“If my people who are called by my Name, humble themselves, pray, 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)
Take a Moment to Ponder
We seem to have many expectations of God. We want God to do so many things for us, yet we fail to follow the way of the Lord. We fail to commit ourselves to God’s call. We claim to be God’s people yet we refuse to do the will of God. If we want God to acknowledge us, then we need to be faithful to God’s call on our lives. If we are God’s people, we need to follow the instructions God has laid down. The above quote is an example of what it is we need to do to find favour with God. If we are called by God’s name, then we need to show humility in the presence of God. We must become people of prayer, and be constant and consistent in prayer.
If we are God’s people, then we also need to seek God’s face. There are so many things that we want from God, yet we stay at a distance from God and we do not approach. We need to develop a personal relationship with God. We need to seek God’s face and do God’s will. That will place us on a path towards receiving the blessings that God wants to give us. Additionally, we must also turn from our wicked ways. We are a society that has become cold, callous and uncaring. Too many in our midst have wicked ways and refuse to turn from those ways. If we continue along that path, then our country will continue to suffer.
But what is in store for us if we follow those instructions? The Lord will hear us and be merciful and forgive our sins. This is what anyone who has done wrong would want to happen. We want forgiveness from God. More than that. If we are people who care about our nation, we want to see a nation that is healthy. We want to see a nation that experiences healing. Our nation is in need of healing, but we turn a blind eye to the ills of the nation and focus on our personal situations. If we are indeed God’s people then we will show more care and concern for our nation. We will commit to prayer our nation and our leaders. We need to make a commitment this year that we will do what is expected of us as God’s people so that our nation will indeed experience healing.
Practical Action
As God’s people, called by God’s Name, we must become people of prayer who are humble and who constantly seek God’s face. We must also seek forgiveness and pledge to do the right thing. We must actively seek to become people of prayer so that our land will experience healing.
A Moment in Prayer
Gracious God, we are your people and you continue to call us into your service. Help us to acknowledge you. Help us to humble ourselves, seek your face, pray and turn from our wicked ways. We pray for your guidance on this nation as we seek to be committed to your call and do your will. We pray your continued guidance and blessing on our nation. We pray for our Leaders and we ask for your guidance for them as they serve the people. We pray and ask you, Lord, to heal our land from violence, hatred and indifference. Help us Lord to seek you as we pray for your continued presence with us. Amen.
Contributed by: Very Rev. Fr. Richard A. Tucker
