To Heal A Land: Be Humble… Sit Down

Scripture: “But they make themselves humble in my sight. They pray and look to me. And they turn from their evil ways. Then I will listen to them from heaven. I will forgive their sin. And I will heal their land. After all, they are my people. Now my eyes will see them. My ears will pay attention to the prayers they offer in this place.” – ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭7:14-15‬ ‭NIRV‬‬

Devotion: Rapper Kendrick Lamar came upon the scene a few years ago and turned the rap industry on ear with his thought provoking lyrics with a conscious twist. One of my favorite cuts is a song called Humble. The hook goes “Be Humble…Sit Down”. I can imagine God saying the same thing to us right now! As a matter of fact, He did!

Before we can understand 2 Chronicles 7, we must understand the context for which the Lord decided to speak. Briefly, King Solomon had just finished building the temple for the Lord to reside in. He had inherited the plans for the temple from his father, King David. After seven years of building, millions of hours of work from skilled craftsmen, and tons of precious metals and jewels in its construction, it was finally done. But before it could be complete, Solomon prayed. The interesting thing about this prayer was that Solomon prayed to God and asked a preemptive prayer during the dedication. He basically said when, not really if, but when Your people mess up please forgive them (my translation).

God responded to Solomon’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 7 by giving the prescription to healing a nation: become humble, pray and seek Him, and return to Him.

Application: I’m am 42 years old and I have never experienced anything like the times we are experiencing now. Neither has my 75 year old mother. I would take a guess that neither you or your parents have experienced it either.
Our cities are shut down, our states are shut down, our nation is shut down, and so is the entire world. We have been shut down both physically and financially.

It’s new to us.

But it’s not new to God. Truth be told, we were sick long before a virus showed up. Our land was manifesting illness long before now.  But now, what has been allowed has gotten our attention so much, that we are crying out for healing in every way imaginable. 

And the Lord hears us. It is the nature of the Father to hear the cries of His children when they seek Him. What He spoke to Solomon is also what He is speaking today.

There is a way for our bodies to be healed. There is a way for our nation to be healed. There is a way for our world to be healed.

It starts with being humble, praying to Him, seeking Him, and turning away from things not of Him.  

1. To heal our bodies, that means not only believing you can be healed, but speaking in prayer and acting too. The woman with the issue of blood believed she could be healed, but she also put her faith in action by reaching out to touch the hem of Jesus’ robe. Taking care of our bodies, watching what we eat, working out, and getting professional help when needed and when issues first appear, not after, is a step. There is also power in prayer in healing. Never doubt that your prayers for healing go unheard, even if they are not answered how you think. Physical healing happens and has happened.
2. To heal our nation, from pride and independence it means two things. We can’t do this separate from God. We can’t get so far in our living that we leave the Lord that gave us life in the first place. It also means we as the Church, followers of Christ, need to stand firm on God’s Word and live a lifestyle that reflects that. We also must exercise the most two important of His commandments; love God and love they neighbor as yourself. We say we love God, but how we treat our neighbor made in God’s image shows that may not to be true as we think. Now is the time to reconnect with each other. Talk to your neighbor, talk to your family, and talk to your friends. Now is the time to help others. Now is the time for community spread of a different kind…love and all that entails.
3. To heal the world from idolatry and worship of false gods and ideals, we must  recognize the Lord is calling us back to Him and only Him. We live in the most technologically advanced time in history; this is an opportunity for us to be a witness to the living Savior AND show others who Christ is. Do not waste the opportunity! So, how are you, followers of Christ, handling this? Are you exhibiting faith? Are you serving? Are you loving others? Are you using this time to give? Are you using this time to study His word? Are you discipling others? Don’t let those who proclaim to follow the Lord, but exhibit none of the fruit of His Spirit, speak louder about your faith then you do. Proclaim to the World exactly who the Lord is.

Healing can come for our bodies, our nation, and the land.

We have the prescription for healing. The Great Physician has written us the script. It’s up to us to take it.

We can come back from this and we will come back from this. Hopefully, more humbled and more dependent upon Him. In the mean time, be humble…sit down…and turn to Him.