If MY People

Good Morning!!!

2 Chronicles 7:11-22 (English Standard Version)
If My People Pray
11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the LORD and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14if 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 and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. 17And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, 18then I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to rule Israel.'
19 "But if you[a] turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 20 then I will pluck you[b] up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 21And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?' 22Then they will say, 'Because they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.'"

Footnotes:
a. 2 Chronicles 7:19 The Hebrew for you is plural here
b. 2 Chronicles 7:20 Hebrew them; twice in this verse

I am not a pessimist – really, I am not. I try to take a positive view on every challenge that comes along. But sometimes …

Our Scripture today is about a joyous occasion in Israel. Solomon had at long last completed the Temple in Jerusalem – and God had inhabited it (see the first part of the chapter). So what is this Scripture all about?

God wanted Solomon to understand His rules clearly – so He comes to Solomon in the night. God knew there would come a time that Israel would begin to take His presence for granted – and would look for other gods to tweak their interest. God knew there would come a time when He would have to discipline His people – so He came to warn Solomon and to tell him what needed to happen when that time came.

Our nation is at this crossroads. Our great nation was founded by people who believed in the One True God; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the God of Israel. For two hundred plus years, we flourished as a nation – secure in our beliefs – open to all people. But somewhere along the line, we began to look for other gods to tweak our interest – and we have turned away from God.

Read again what God says to Solomon in verse 13. Here He point out that He alone has the authority to bring plenty or to bring want. Rain is a precious commodity in the Middle East (here, too). Insects can destroy in a day a whole year’s crop – and bring famine. God can bring the rain – or withhold it. God can bring the locust – or keep them at bay. He is God.

It would be easy just to say “woe is me” and to batten down the hatches for the coming storm. But God says to us: “…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways…

God says to me: (1) humble yourself. Well I think I am pretty humble. Really? Am I?
God says to me: (2) PRAY. Well I do all the time – or do I really?
God says to me: (3) seek my face. Isn’t that what I do every day – or am I just seeking something for me?
God says to me: (4) turn from your wicked ways. Wait a minute – I couldn’t be THAT wicked – could I?

I have a task set before me. I need to look carefully at me – and take appropriate action.

You see, the journey to the healing of the land begins with the people who are called by His name – not with those wicked people we like to point out as being the ones at fault. So let’s make today a day of self-examination – and look to the bright future ahead – because He said He would heal our land.

Agape’

Mr. Jim