Could it be me?
Could it be you?
I’ve prayed a lot for our country and our world. I’ve prayed for protection from sickness for my family. I’ve prayed for healthcare workers. I’ve prayed for those who have lost their jobs; for those who’ve lost loved ones. I’ve prayed for peace over fear.
But what if I’m missing it?
What if healing isn’t coming to our world because of something I’m not doing?
In Genesis, Sodom and Gomorrah was completely and utterly destroyed because there wasn’t even 10 righteous people there.
We tend to put the blame for bad things happening on the ones who are worldly; the ones who do not follow Jesus.
But in Genesis, if only 10 would’ve been righteous, God would’ve saved the whole city.
Maybe, followers of Christ have a bigger role in the healing of our country and our world.
I’ve been praying, yes…
But have I prayed for God to humble me?
Have I prayed to draw closer to God?
Have I prayed for God to show me areas of my life that I need to work on?
Have I prayed for God to help me turn from those ways?
I confess, these aren’t the prayers I’ve been praying as of late.
But if we want to see healing, God’s people must start here.
“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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
This verse has been ringing in my ears.
“If MY people, who are called by My name”…not all people…followers of Christ.
If followers of Christ will HUMBLE THEMSELVES…
When we humble ourselves, we let go of pride. We realize that we have sin in our lives that we need to deal with.
Maybe like me, you realize that you have some areas you need to work on, but you just can’t seem to get it right.
Maybe you’ve been struggling for years with the same sinful behavior.
You think this sounds good, but don’t know how you are going to be able to overcome the sin you’re facing.
I get it. I GET IT.
So how do we do it?
The verse continues…
“If MY people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face…”
We must rely on God’s strength to help us overcome.
We must pray and seek His face. He knows our weaknesses. We must ask Him to help us turn from our wicked ways.
Then, we get the promise:
“then I will hear from heaven,
and I will forgive their sin
and will heal their land.”
If we follow Christ, we must be obedient to Him.
We can’t pick and choose areas to obey.
It’s a lot easier to pray for healing, without actually having to do some work that we’ve been asked to do.
It’s a lot easier to place blame on the world not turning to God, for all of our problems, than it is to think that followers of Christ aren’t doing their part.
