A few days ago, the citizens of the United States returned Donald J. Trump to the presidency by a landslide. He captured a crushing majority in both the electoral college and the popular vote. As of this writing, the Republicans have also obtained a majority in the Senate and appear to be on-track for a similar result in the House of Representatives.
President-elect Donald Trump & Melania — 7 Nov 2024
So why an article on this particular topic after the dumpster fire has already been extinguished and the smoke is clearing? You’ll have an answer by the time I’m through here, so read on!
Some Context
If you’ve been around American evangelical churches for any time at all, you’ve probably heard at least one sermon citing the verses containing the title of this article. We find it in 2 Chronicles 7 where the writer is recounting the supernatural manifestations which occurred at the dedication of Solomon’s temple followed by the Lord’s second appearance to Solomon himself immediately afterwards.
To establish proper context, we can see:
- Chapter 1: God’s first appearance to Solomon in a dream during which he asks the Lord for wisdom to rule His people well
- Chapter 2: Construction of the temple commences
- Chapter 3: Recounts the construction of the temple facilities
- Chapter 4: Details the furnishing of the temple
- Chapter 5: Describes the installation of the Ark of the Covenant
- Chapter 6: Contains Solomon’s speech and prayer at the temple’s dedication
- Chapter 7:1-11: Describes God’s supernatural response to the temple’s dedication
- Chapter 7:12-22: Narrates God’s second nighttime appearance to Solomon. During that encounter, God promises the perpetuity of Solomon’s offspring on the throne as the blessing for his obedience as well as the judgments which would befall both Solomon and the nation of Israel if they forsook their covenant with Him.
- Absent meeting this criterion in verse 13, the rest of this promise is completely meaningless.
- God was already making provision for reconciliation with His people whenever they inevitably did stray.
- Humble themselves
- Pray
- Seek My face
- Repent from their wicked ways
- For everyone, it’s to pray, as we’ve already covered.
- For those of us with the freedom to vote for the candidate of our choice for public office, it’s to cast our vote in accordance with what the Word says about any ballot measure or a candidate’s positions on the issues (whether that person is likable or not).
- For some, it’s to financially donate to the campaigns of candidate(s) who most closely espouse scriptural values on issues of morality.
- For yet others, it’s to engage in the political process ranging from getting petitions signed to volunteering for someone’s campaign to actually running for office.
- For some living in nations where individual freedoms are not enshrined in their national laws, it may include taking up arms against a dictator or an oppressive regime.
A scale model of Solomon’s temple
(click image to enlarge)
The Promise Itself
Our keynote promise comes immediately after the Lord confirms His commitment to the temple itself in verse 12. Here’s what it says:
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 7:13-14
In summary, God is stating that, if a certain group of folks meet His list of conditions, He will hear their prayers, forgive their sins, and heal their land.
About Those Conditions…
Please note this promise contains six criteria which need to be met.
Condition #1: A National Majority Abandonment of God
The first of these is the Lord’s foreknowledge that sometime in the future, His people will turn away from Him. He will judge them for it through a national famine or pandemic (i.e., when I shut… not if I shut…). Fascinatingly, in the 50+ years I’ve been a Christ-follower, I’ve never heard this particular tidbit articulated from a pulpit.
From this we can safely draw two conclusions:
Condition #2: My People
Verse 13 begins with “if My people who are called by My name.”
My first observation is the Lord didn’t say, “if the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” or “if My covenant people” or “if the Jews”, or even “if Israel.” Instead, the Almighty used a far more encompassing term: “if My people.”
My second one is how He then defines “My people” as those “who are called by My name.” Logically, this includes every practicing Jew plus every Christ-follower from that moment in history onward, ending only when Jesus returns.
Please note how this clause also specifically excludes from this promise all other human beings who practice all other religions, creeds, or philosophies — including atheism.
American Christendom likes to reverse these categories, pharisaically assuming the folks who God is expecting to humble themselves and repent are all those evil atheists and other secular folks who espouse communism, abortion, sexual perversion, transgenderism, Darwinism, human-caused climate change, critical race theory, and all the other woke horse-hockey.
[LOUD BUZZER] Sorry, wrong answer! Thank you for playing!
In truth, it is that very attitude which caused me to detest this particular Bible passage for decades.🤮
The bottom line here is this: we who identify as Christ-followers — not “those people!” — are the spiritual bottleneck in this equation. It also means God’s healing our land comes through our faith and obedience despite their complete rebellion against God and obstinate refusal to cooperate.
The Rest of the Conditions
But wait; there’s more!🥸 In addition to His first two conditions restricting eligibility for this promise to spiritually wayward Jews and Christians, God adds yet another four:
Conditions #3 & #6: Humble Themselves & Repent
I combined these two because they are inseparably linked. There is zero, zilch, nada repentance apart from our humble surrender to the Most High. Period.
Why?
Because such surrender defines the very act of repenting. Absent humility, repentance is reduced to a system of dead religious works (do this, don’t do that, cut this off, grow that out, etc., etc.).
The issue here is this: Who’s in charge? We work for Him, not the other way around. When we humble ourselves and submit to the Most High, then He is the Boss — and we’re not! The Almighty is not going to place His stamp of approval on our self-directed lives by blessing us in the midst of our rebellion. We operate on His terms, not ours, and His terms are quite specific: He runs the show, not us!
As a minister I once read stated, “Man has been trying to make peace with God ever since The Rebellion in Eden. The sticking point in the negotiations is He refuses to accept our terms for His surrender.”
I’ve written 3 articles addressing the crucial aspects of humility, Double-Minded, Humility, and Humility Revisited, so I will not reinvent that wheel here.
The bottom line? Prayer apart from humility and repentance is about as useful as the proverbial lactating glands on the proverbial male swine.
Condition #4: Pray
I’ve also written a lengthy series on prayer, so I will not reinvent that wheel here, either.
That being said, the top verse which comes to mind here is “…you have not because you ask not” (see James 4:2). Just as The Lord requires us to daily express our need for bread rather than Him simply making it appear apropos of nothing (which would lead to a sense of entitlement; e.g., the Israelites and manna in the wilderness), we are required to ask for what we want from the Lord regarding the healing of our land.
Condition #5: Seek His Face
Another way to translate this phrase from the Hebrew is to “desire/demand His presence.” This is where we get our marching orders. This is where the Holy Spirit permeates into our daily conduct: what does He want us to do about it all in the natural?
In Closing
I told you earlier I would explain why this article remains relevant after November 5, 2024. My answer is the following statement:
We ain’t done yet, folks! Not by a long shot!
The culture wars are ongoing, even thriving. Most Americans’ desire to continue doing whatever is right in their own eyes is still alive and well, thank you very much!
What we have now is a good start. Actually, it’s a great start.
But it’s only a start!
Despite the huge wins I cited earlier, we lost terribly on several crucial issues. Tragically, several states passed state constitutional amendments legalizing abortion, some of them up to full-term. Arizona’s is one of the worst of these.
Yes, we triumphed in this latest skirmish, but the battle for the soul of this country is far from over. Now is not the time for us to rest on our laurels, smugly basking in the afterglow of our candidates’ victories. Now is the time to continue in humble surrender, walking in personal holiness, pressing into His presence with more fervent intercession, and seeking whatever else He would have each of us personally do on top of all that.
Thank you for reading!
