“…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 7:14 NIV
Israel has a long history of turning their back on God. In the 6th chapter of 2nd Chronicles, King Solomon asked God for provisions for the people when they sinned. God placed 4 conditions necessary to receive forgiveness: 1) humble themselves by admitting they had sinned; 2) pray, asking God for forgiveness; 3) continuously seek the face of God and 4) make a 180 degree turn from their sinful lifestyle.
True repentance is a lot more than just lip service … it’s changed behavior. Scripture tells us God looks upon the heart of an individual and not the exterior [1 Samuel 16:7 NIV]. It’s also what he looks at when we pray. Do we pray from a sincere and humble heart or do we have some sort of agenda that drives our prayer? Remember, the Lord knows everything that can be known, so there is no fooling him. Our prayers, when coming from a heart that is hungry after God, shall be answered. The timing of the answers is known only to our Lord. Patience while waiting is very important. If we rush ahead of God, we will likely miss the blessing that comes with a perfectly timed, God-given answer.
If we prayerfully repent as the Israelites did God will hear us and forgive our sin(s). This also applies to our great nation. If we corporately do that which is described in scripture than our land will be healed. We must pray for our needs, the needs of our friends, our loved ones, our government officials and so on, so as to bring about change, albeit slow change, but change, nonetheless. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
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