when God shuts up the heavens in our lives it can be because of sin or even during seasons in our lives by His direct will. Regardless of the reason, when God shuts up the heavens in our lives, He calls to do several things. When we accomplish those things listed in 2 Chronicles 7:14, then God will keep His promises and bring times of refreshing from heaven.

Now, let’s …
Act on what God Has Said to Us…
First, we must humble ourselves before holy God. The word “humble” means, “to lay low before God.” God calls us to humble ourselves. The Bible says over in 1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves,” meaning that we are to take the action. A statement that all of us need to be well aware of today is that God is never attracted to pride, but only to humility. Second, we must move to an extraordinary prayer life. Extraordinary prayer is prayer beyond the normal, beyond the ordinary. Third, we must make Jesus our sole priority. The scripture in 2 Chronicles 7:14 talks about seeking His face. That means Jesus first. That means Jesus priority. Fourth, we must have nothing short of radical repentance as the norm for our lives. Again, 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “Turn from your wicked ways.” That’s the word for repentance, not only the change of your mind but also the change of your actions, moving from your head to your heart to your feet. When that takes place, there has been radical repentance.

Let me close today with an example of God opening up the heavens…
Evan Roberts wrote a little book years ago called, “When the Spirit Came.” As a young man of 26 in the country of Wales, Evan began praying for revival in his own life and in his own country. From 16 to 26 he cried out to God, “Give revival in my life” and “Give revival in my nation.” One night as he knelt on his knees, he prayed these words, “Lord, bend me…bend me.” On October 31st, 1905, Evan Roberts preached his first sermon. And as a result, taverns closed, gambling ceased, profanity ceased, old debts were paid, and forgiveness was granted over broken relationships. Peace and harmony began to replace strife and discord. Also as a result of that first sermon he preached on October 31st, 1905, 16 people came to Christ. The next night he preached again and seven more people came to Christ. On the third night he preached again, 20 more received Christ. Attendance began to boom and after two months, 70,000 people had come to Christ as Lord and Savior. By March of 1905, 85,000 had come to faith in Christ and eventually God answered his prayer, for over 100,000 people to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. And you know what he began to do? He began to pray not only, “Lord bend me…bend me,”,but he began to pray these words, “Bend the church and the save the world… Bend the church and save the world!”

Listen today, when we join together in complete humility, extraordinary prayer, Jesus priority and radical repentance, God will begin to hear our prayer and the heavens will open up!