If you are like me, you’ve
probably heard this verse used a few times in prayer meetings, “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 will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
To be honest I saw the truths
in this verse but I didn’t see or feel the impact until I heard of amazing
testimonies of God’s response to people doing this very thing in recent times. We were seeing the beginnings of
transformation where my family and I were serving on Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation, but it was in meeting George Otis Jr. and hearing his testimonies,
and those places covered in the “TransforNations” documentaries through the
Sentinel Group that my eyes were truly opened.
I also had the honor of
meeting Walo Ani, a dear brother and church leader from Papua New Guinea with
still more amazing testimonies of transformation over towns and regions as God
responded to this promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14. I now see so much more of the weight of this incredible promise.
The truth of 2 Chronicles 7:14 also lines up with what we saw earlier already with Moses and Daniel’s prayers. It’s
not God’s people engaging with spiritual entities in the heavenly places that
brings revival, but rather God response to His people humbling themselves in
prayer, repenting and seeking Him!
I saw this first hand on the Indian Reservation we ministered on in South Dakota. Year after year (and it had been
going on much longer even before we arrived!) people would come to “engage in
spiritual warfare” by binding the principalities and so forth. We don’t have time to go into the unbiblical
aspect of this at this time, but suffice to say it would do a lot of people
good to read John Paul Jackson’s book “Needless
Casualties of War” on this unscriptural practice. So many came to do this “high level spiritual
warfare” or formula driven prayers and declarations, but no change.
However, the impact of what
happened when the church in that reservation came together in unity (across
denominations) and humbled themselves in repentance for the churches sins and
asked for God to heal the land and touch the people was both immediate and
undeniable in its impact. Within weeks
of this happening, one of the sun dance trees was pulled up from the ground by
a whirlwind (even though the base of the
tree are buried 7 feet into the ground!) and another was struck by lightening
(and disintegrated not just burned!).
There was a change in the atmosphere and more people were notably coming
to the Lord or open to hear the Gospel then before.
I encourage you to see the
“TransforNations” videos yourself to build your faith and see first hand how
Almighty God has responded to His promise in recent times. A clip
can be found here.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X42oZ1O8hAk&t=13s
As we stated last time, judgment
begins in the household of God, not with the unbeliever. It is the believers who are called
priests. It is the believer who is heard
by God and has a responsibility to pray not only for their families, but even
kings and those in authority (1 Timothy 2).
It is the believer who is called to intercede and stand in the gap in
Jesus Name and for His glory.
What is Father attracted
to? What does He respond to? Humility.
Lord, You have heard the desire of the
humble;
You will prepare their heart;
You will cause Your ear to hear, - Psalm
10:17
For
thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
"I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of
spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of
the contrite." – Isaiah 57:17
And
of course James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 that God gives grace to the humble and many
others...
In fact, for His glory, we
are called to humble ourselves (1 Peter 5:6).
Notice two things also in this
verse of 2 Chronicles 7:14.
First we are called to
actively be seeking the face of God.
There is a responsibility on our part to seek HIM. This takes time and focus and energy and
doesn’t have strings attached.
Second notice the order, it
doesn’t say, “turn from their wicked ways, and seek My face...” I
believe this from the Word and from experience, that we don’t even know how
blinded we are to our own compromises that God calls wicked, until we behold
the light of His countenance as we seek Him. Just like Isaiah who I’m sure was a
“righteous” man in his desire to live according to the Torah, yet, when we saw
God high and lifted up, he immediately recognized the sin of things he had
spoken that were unclean in His eyes.
Its in seeking God that many
times also the things we fill our time with can be exposed as idols or
distractions. It is in seeking God that
we demonstrate our sincerity of wanting Him above all others, that I believe
God then honors by drawing near and revealing His heart and His glory (which is
His character, His essence).
This brings us to a place of
repentance. To the place of sincerity in
our desire to turn from what is wrong and turn to what is right. The place of genuine renewing of the mind,
and a righteous anger to not return to what has not brought Him glory and honor
and has grieved His Holy Spirit. It’s
time to seek the Lord. It’s time we humble
ourselves and take full responsibility for where He has placed us, and those He
has surrounded us with. May we ask for others to join together in this, and see true transformation take place in our communities, schools, cities and
Sow for yourselves righteousness;
Reap in mercy;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord,
Till He comes and rains righteousness on
you. – Hosea 10:12
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