God is gracious
After Solomon built the temple of the Lord, Solomon received a special visitation.
The Lord appeared to Solomon during the night and made a proclamation to him. The declaration can be found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV): “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.”
It is apparent that at this time in our nation, we need the Lord to heal the land. The declaration is specific, and the promise requires action from those who wish to receive the blessing.
The promise is made to “God’s people.” Solomon was an Israelite, and the temple was built in Jerusalem. However, the promise extends beyond one group of people. The promise remains just as valid for believers in Mississippi and across the United States today. All believers can celebrate the promise. Ephesians 3:4-6, Galatians 3:16 and Romans 11:11-31 all testify that Gentiles, which includes everyone who is not Jewish, are the “seed of Abraham” and have been grafted into the royal family of God. Galatians 3:28 declares that all believers are “one in Christ.”
Now that we know the promise covers all believers, there may be a question about what we must do to receive the promise. We must: 1) humble ourselves; 2) pray; and 3) turn from our wicked ways.
We humble ourselves when we confess to ourselves and our God that we have made mistakes and refrain from prideful attitudes. We acknowledge that God is the “Great I Am,” and we are limited in our abilities. Secondly, when we pray, we must talk to the Lord about our relationship and invite him to walk with us and speak to the Holy Spirit, who teaches us all things.
We must spend time with God, praying not for things, but to be shaped by God. Finally, there can be no restoration without repentance. 1 John 1:8 (NIV) tells us, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” We must be willing to walk away from anything that is not ordained of God and step into the work that represents God. Sometimes sin is not speaking when God has called you to service. Doing nothing can be a sin.
As we position ourselves to receive all that 2 Chronicles 7:14 has to offer, we must remember that there is a mantle of responsibility that must be assumed to reap the gifts of forgiveness and healing. To continue the path of prideful disobedience to the Lord is to usher in a spirit of pestilence that will harm the innocent, create a legacy of harm and jeopardize the ability to hear from the Lord. But God is gracious, and he is waiting for us to recognize him as lord over our hearts and actions.
St. James AME Church is located at 360 Dorothy St. in Charleston and worship service is held on the first and third Sundays of each month at 11 a.m. You may also join us on Zoom at pastorv.com.
