2 Chronicles 7:14

[JerryNumbers]

Some say that 2 Chron. 7:14 only applies to the Jews, but we all have to admit that it is good advice for any country, and works for any country that meets the requirements.

I beg to differ with those who think there is some "real" Christians in politics. I believe that they have to compromise somewhere for the sake of the party (being blackballed) or for the sake of their own agenda. No Christian could have any influence because he would be ostracized by the party and/or politicians in general. He definitely would not be popular, and therefore ineffective. If they perchance did "stick by the stuff" they would not last long as politicians.

So true, yet so few of our brothers and sister can see this.

[Crushmaster]

This is why, as the verse proclaims, change must begin first among God's people. Only when God's people get right and get serious about doing God's will, can we expect true positive change to take place.

Exactly. This verse is not pointed at "countries"; it is pointed at Christians. "If My people..." No one else. A specific promise to a specific people.
God bless,
Joel ><>.
2 Chronicles 7:14.

[irishman]

2Ch 7:14

The dispensationalist will tell you that this verse refers only to Israel; they say that we cannot claim it for today! Do we have a "yesterday Bible"; Isn't it good enough (all of it) for the church today?


"If" seems like a very big word here..."If my people" who else is expected to pray, and to seek God's face? The state of the union is up to us folks, and not to the politicians. “If” puts the ball in our court; it lays the burden on us, and not on society in general, or politics. “If” my people, there is a decision to be made there…this “if” carries much weight in the text.

God's people have failed miserably in their efforts to seek after God; the evidence of this is seen in society today. We get too involved in politics, and not enough in prayer. Getting the right men into office may help, somewhat, but prayer is the key to success in any area of our lives. We take prayer too lightly. The first three words of this text sum it all up, “If my people”, and I ask who else is going to earnestly and seriously pray? The “if” throws the burden unto me, but the “my people” shares it with all of us. It is all up to God’s people. His people represent His name; we are “called by his name” and therefore much is expected of us.

Do you honestly think that God would ignore the pleas of His own people? Do you not suppose that he is moved by the heartfelt prayer of His children? What kind of a God do you serve? I believe that if we were as desperate in our prayer as we are in “preserving our freedoms” then we would get something done, or rather God would do something great. If God’s people would only humble themselves…

…and PRAY; the two go together. We need to humbly pray, and not flippantly and casually pray hoping to get Gods ear; we need to humble ourselves first of all. This is not always easy, as we very well know, but “if” we will do it, if we are willing to humble ourselves, and PRAY, then we are well on our way to healing our nation. There is a progression here, and it begins with humility. This virtue seems to be somewhat lacking amongst the people of God today. Will we be too proud to grovel at the feet of Jesus? Will we not throw ourselves down before Him, and sincerely humble ourselves We do not do this when we are out marching on the capital, or angrily writing to our congressmen; we need more time on our faces and on our knees. Humility consist of a lowliness of mind; a true picture of a wretched state. Many of us feign humility, but we cannot fool God, we need to develop a sense of unworthiness and inferiority. We do not like those words, generally, and therein lays our prOBlem. Fake humility is hypocrisy, and God hates hypocrisy. Humility begs; humility pleads instead of demanding; humility takes no thought of sounding silly, or foolish in prayer; humility has no prOBlem with self abasement Humility “leads the pack” in this outline for healing our nation; it is a prerequisite to prayer.

Not only are we to humble ourselves in prayer, but we need to diligently and desperately seek God’s face. What is meant by that phrase? We must put all else out our minds and concentrate on the Lord, and chase after Him as if he were gold or diamonds. We need to search for Him until he is found, never minding the cost or the sacrifice, but seeking and seeking until we find him. We need to seek until we find ourselves face to face with Jesus, and then keep on seeking him for answers and blessings. The order here is to humble ourselves, and pray, which both go together and cannot truly be two separate and distinct acts; and then we are to seek his face in our praying, earnestly and desperately, and seek until we find (Mt. 7: 7). This speaks of a continuance in prayer. You see, there is a certain amount of patience involved; Daniel sought the Lord on one occasion, and it took twenty-one days for the answer to arrive because of the spiritual warfare that exists in the unseen realm of the spirit (Dan. 10: 12, 13). What if Daniel would have stopped praying after a few days because God had not yet answered him? We do not know for sure how it would have turned out, but we do know that Daniel kept praying, and God answered. Sometimes it takes a while to see the answer, but God has promised that he would always answer our prayers. We need to be less expectant of a time table, and more aware of seeking Him continuously.

Then there is a fourth OBservance that we must make, and that is that we must “turn from our wicked ways” and be sure that we are right with God. The message here is on prayer and the importance of it, but the testimony of God’s people can make a huge difference in getting our prayers answered, and seeing our nation restored. Remember Psalm 33:12, where we read “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”? This is another admonition for God’s people to pray for their country, but the fact is that they need to be a united people of God, and all going in the same direction. This does not mean that we all have to be perfect as we understand perfection, but that we all should be seeking after God and His perfection. Of course many will stray, we all will at times, but we need to be aware of the consequences and willing to get back on track with the Lord. David was such a man as this; he strayed in some very tragic ways, and yet was called a “man after God’s own heart” by God Himself (Acts 13:22). Though he was an adulterer and a murderer, and had outrightly disOBeyed God in other areas, he was headed in the right direction, and OBtained the favor of God. Yes, we must “turn from our wicked ways” and toward pleasing God. We need to turn from our pride and our self will; we need to seek our God, even as Christians we often fail in these areas; we need to let God work through prayer and His grace, and wait on Him, then we will see him work in our lives and in our society. 1 John 3:22 verifies the importance of living right, and how it effects our prayer life: “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

Edited October 31, 2010 by irishman

[John81]

Great post Irishman!

[irishman]

Great post Irishman!

Thanx John, I hope it is a blessing to others too.

[JerryNumbers]

Amen!

Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

And it must be done in pure faith. To many of our people are 1 hour and or 2 hour Sunday morning Christians. We need to live that faith every hour, every day.

[irishman]

Amen!

Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

And it must be done in pure faith. To many of our people are 1 hour and or 2 hour Sunday morning Christians. We need to live that faith every hour, every day.

that's right! We all ought to be "full-time" Christians and workers.

[John81]

that's right! We all ought to be "full-time" Christians and workers.