Time For a Turning Away

Good Morning,

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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

I was reading some messages and notes that I have and came across the following:
"While this is a passage often emphasized when talking about the problems with nations and governments, let's remember that the truest application of this must find its home in us and in our churches. We can begin revival in our land if we will commit to daily prayer, weekly fasting, and hearts yearning for God to enter our world and transform it." (Author Unknown)

I stopped a moment and realized how right these words are. It seems that we want to ascribe all of what God told Solomon to "the world" but, how much do we, Christian believers, take these words to heart? Aren't we the ones who should start this prayer and seeking of the Lord throughout this land?

I don't know why, but what mostly struck me were the words God spoke, "...and turn from their wicked ways..." (I've stopped asking the why of what is pointed out to me. It's just important that I recognize it and think about it and allow God to make me understand what He wants me to understand. Hey, better late than never, huh?) I think that too many of us who say that we believe these words, drop to our knees in prayer and truly seek God's face for that moment, well, I think that we sort of forget about the turning away from the wicked ways that we have in our lives...even still. Yes, good Christians believers can still have some evil ways about them, as we all know. You see, that's the hard part...the turning away from those wicked ways...that is so hard for us to do. It's hard for us to do because, if we're honest with ourselves and one another, we kind of like some of those wicked ways. I'm not going to go into just what those wicked ways are here, to tell the truth, it would take way too much space.

We know what we do. We know what we allow in our lives. We know exactly what it is that we should turn away from and not let back into our lives. We're not stupid in this. I guess the question is whether or not we're willing to put aside those things, turn from them, and, thus, be the start of having this verse of Scripture come to fruition...God, hearing from heaven and forgiving our sins and healing our land. Remember, He said..."If..........." I suppose He wasn't more positive about how He put it because He knows His people and He knows just how difficult we find it to turn away from those things we know we should.

My friends, it starts with me. It starts with you. It starts with each believer reading these words and taking them to heart. It starts with all of us, Christian believers, that is, "...my people, who are called by my name...", humbling ourselves, praying, seeking God's face, and...the hard part...turning away from our "wicked ways," whatever they may be in each of our lives. We are the people God is talking to, even today. Yes, He spoke to Solomon, the king of God's people at the time, but, don't you believe that God was also speaking to ALL believers for all time? I certainly do.

I guess it's up to me then, huh? And, up to you?

Love, peace, and blessings,

David