If my People
"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. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there." -2 Chronicles 7:14-16
I'm participating in John Hagee's call to 40 days of prayer, fasting, and repentance for our nation. It started today, and I committed to pray, and fast soda, including my beloved sundrop, Facebook, and bread.
This verse has become quite a popular verse here in the recent years, it was popular when 9/11 happened I remember. How have we as disciples of Christ done in following this verse? Many of us have sat back silently, never once standing up for Jesus for the desire to be politically correct instead of Biblically correct. This verse points us to the cross. (please see previous post, "The Cross of Christ" for a greater understanding).
This verse is an if/then verse. "If" statements in the Bible are crucial to pay attention to, God is saying, forgiveness is conditional, you must do this before I act and answer.
There are several words that jump out at me in this verse:
"my people"- The disciple of Christ is recognized by these 2 things, Mark 8:34-35 "Then he [Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." Matthew 10:38 "If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine." If we are taking up our crosses, and have come by the way of the cross, if Jesus is Lord of our lives, if He lives within us...we are His people, and this is what he wants us to do.....
"humble themselves"- To humble oneself means to be marked by meekness, or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; it is not arrogant or prideful. It is showing deferential or submissive respect. How's your attitude? Are you quenching the Spirit in how you act?
"pray"- I think of Nehemiah, or Daniel, and Jehoshaphat when I think of prayer. Nehemiah spent 4 months in intensive intercessory prayer. His prayers included praising God for His power, and love, confessing the nations sins, and calling on God to act. Jehoshaphat's people prayed and sang so much in front of the enemy that the enemy got so confused they killed each other! Want to confuse Satan and all of Hell?! Pray, sing, be crazy for Jesus, they just might turn on themselves!
"seek my face"- I have the best little devotional book called, "The Seeking Heart" by François Fénelon. I pray my heart always seeks Him. In reading Fénelon's insights to scripture and our Lord, I have come to conclude that Proverbs 3:5-6 is the pinnacle of all Christian knowledge and truth. When we live out this verse we find ourselves at the center of His will. Because it is then that we trust Him and not ourselves; I depend on Him; my heart is set to understand Him. I follow Him by the dim torch of faith. His will is that we would as 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 says, "Keep on praying. Not matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil." When we seek Him, we find Him, Matthew says.
"turn"- This means repent, and this is a big one! God calls us to the place where we become sorrowful for what we have done. It requires taking in a whole new point of view; looking at it God's way. What is His way? Basically all of Ephesians 5 lays out what pleases God. There is an URGENCY to repentance!
Isaiah 55:6-7 "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."
Romans 2:4 "Are you, perhaps, misinterpreting God's generosity and patient mercy towards you as weakness on his part? Don't you realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"
Acts 17:30 "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent."
James 5:19-20 "My brothers, if any of you should wander away from the truth and another should turn him back on to the right path, then the latter may be sure that in turning a man back from his wandering course he has rescued a soul from death, and in so doing will "cover a multitude of sins."
Rev 3:3 "Remember what you were taught. Hold to those things and repent."
Christians wake up, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light! (Eph. 5:14) We are the leaders and watchmen, may we all turn by to our Creator.
I'm participating in John Hagee's call to 40 days of prayer, fasting, and repentance for our nation. It started today, and I committed to pray, and fast soda, including my beloved sundrop, Facebook, and bread.
This verse has become quite a popular verse here in the recent years, it was popular when 9/11 happened I remember. How have we as disciples of Christ done in following this verse? Many of us have sat back silently, never once standing up for Jesus for the desire to be politically correct instead of Biblically correct. This verse points us to the cross. (please see previous post, "The Cross of Christ" for a greater understanding).
This verse is an if/then verse. "If" statements in the Bible are crucial to pay attention to, God is saying, forgiveness is conditional, you must do this before I act and answer.
There are several words that jump out at me in this verse:
"my people"- The disciple of Christ is recognized by these 2 things, Mark 8:34-35 "Then he [Jesus] called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." Matthew 10:38 "If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine." If we are taking up our crosses, and have come by the way of the cross, if Jesus is Lord of our lives, if He lives within us...we are His people, and this is what he wants us to do.....
"humble themselves"- To humble oneself means to be marked by meekness, or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; it is not arrogant or prideful. It is showing deferential or submissive respect. How's your attitude? Are you quenching the Spirit in how you act?
"pray"- I think of Nehemiah, or Daniel, and Jehoshaphat when I think of prayer. Nehemiah spent 4 months in intensive intercessory prayer. His prayers included praising God for His power, and love, confessing the nations sins, and calling on God to act. Jehoshaphat's people prayed and sang so much in front of the enemy that the enemy got so confused they killed each other! Want to confuse Satan and all of Hell?! Pray, sing, be crazy for Jesus, they just might turn on themselves!
"seek my face"- I have the best little devotional book called, "The Seeking Heart" by François Fénelon. I pray my heart always seeks Him. In reading Fénelon's insights to scripture and our Lord, I have come to conclude that Proverbs 3:5-6 is the pinnacle of all Christian knowledge and truth. When we live out this verse we find ourselves at the center of His will. Because it is then that we trust Him and not ourselves; I depend on Him; my heart is set to understand Him. I follow Him by the dim torch of faith. His will is that we would as 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 says, "Keep on praying. Not matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil." When we seek Him, we find Him, Matthew says.
"turn"- This means repent, and this is a big one! God calls us to the place where we become sorrowful for what we have done. It requires taking in a whole new point of view; looking at it God's way. What is His way? Basically all of Ephesians 5 lays out what pleases God. There is an URGENCY to repentance!
Isaiah 55:6-7 "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon."
Romans 2:4 "Are you, perhaps, misinterpreting God's generosity and patient mercy towards you as weakness on his part? Don't you realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"
Acts 17:30 "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent."
James 5:19-20 "My brothers, if any of you should wander away from the truth and another should turn him back on to the right path, then the latter may be sure that in turning a man back from his wandering course he has rescued a soul from death, and in so doing will "cover a multitude of sins."
Rev 3:3 "Remember what you were taught. Hold to those things and repent."
Christians wake up, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light! (Eph. 5:14) We are the leaders and watchmen, may we all turn by to our Creator.
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