I know I am guilty of not humbling myself enough when I pray. Time after time in the bible we are given examples of being humble in prayer. I am going to use an example of this in Daniel 9:3 “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes” Here Daniel reached an extreme humbleness by fasting and humbling himself as much as he could by getting down as far as he could on his face in prayer down in the ashes wearing sackcloth. If we are going to pray the prayer of 2 Chronicles 7:14 them we must humble ourselves the way that Daniel did here.

2 Chronicle 7:14 is part of a response that God spoke to Solomon after Solomon prayed a prayer of dedication after the temple was built. 2 Chronicles 7:13 says “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people,” This is the first part of the sentence of 2 Chronicles 7:14 and must be understood to know what verse 14 means. Verse 13 basically says when there is sin of his people there will be sicknesses and economic hard times. It must also be noted that this was written to Israel. Israel was a nation, but Israel was God’s people primarily. Israel being a nation was a blessing dependant on His people following His decrees and commands. So I would say that these verses were more focused to Israel as the people of God than Israel as the nation. So I guess my question is when we pray the prayer of 2 Chronicles 7:14 are we praying the right prayer? If this verse is directed to the people of God and not the nation of God and the cause of the need of this prayer is the sin of the people of God. Then would the need of this prayer today not be the sins of the church and not the nation. If that is true then what is the sins of the church? Maybe the church stopped being the church. Maybe we have begun to think more of ourselves than others. Maybe the church began to belong to us instead of it being God’s church. Maybe the Gospel stopped being good news to us and is not shared the way that the Gospel should be shared. Maybe we don’t live out the Gospel like it is good news. Maybe we are experiencing economic hard times and sicknesses as stated in 2 Chronicles 7:13 because of sin and need to pray the prayer of 2 Chronicles 7:14. Or could it be that we are past that point and are now in a place of exile in our own country. In verse 13 it is just saying economic and sickness but a few verse later states this “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.” This is a different judgment altogether than of the economy or sickness. So what do we need to pray is it 2 Chronicles 7:14 or something different? The response that God gave Solomon is in response to the prayer that Solomon prayed in 2 Chronicles 6: 14-42 and part of this prayer said this “When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near”. Solomon prayed this in 2 Chronicles 6:37-39 “and if they have a change of heart ^k in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their fathers, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.” Maybe this is the prayer that we need to pray instead of 2 Chronicles 7:14. I reference Daniel chapter 9 verse 3 about humbleness and the prayer Daniel prayed in verses 4-13 were this prayer that was referenced to by Solomon in 2 Chronicle 6:36-39. Daniel prayed this prayer from exile in a Godless land. I guess my question is, are we in a Godless land in exile because of our sins, the sins of the church not being the church?

I am not writing this because I have all the answers to these questions. I just believe we really need to pray and seek God to show us where we really are and how did we get here. But one thing I am convinced of that America does need is for the church to be the church that God has intended for us to be.

Heath Walraven

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Heath