We love blaming unbelievers for the state of our country...

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

For being such an oft-quoted verse, I hear few people really breaking this one down. There is a lot in the Bible that can be better understood from a contractual perspective than from a theological perspective. Why? God keeps His word. That means everything in the Bible can be read as a contract. We can even see in Daniel that God doesn’t mind being reminded of His promises, as Daniel prayed and fasted for the 70 years of exile to end.

So, who does this apply to? Believers; those who are called by His name. This echoes the 3rd commandment: do not take the Lord God’s name in vain. When we become a Christian, we are taking on the name and reputation of God. People will curse God’s name or bless Him because of our actions, so don’t take on the name if you don’t mean it! This is one of the reasons I’m against the way we flippantly ask for salvations without asking people to count the cost first. Yes, salvation is free but I see Jesus’s model of evangelism being in telling people to count the cost up front, then follow Him. Refusing Jesus’s model means we have much of the church that struggles for years giving up basic parts of their life because they didn’t at the time of salvation.

This verse singles out God’s people. Uh-oh. We love blaming unbelievers for the state of our country, for issues and problems that our country is going through. But the Bible makes it clear: the fate of the blessing of the country is in the hands of the church, not in the hands of the rest of the population. This is a fact we must constantly keep in mind. It does no good blaming the rest of society! If we want true change, we must look inside the church, not outside of it.

There are 4 qualifications on the result:

• Humble themselves. Super important but often overlooked, we must stop trying to do things ourselves and stop pretending that we have it all together and go to the throne of God.
• Pray. It’s not enough to be humble. We must ask God to do something. As is often stated in the Bible, this verse talks about the activeness of the Christian faith. We don’t just wait for God to do things but we have an integral part in bringing heaven to Earth.
• Seek My Face. It’s not enough to just pray. We must seek the face of God. What does that mean? It can be waiting in silence, hearing what God has to say to us. It can be in reading the Bible blinders off, not looking for what we want to find in the scriptures but reading them to see what they really say and what they reveal about God. I find it so interesting that God splits this from regular prayer and I think it’s important that we do the same.
• Turn from their wicked ways. Wow this is general, but as often is the case, when God is angry with His people over sin, He is talking about habits and reoccurring issues, not one-time problems. In English, there is no difference between sin (a lifestyle, habits, and constant issues) vs sin (a one-time mistake, problem, or failing) but in many other languages including Greek, there is a distinct difference.

I don’t think I can stress how important this is, or how blind we are to our own wicked ways. Just spend time with a Christian from another culture - you’ll quickly be shocked at things they find acceptable and you don’t, and things you do that they take biblical exception to. In the US, sexual sin is dealt with harshly, but gossip isn’t, even when it’s habitual. What about greed; wanting more than what you need, or gluttony; taking more than you can possibly use or need in this life? They are almost praised in many Christian circles and I have never heard a message against them, though in most village churches those things are seen as sin.

Yes, we talk about tithing, but we often neglect the more important aspects of the law: justice, mercy and faith (Matt 23:23). Speaking of faith, I don’t know if there is a word for this but I see many people that specifically build their lives around not needing God. Somehow we’ve taken the gospel and the American dream of independence and melded them into a Christianity where it’s biggest goal is to get to a place where we are independent spiritually and don’t need God. I wonder how much this pains the Lord: it must be like raising kids who have no intention of ever talking to their parents once they finish paying off college for them.

That’s just the American list. The Mozambicans are so worried about whether someone is drinking that they neglect many of the more powerful aspects of scripture. I find much of the same attitudes as in the US but with different manifestations…

If your land is not producing, has war, or is destitute, investigate this list as you would investigate a contract. Make sure you are fulfilling each part just like you would in a dispute over a bill. After all, God is faithful and can be taken at His word.

Lord, help me to see my life with your eyes. Help me to see what you are calling me to do instead of blaming those around me for the state of my country.