Pray4TN - Make Tennessee a “Meeting Place” with God

March Column provided by Pray4TN:

With the 2025 passage of HJR 0051 that birthed Pray4TN, Tennessee became the first state in  our nation to recognize an extended time – the month of July – as an annual time for prayer, fasting,  and repentance. Will the Body of Christ take advantage of this amazing opportunity to make our state  a “meeting place” with God? 

 2025 is also the year we became officially recognized as the “Volunteer State” – a great and  familiar nickname first earned during the War of 1812. What people may not know is what our actual  name “Tennessee” means.  

Historians trace our state’s name to a 16th century Cherokee village named “Tanasqui” and/or  an early 18th century Cherokee village named “Tanasi.” Both villages were in what is now the eastern  part of the state, and most believe the names derived from a Yuchi/Creek word meaning “meeting  place.” They were located at forks where two rivers meet.  

Personal research also reveals that Long Island in my hometown of Kingsport was once called  Tanasi and used by the tribes as a sacred meeting place for trade and peace talks. This term, “meeting place,” immediately takes me to Exodus 33. After Moses led the Hebrew people to Mt. Sinai, he placed a tent far outside the noisy distractions of the camp and called it the tent of meeting. Everyone who sought the Lord would go there, and when Moses went there, the pillar of cloud that led and protected the Hebrew people would come to the tent’s entrance. The Lord would  speak with Moses face to face, as someone meeting with a friend.  

Soon thereafter, the Tabernacle would replace this tent of meeting and become the new “tent  of meeting.” (Exodus 29) Five hundred years later, the Temple in Jerusalem, called “the house of the  Lord,” would replace the Tabernacle. The tent of meeting became the house of the Lord, and we all  remember what God said about His house: “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” (1  Chronicles 6:32; Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 21:13)  

Today’s house of the Lord and house of prayer is the Body of Christ: a house built of living stones called “you” and “me.” (1 Peter 2:5) What is prayer? It is meeting with God! It is people giving  their undivided attention to the God who is always paying attention to us. And when we gather in His  name, Jesus is with us just as the pillar of cloud was with Moses. (Matthew 18:20) For our meetings with God to be effective, we must get away from the noisy distractions of the  camp. Today, that means taking time away from our hectic daily “cares of this world.” (Matthew 13:22) It means stepping away from the divisive discord of our current political climate so we can together seek the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-6) A divided house of prayer is  double-minded and will accomplish nothing. (Mark 3:25; James 1:8, 4:8)  

We must additionally deny ourselves through fasting and other means so we can learn and pray God’s will rather than our own. (Luke 9:23, 22:42). When we are of one mind and accord with both the Lord and each other, our prayers have tremendous impact. (Matthew 18:19; 1 John 5:14-15) My friends, HJR 0051 does not legally require us to embrace Pray4TN. We must “volunteer” to  stand in the gap. (Ezekiel 22:30) If we do, and together make Tennessee a meeting place with God,  everything will change.