“When I shut up the
heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send
a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my
name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and
will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14).
The Lord appeared to King Solomon one night
after the dedication of the temple to let him know that He had heard his
prayers. Yet, the Lord had a few warnings for King Solomon and Israel should
they choose to disregard His commands and decrees. As long as they obey,
honored, and served the Lord, they would be blessed. Yet, should they choose to
follow the ways of their heathen neighbors, the Lord would withhold the rain,
allow locusts to devour their plants, crops, and land, and plagues of every
sort would come upon the people themselves. But the Lord gave a promise should
the people return to Him with their whole hearts, and the true essence of this
text needs to be fully understood as God intended instead of being read as a
cliché and approached casually.
If my people, who are called by my
name….
Who are God’s people? The Lord had promised
Abram (Abraham) he would become the father of many nations. Thus Abram’s
descendants had been chosen by God to be His holy people. The Bible says: “The
Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and
your father’s household to the land I will show you. ‘I will make you into a
great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will
be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever
curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you’
” (Genesis 12:1-3). God had chosen Abram’s future descendants to be His
before they had even come into existence, thus this was the Abrahamic covenant
that included blessings of land, fertility, and redemption. Yet, the Apostle
Paul said: “ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of
God through faith, for all of you who
were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is
there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs
according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29). We
as the body of Christ are adopted heir with equal rights as Israel of old.
Therefore, we are God’s children who have been called by His name.
Will humble themselves….
What does it mean to humble oneself? Humble
is defined as having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own
importance. This mean that a person must get out of their own sense of
self-importance. When it comes to the Lord, no one is above Him, so we must
humble ourselves before Him and let go of pride, arrogance, and egotism. The
Bible says: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you”
(James 4:10). There was a time when this nation had humble beginnings, but
as it began to increase in power, wealth, and status, it forgot the Lord.
Pray…
Prayer is communication with the Lord.
Sadly, many people only go to God when they want something, but as with any
relationship, if we fail to communicate with the Lord, our relationship with
Him will not thrive. Therefore, we must have an active prayer life and talk to
Him daily. Thank Him for His goodness, grace, mercy, and love. America has had
nationals days of prayer, but one cannot continue in sin by defying the Lord
and think He will hear and answer our prayers. The Bible says: “But
your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid
his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). God will not
answer the prayers of a nation that have days of prayers with witches,
warlocks, Wickens, and those who continue to mock Him with gay rainbow flags and
translucent colors over the White House being raced in celebration of sin.
Seek my Face….
Seeking His will is how we are to seek the
face of God. We must desire what God desires, His character, and presence in
our lives. We must want more of Him than anyone or anything. To seek the face
of God is to receive His favor because we are aligning our lives in accordance
with His will, and not our own. Even Jesus sought the will of His father in the
Garden of Gethsemane. The Bible says: “…Father,
if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done”
(Luke 22:42). When we seek the face of God, are we truly seeking Him and
waiting for an answer, or have we already made up our minds with what we are
going to do. America does not seek the face of God, and have therefore made up
her mind as to what she will do in defiance against Him. Nevertheless, God’s
chosen people will seek God, know God, and live for God.
Turn from their wicked ways….
What does God want from a nation and His
people? Repentance! The Lord has clearly outlined in His word what is
unacceptable to a people who are His. The Bible says: “Do you not know that
the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.
Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And
such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1
Corinthians 6:9-11). Anyone who operates in such manners will not
make it to Heaven, nor can expect the land to be blessed. America has defied the
Lord in ALL of these areas, but Jesus’ bride will be found pure and free from
such debauchery and will be taken with Him.
Then, I will hear from Heaven….
Only AFTER a nation has followed the steps
above as Nineveh did will the Lord hear from Heaven to move on its behalf. The
Bible says: “If that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil,
I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a
kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight
so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with
which I said I would benefit it” (Jeremiah 18:8-10). Yet, if the
nation fails to do this, God will still help His people individually, but that
nation will be destroyed. The Bible says: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles”
(Psalm 34:17).
And I will forgive their sin….
President Trump was once asked if he had
repented of his sins. Part of his answer was: "Why do I have to
repent or ask for forgiveness, if I am not making mistakes?" asked Trump.
"I work hard, I'm an honorable person." Nevertheless,
the Word of God says that we have all sinned. Yet, the Lord is looking for us
to not only repent but turn from our sins so that He will heal the land.
Unfortunately, America has chosen the path of death, so we as the body of
Christ must repent daily and the Lord will forgive our sins. The Bible says: “ If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If
we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us”
(1 John 1:8-10).
And I will heal their land.
This nation refuses to follow these steps,
so believers in America must realize that there will come a time when the Lord
will refuse to answer prayers regarding the healing of a rebellious nation. The
Lord had this to say to Jeremiah when the people refused to repent and turn
from their wicked ways: “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up
a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.
Do you not see what they do in the cities of
Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather
wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for
the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they
may provoke Me to anger. Do they provoke Me to
anger?” says the Lord. ‘Do they not provoke
themselves, to the shame of their own faces?’ (Jeremiah 7:16-19). There
comes a time when the Lord will completely turn His face away from an evil
nation, but those who place their trust in Him will be saved. Let’s remember
what the Lord requires when we quote this verse, and know that He will not
settle for anything less.
