If we were to put Paul's teaching in the first three chapters of Romans into one simple statement, it would be this: Everybody needs the Lord. We all need the Savior, or we'll face God's justice for our sins. He shows how Gentile cultures walked away from the truth of God, and then how the Jews who had God's truth revealed In Scripture also failed to obey what they knew to be right. When Paul is finished, we realize the entire human race is in serious trouble. In order to prepare our hearts for the National Day of Prayer, this spiritual crisis needs to confront us afresh. We need to feel compassion tor lost people, not pity them. We need to commit ourselves to do everything in our power to help them find the Savior, And the first, and frankly most important step we can take isn't witnessing; it's prayer. The door to people's hearts Is prayed open, not talked open. History is filled with remarkable examples of God reviving His Church and awakening lost people, but such spiritual breakthroughs are always preceded by believers committing themselves to pray until God's mighty hand moves. When it does, witnessing becomes effective, many are saved, churches are refilled and the culture of whole communities is transformed. Our nation desperately needs a revival now! But remember, you and I can't make revival happen; we can only pray until it comes. So the step we need to take today is to commit ourselves to earnestly and consistently call on God.

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