Pray... Seek... Turn...

II Chronicles 7: 13 – 16


God’s word for the church today is very simple and very straightforward…
“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land…”
The story behind the story is that the Kingdom of Israel had undergone a period of complacency in their history, and as a result of that complacency things started to happen.
Suddenly, things weren’t the same… The way things are is not the way things used to be… suddenly the attitude of the people was one of rebellion as the economy and the moral climate of the day and age began to slowly creep into the church.
Then God spoke to King Solomon… “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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
God gives King Solomon specific instructions on how to turn things around in the Kingdom of Israel… and in the church today…
1.) “If my people who are called by my name…” God was establishing a relationship with his people… God was telling his people that theirs was a special relationship… he was calling them his children… his family… but his children had lost sight of their first love… they had lost sight of their God…
2.) “Will humble themselves and pray…” Proverbs 3: 5, 6 says “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on their own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge HIM, and he will direct your path…” God calls on us to seek his face… and turn to him… to humble ourselves and acknowledge him as sovereign in our lives, in our homes, in our families, in the church today… and in society today.
3.) “And seek my face…” In times of uncertainty seek his face for clarity and wisdom. In times of joy and celebration, like that of a new marriage, or the birth of a baby, seek his face, and know that HE is celebrating with you. He lives our feelings with us, but make no mistake, His words are very clear as are his expectations. God’s words can be sharp, like a knife. They can pierce your heart, but the difference is that a knife will hurt your heart… God’s word will heal your heart.
4.) The next phrase in this passage is difficult to wrestle with… the words “and turn from their wicked ways…” strike at our hearts. God’s message to us is not that of condemnation… God calls us from the ways of the world to an attitude of repentance and brokenness. God’s word to the church today is to seek first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness… he tells us to seek HIM first… our eyes need to be fixed on him… he calls us to it… he deserves it…he died for it… then, and only then, will everything else will be added to us.


These words that I am sharing with you this morning are from the Bible… God simply says that he will heal our land… but first he tells us that we need to do these things… humble ourselves and pray… seek HIS face… and turn from our wicked ways. In other words, his message to us is to agree with him that there is sin in our lives, and turn away from that sin (that’s repentance), and acknowledge that on our own we can do nothing (that’s brokenness…)…

His word does not say “maybe I will heal your land…” or “I might heal your land…” His word declares that if we do these things HE WILL HEAL OUR LAND! He… will heal… our land.

Bumper Sticker: “God Said It… I Believe It… That Settles It.”