Entreaty

I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed this word before although it’s meaning is fairly simple. It simply means: “earnest request, or petition; supplication.” It sounds a lot like prayer to me. I like the word treaty, which is inside this word. Treaty is about an agreement or pact of some sort.

For all the good King Hezekiah had done, his son Manassah took it all down. This young man seemed bent on doing evil. He ignored the messages and warnings of the Lord. The Lord sent the commanders of Assyria and they took him captive. I think it took something of this magnitude to get his attention. Check this out…

12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God. (2 Chronicles 33:12-13 NIV)

There are some important components of His prayer. I think the first part is seeking the Lord. The Lord is not hard to find. I’ve felt that He left before, but it was actually me that left Him. The second part of his prayer was that he humbled himself. I’ve said it many times before that pride is one of most destructive characteristics that I could have. The fact that Manasseh humbled himself was significant. His prayer moved the Lord. I believe that his prayer would have been nothing if had not humbled himself before the Lord.

Desperate situations call for desperate measures and responses. This young man was desperate and his humility and his plea moved the heart of God. If I could simply learn to seek the Lords heart and stay humble before Him, my journey with Him would have a depth that is hard to measure and comprehend. I have to keep my pride in check in order for my prayer life to have meaning. My entreaty is dependent upon the position of my heart. I can pray to the Lord to learn more about how to pray.

Pressing On!

Dwayne