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 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.

How many times have you heard or read that if we humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from our wicked ways, God will hear and forgive and heal? There have been those times of national crisis, such as September 11, when people sought God, filled church services; it just did not last. After a short time, those people who filled the churches returned to their old habits and their old way of life. For people to seek churches for comfort, a great shaking had to occur. Go back and read verse 13 above. God gave some examples of events that would happen for people to seek Him. Does any event mentioned jump out at you? The word pestilence leaps off the page at me; pestilence is defined as a fatal epidemic disease. Consider that Jesus said a sign of the end times was pestilence. You cannot argue with me that we are experiencing an increase in epidemics now – led by Covid-19.

My question is not about God’s ability to hear His people pray and seek Him and turn from their wicked ways. My question is more concerned with how many need to do this and how many would do this. The key word in verse 14 is the little word “if”. The other question I have is about the darkness, the evil that has grown over this land. Has this nation gotten so far away from God that it has become a nation under judgment and heading for a great fall? Have the sins of this nation become so serious that judgment has to fall?

Consider the nation of Israel who turned away from God to follow the ways of the pagan nations – killing their babies on the foreign god’s altars, the immoral sexual practices to increase the fertility of the ground and trying to worship these foreign gods while trying to outwardly do what God required. As Israel turned away from following God and His ways, the nation only became worse until God brought judgment upon them.

America needs to wake up before their sinfulness and evil decisions cause the nation to descend into a place where God brings His judgment upon this land. His people, His faithful followers are to follow Him without reservation. Our hearts have got to be given totally to Him. Our hearts need to change to reflect His life, His love, His light. It is not just a matter of changing laws or outward structures, or outward appearances. If only the outward appearance of things change, no real change will occur. God’s people need to stand up and be the light and salt we are called to be as followers of Jesus Christ. God’s people need to place a priority on spending time with Him, praying and seeking His desire on how we can walk with him in an effective way. We must turn from our wicked ways – whatever that might be in your life. I believe that because the way of life America is taking (and much of the rest of the world), it is imperative that men and women of God take their stand in and on Biblical principles and live the life that pleases God!