George O Wood Urges Americans to Join AG's '7:14 Prayer Initiative'
The Assemblies of God is launching a concerted call to prayer for our nation, which began Sunday.
Called the "7:14 Prayer Initiative," this call is based on 2 Chronicles 7:14: “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 heal their land” (NIV).
In a video message on the AG website, General Superintendent George O. Wood urged Christians to join him for a few minutes in praying every day until Election Day at 7:14 in the morning and evening, as well as the noon hour every Friday until Nov. 6.
“God has blessed our nation with unprecedented freedom and opportunity, and our nation faces unprecedented crises,” Wood said. “Let's not misuse our freedom by failing to vote on Election Day. Jesus calls the church to be salt and light in the world. One of the days we can do that is by voting.”
Wood encourages Christians to “carefully and prayerfully examine the candidates and the issues, and to seek God's direction for how you can bring biblical and moral values to bear on the pressing issues of our day—issues such as abortion, education, poverty and unemployment, religious freedom, gay marriage and war.”
In another article on the AG website, General Secretary James T. Bradford explained more about the prayer initiative after describing The Second Great Awakening and the great Pentecostal revival at the turn of the 20th century.
“We are hearing this call afresh in our Assemblies of God fellowship—a 7:14 Call to Prayer,” Bradford wrote. “The urgency behind this initiative is born out of not only the imminence of national elections, but a prophetic sense that God is preparing our churches and our nation for renewal and spiritual awakening.”
The five-week initiative starts off with, “If my people … will humble themselves,” and encourages Americans to “repent of spiritual coldness, indifference, prayerlessness, and disobedience in our lives and churches; and seek for authentic humility and dependence on God to mark our way forward.”
“This call to prayer during the month of October is not only for us as spiritual leaders, but also for those we serve in our congregations and ministries,” AG leaders state. “Encourage them to fast and pray with you during the week. Also, take extra time in your midweek and weekend services to intercede corporately around these themes. As we do, may the Lord, indeed, hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land!”
Click here to visit the AG's page on the initiative and find out what is planned for the remainder of the five-week guideline.
Including its international membership, the Assemblies of God organization has about 65 million members and adherents, making it the largest Pentecostal denomination globally.