"If My People..."

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among 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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:13-14

It was painfully evident watching Tuesday night’s election results just how divided a country we live in. A country that is hiding behind the façade of economic concerns while it passes morally depraved laws. In one night three more states legalized gay marriage, two states voted to expand gambling, four states voted to legalize the use and sale of marijuana! In another state, a measure to allow doctor assisted suicide was narrowly defeated!

If there was ever a nation that needed healing it is the one in which we live. However, this passage contains a hard truth that many Christians may not want to acknowledge. We often tell ourselves that in order for our land to be healed, America has to repent and turn from their wicked ways. Yet, this passage says that it isn’t the nation that is failing to respond, but rather God’s people!

As our nation continues to plunge itself into immorality and wickedness, the Body of Christ seems to have little influence over it. Matthew 5:13-14 declares that we are to be bearers of righteousness. We are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Yet, we have lost our saltiness! In the name of political correctness, tolerance and diversity we have backed away from truth. We have become diluted by our culture and ineffective in addressing evil!

We spend our time, money and energy trying to “turn the tide” through elections and legal maneuvers, when it is impossible to legislate morality. Nevertheless, it is possible to heal our land! The answer is found with the people of God! God’s people must humble themselves! God’s people must pray! God’s people must seek His face! God’s people must turn from their wicked ways! “Then, “God says, “I will forgive their sins and heal their land.”

The question is…How bad will it have to get before God’s people will stop putting anything and everything in front of seeking God? How bad will it have to get before God’s people will give up a night of Duck Dynasty or Toddlers & Tiaras in order to humble themselves and pray? How bad will it have to get before God’s people will grasp that having our families in church, seeking God’s face, is more important than a theatre production, sporting event, or a weekend at the lake?

Our land is not healed because it has not yet gotten bad enough to get God’s people into the altars! It has not gotten bad enough to get us to humble ourselves! It has not gotten bad enough to get us to pray! It has not gotten bad enough to get us to seek God’s face! It has not gotten bad enough for us to turn from our wicked ways!

If we as believers are not moved enough by the condition of our nation to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways; what makes us believe that society is ever going to turn to God?

As a Christian, one who is called by God’s name, ask yourself this question:

“How bad will it have to get before I will be moved out of my complacency to earnestly begin seeking God?”