United to Seek God

What would it take for you to set everything aside and seek God wholeheartedly? A frightened king in 2 Chronicles 20 shows us where to start.

“Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD” (2 Chronicles 20:3–4).

As much as a third of the United States population was attending camp meetings, joining together to seek God. The year was 1811, the height of the camp meeting movement. This movement began in 1800, and the resulting revivals swept throughout America. They were called “camp meetings” because people often gathered in tents for times of worship, celebration, prayer, and preaching.

This was a movement without one specific leader or the backing of just one denomination. It was inspired by the Spirit of God and swept along by demonstrations of power and the testimonies of changed lives.

This is what can happen when God’s people get serious, putting aside their normal schedules and taking time to worship and pray, sing His praises and hear the Word.

The Bible describes a similar time when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. Faced with a major crisis, the people cried out to God with humility and sincerity, asking for His help, direction, and guidance. He responded, answering their cries.

Today, the world needs this kind of move of God. His Word tells us that if “My people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Ask God to give you a burden for revival. Humble yourself before Him and seek His face.

Reflection Question: Do you make room in your life for times of worship, prayer, and preaching?

Frequently Asked Questions

How widespread was the camp meeting movement of the early 1800s?

Estimates vary, but contemporaries like Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury believed as much as a third of the American population attended a camp meeting in 1811 alone—historians today generally place turnout somewhere between 10 and 33 percent.

Do I need a “crisis” like Jehoshaphat’s to seek God seriously?

No—2 Chronicles 20 shows crisis as one catalyst, but Psalm 105:4 calls us to seek His presence continually, not only in emergencies.

What does corporate prayer accomplish that private prayer doesn’t?

It unites a community around shared dependence on God, and Scripture repeatedly shows Him responding to collective humility (2 Chronicles 7:14) in ways tied to a people, not just individuals.