2 Chronicles 7:12-14 – “Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by 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 heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 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 will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  NKJV

Solomon had built the temple David desired and his kingdom was growing mightily when God appeared to him a second time in a dream or vision of the night.  God confirmed that He was pleased with the temple and designated it as a ‘house of sacrifice’.  Then God speaks to Solomon advising him that there would be times when God brought conditions upon the land or allowed conditions upon the land that were problematic there was a solution. 

The instruction is prayer, but it has some stages in it and sometimes it seems to me that we have forgotten this solution.  Some will tell me that this only applies to Israel and was time specific to that era, but I will contend that when we are told that we have a better covenant established upon better promises in the New Covenant we have ‘at least’ this in our seeking a solution to the problems that rise up in our land.

Consider the instruction:

• It is MY PEOPLE – – Are we God’s People as believers?  If so, then can we not apply this to our lives and situations?
• It is those CALLED BY GOD’S NAME – – What is the distinction by which we are identified?  Is it not Christian?  So, if we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise can we not lay legitimate claim to this direction?
• HUMBLE THEMSELVES – – Therein lays the problem too often frequently we are anything but ‘humble’.  Too often we develop an ‘entitlement mentality’ and believe that we have ‘rights’ that God is obligated to provide rather than coming ‘humbly’ before Him knowing that without Him we have and are nothing.
• PRAY – – Not just a passing laundry list of requests but engaging the Living God in prayer with all its aspects and dimensions.  That is evidenced in the direction to SEEK HIS FACE. That is not possible in a quick ‘microwave Instagram tweet’ it requires introspection as well as petition.
• TURN FROM SIN – – He is speaking to individuals but also to a nation and we dare not forget that aspect.  There is a time for national repentance done by individuals.  Individually it is imperative that we allow the Spirit of God to shine the light of God upon our lives, expose our sin, and run to the Cross crying out for forgiveness and mercy.

God says that when those conditions are met, He Will Hear from heaven Forgive Their Sin, and Heal their Land.  In our land today we are in desperate need of Divine Healing for our land.  We need God to send a deliverer to lead us to the Promised Land. 

I am not so naïve that I think that America is pristine and free from sin for we are not.  We need revival in this nation.  We need healing in this nation.  We need forgiveness in this nation.  It must begin individually to be realized nationally and as a people.  So, if we love God, love liberty, love this land we should apply this passage to our lives and embark on the journey of Healing and Forgiveness!

God bless you as you go through your day!