If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 2 Chronicles 7:13 NASB
What a grievous site as we look upon our nation. The mass shootings, the weather related storms, wild fires burning out of control, murders, death and bloodshed have visited our land. As we look at the heart of our nation we feel the hatred and division. We are surrounded by fear and destruction. Pestilence has struck. What do we do?
This morning I woke up to the news of another mass shooting in California. Just a couple of weeks ago 11 people were killed when a gunman entered and started shooting in a synagogue in Pittsburgh. People were living their lives, enjoying their day when tragedy struck. People are in despair. They don’t know what to do or what has become of our land. They look to the government for some response and protection. Many have different ideas of how to stymie this destruction of our nation. What do we do?
As Christians we know that our Lord and Savior is Jesus Christ. We are the children of God. So of course we are to turn to God and cry out to Him. God’s word tells us what to do. He gives instructions to Solomon, who finished building the temple for God. Prior to this God’s presence was in the Ark of the Covenant. It traveled with the children of Israel, and King David desired to build a house for God. God refused and allowed Solomon to build the House instead. Here in 2 Chronicles God is accepting the House and says He will stay there. God gives a condition to the prayers offered in the House of God. He tells Solomon that if there is pestilence in the land, this is what you do:
and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15
This is a very familiar passage to most Christians. We quote this a lot but we don’t really look at it in its context. We know that all the destruction is the work of the devil. God does not destroy, He redeems. In this passage, God is making a promise to heal the land but it is conditioned on the actions of His people. Notice that God is not speaking to Kings or nations; He is speaking to His people. These are the things God is asking of us: Humility, Prayer, Seek God, and Repentance. It is under these conditions that God promises to heal our land, and that His eyes are open and His ears are attentive to our prayers.
In the next article we will explore these conditions in more detail.
Photo by Candice Picard on Unsplash
Reflections 