3-30-20 Lord, Help Me Do My Part 2Chron 7:14
Hi Friends,
How amazing is it that God placed on my heart this year to write my blogs about simple, powerful prayers we can lift up to Him? Coincidence? I don’t believe in them! God is reaching out and knocking on our hearts, Church! Prayer is SO much more powerful than we understand. Let’s hear God speaking today to us in this amazing verse, and please notice God is speaking to HIS people, to you and me, my Friends! Let’s choose to heed His Word, shall we? Listen:
“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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2Chron 7:14 NIV my emphasis)
1- If we will humble ourselves. Pride is the root of all evil, so it’s opposite, Humility, is the root of all that is good. Humility is having a balanced view of who we are, especially in light of Who God is! What are we compared to Him? A speck of dirt? A fading vapor in the wind? And yet, God says we are so very important to Him! (Jn 3:16) Let that awe you today…and may it humble us always. With this proper perspective, we can boldly approach God knowing that He loves us, hears us and wants to transform us so that we can be like Him and lack for nothing. (See 2Co 3:18; Jas 1:2-4) Lord, keep us humble.
2- If we will pray. Praying is having a conversation with God Who, as our Holy Father, loves to interact with His children. Yes it can be structured as with the Lord’s Prayer, but it can be so much more. Whatever is on your heart and mind, just speak it to God. If you are sincerely born again, if you have surrendered your life to Jesus as Lord and Savior, then the Holy Spirit resides, in union with your spirit, so He is there in you anyway! Let’s show God reverence by pointing every thought, every emotion and every desire up to Him in constant conversation. (see 1Thes 5:17) Knowing that God is in you always…I wonder how this Truth will change our thoughts, help us control our emotions and guide our desires and actions? Lord, help me pray without ceasing.
3- If we will seek God’s face. We are too quick to see God’s hand, His blessings as we pour out our needs to Him on a daily basis. But how about seeking His face? How about being so consumed with wanting to know Him, as the God of all Creation, and nurturing this most amazing relationship that we are privileged to be able to have? Seek Who God is and then reveling in His Love and Grace is worship. My Friends, we are all worshipping something and/or someone. Shouldn’t we be adoring Jesus above all else? Shouldn’t we be praising Him no matter what is going on? Shouldn’t we be magnifying Him, making Him greater and pointing others to Him, abundantly over anything or anyone else? Lord, help us seek Your face.
4- If we will repent. That’s what “turn from [our] wicked ways” means. None of us is perfect. How true is that statement?! All of us must continually allow God to transform us into the Image of His Perfect Son. Thank God, He is not looking for perfection! But He is hoping for transformation. He is urging us to persevere no matter what. He is commanding us to love Him with all we’ve got and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. (Mk 12:29-31) Yes, I said “commanding.” It is time the Church stops looking at the Bible as “good suggestions” and understand God will not be mocked. (PLEASE see Gal 6:7) Sadly, this topic is not talked about much in these new “feel good about yourself churches” that seem to be popping up everywhere. Sure they are popular, but it is ONLY the Truth that will set us free. We will talk about this a bit more next week, for now pray with me:
Lord, I repent of my sin. Help me be delivered from it as You teach us to pray in what we call the Lord’s Prayer. I want to be free from anything and everything that will keep me from being transformed into Your Holy Image. Thank You for Your patience and Your grace. In Your mighty Name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.
5- God will hear. The prayer of a repentant heart is what God is always listening for because it means we are ready to surrender “our ways” and begin to live by His Holy Way. God is listening for our heart to be sick and tired of being sick and tired and then to sincerely seek another path, a holy path, to live by. He wants, more than we do, for us to come to Him and speak openly and honestly to Him about all things. God wants to hear from His children. Praise God!
6- God will forgive our sin. God is more concerned with the eternal state of our hearts than with the comfort of our temporary lives here. If we obey His Word, He WILL- He wants to- hear us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us (1Jn 1:9) and move us forward into a new level of this Abundant Life He desires for each of us to have, enjoy and share. (Jn 10:10) Praise God!
7- God will heal our land. Our beliefs are NOT about religion, but about the most amazing relationship you can ever have. In any healthy relationship, there is a part for both partners to play. God is more than ready and able and willing to do His part, heal the world. But He will not do our part for us. He is the Master- we are His servants. May we never get those two confused! As we live by numbers 1 through 4 above, God will joyfully fulfill the rest. Praise God!
It is Time for the Church to take the lead, my Friends. God is speaking to us during this current crisis. Will we act in humility, pray with passion, seek Him with sincerity and turn away from sin with all the power God will give us? This is certainly how I am leaning on God to live now, and hopefully, for the rest of my life. Will you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think!
<>< Peace, Diane
