2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
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.
I have been praying for revival in this nation for some time. I would like to think we are closer today than yesterday, but I just don’t know. I know we need an awakening like never before. We need a revival from God. We need Him to help us. If He doesn’t help us, we can’t be helped. Will you join me in working through the instructions in this verse in your life as I am in mine? The Lord has told us what is required for healing in our land. You can’t get much plainer and simpler than this…. but we will have to be serious about each of these steps and do the work if we’re to see our land restored.
First – “If my people”. This is on us. Revival is not about getting the ungodly or “the world” to do what is right. It is on us as believers to follow the guidelines set forth in this verse. Those of us in relationship with Jesus Christ are the key…. no one else.
Second – “humble themselves”. Recognize God for who He is and humble ourselves before Him. See Him as the ultimate authority in our lives and our world, and in humility bow to His ways and wants for us. There is no God but our God. We humble ourselves before Him for whatever purpose He chooses.
Third – “pray”. This is the battleground for any and all victories. We speak directly to the God of the universe about our needs, concerns, and desires. We ask for revival. We ask for His intervention in current events. We ask for His mercy instead of the judgment we deserve. We ask for forgiveness for “our” sin as a nation. Our battle is in the spiritual realm, not against flesh and blood… prayer puts us on the right battlefield. Pray.
Fourth – “seek My face”. Sometimes we get hung up on checking off the boxes don’t we? I read my bible, I prayed, I treated my neighbor well, I did good today. But this requirement is personal… there’s no curtain to hide anything. This boils down to just us and God. We draw near, away from everything else. We seek Him first and foremost. We seek His face… not His hand… we seek HIM.
Fifth – “turn from their wicked ways”. We must turn away from any sin in our lives and turn to Christ and His way. This means we also ask The Lord to show us the sin we don’t even know about so we can repent of it. The buck stops with us. None of us are perfect. We determine to live in righteousness not wickedness. We commit to doing what is right irrespective of the cost. We turn 180 degrees and leave our sin behind us never to return again. True repentance – not lip-service.
What if we humble ourselves and pray but do not seek His face? What if we seek His face and then walk away still holding our pet sins? What if we go through the motions – check off the boxes and do not do the work of prayer on the battlefield? No – we must do them all… follow all of His instructions.
Will you join me? Will you ask The Lord, as I have, to reveal any areas that need attention in your life? Be open and ready to receive His word and be ready to act on it. Seek His face. Let’s be a righteous people before our Lord. Perhaps He will grant us revival. Perhaps we will see His hand move in a way we have never seen before. Let’s believe what He says. If we’re doing all these things He says He will forgive our sin and heal our land.