At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD. – Genesis 4:26
This is the first mention of prayer in the Bible. What was happening that caused people to pray for the first time?
When the destructive effects of sin became obvious in the world—broken families, violence, and murder—people began to pray. They saw evil in all its ugly colors, and they began to ask God for help.
Notice, it doesn’t say that all people began to pray, but some did. These people saw what sin was doing, and they knew that they needed the help of God.
A former President of the United States once used this striking phrase in his speech to Congress: “The problems made by man can be solved by man.” But what if the problem is man himself?
The secular world believes that all our problems are external to humanity and that the answers lie within us. But the Bible says something very different. It says the problems are within us, and the answer can only come from outside of us—from God.
When you think about the biggest problems in the world today—broken families, murder, terrorism, racism, division—who or what are you looking to for a solution? Are you looking horizontally (for humanity to fix)? Or are you looking vertically (for God to fix)? Why?
