LEARNING DAILY

 

2 Chronicles 7:13-14,  “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence 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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

 

2 Chronicles 7:14 is a verse used when Israel chose to no longer follow the Lord their God.  Look at verse 13 to see warnings God gave them.  I was intrigued by these and did a little research to see if those same warnings had been given to the United States.  Stay with me as I give just a few thoughts this morning.

 

“A recent study argues that the drought conditions experienced in the western US since 2000 are the start of a megadrought equal to the worst the US has experienced in 1,200+ years.” (from a science article written by Trevor Nace).  I do not think I am wrong to write that there are many very dry areas in this country, areas that are in desperate need of rain.

 

Locusts Are a Plague of Biblical Scope in 2020 … What are They Exactly?   This is one headline from internet articles on locusts in the world today.  The problem with locusts has been more of a worldwide problem than one specific to this country.

 

But, notice the last event spoken of is pestilence on the land, a plague, a pandemic.  This year we have experienced all three of these events in the United States and through out the world.  The most obvious has been the pandemic.  I do not know if the order of these events in the above verse is significant or not.  I do know that the pandemic we have and continue to experience has shaken this country to its fundamental beliefs.  It seems to me that God is trying to wake people, His people, up and turn them back to Him.

 

God gives a promise when these things occur; it is one we cannot ignore.  God’s judgment of His people during times of moral decline, spiritual indifference and laziness, and worldly compromise is drought, lack of produce, and pestilence.  Even though this was given to Israel, it applies to His people of any generation.  His promise includes four conditions for restoration to occur.  “If My people who are called by My name:

 

Humble themselves.  Believers must recognize their failures, ask for forgiveness for their sins and renew a commitment to do His will.  Humbling yourself before God is to recognize your dependency upon God for all things and to recognize you are spiritually bankrupt without Him.

 

Pray.  This is not just a quick prayer before a meal.  This kind of prayer is to cry out to Him in desperation for mercy and a complete trust in Him to intervene.  This type of prayer must be earnest and is not a onetime happening (see James 5:17-18)

 

Seek My face.  This an interesting statement.  It means to diligently seek God and desire to be in His presence with your whole heart.

Turn from your wicked ways.  God’s people must genuinely repent by turning away from all forms of idolatry, reject conformity to the world, and draw near to Him for mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing.

 

When you do these four things look at what God’s promise is – “then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”  God promises to send revival!  His promise is to turn away from His anger, listen to their desperate cry and be attentive to their prayers.  In other words, He begins to hear and answer prayer from heaven.  He will forgive His people, cleanse them of their sins and restore His favor presence, peace and righteousness among them.  He will send rain and heal the land.

 

I believe there is a desperate need for God’s people to “humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways”.  We have been warned.  We have briefly been ‘sorry for our sins”; I wonder if there has been any repentance! 

I need to spend time with the Lord.

 

“For this man who needs amazing kind of grace

For forgiveness and a price I couldn’t pay

I’m not perfect so I thank God every day

There was Jesus

There was Jesus!”   Zack Williams

 

Even when I can’t feel it You’re working

You never stop working!    Michael W. Smith

 

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