2 Chronicles 7:14 Humble Themselves - Version 2
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

By Marni Montanez

2 Chronicles 7:14

New King James Version (NKJV)

14 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.

God is not just a name.  His name is a prism displaying the many characteristics of who He is. We are followers of Christ and dwell under His many names, some of which we share, like priest, anointed...etc.  We indwell the living God and He dwells within us in the Holy Spirit.

To humble oneself is to place ourselves under the protection and guidance of God. When we recognize His authority and His wisdom as being the one and only way for us to live each moment, then we are putting ourselves into His very capable hands and placing all trust in Him.

We acknowledge that we are not able to make the right decisions without the Almighty directing us. Praying is a part of being humble because prayer is about bringing our needs and wants and placing them into God’s hands.  It is saying, “God, I can’t but you can.”

It does take a humble heart to see the desperate necessity for prayer.

I’ve heard people say, that they don’t pray for themselves, but that is deception since we all need God exactly the same.   It implies I can handle things myself and I don’t need God’s help or God doesn’t love me like He loves others.  Either way we are putting conditions on God’s desire to answer all prayers; even our own about ourselves.   We are all dependent on God and need Him in all situations. None is exempt.   God tells us that we need to be completely submitted to Him. Being humble looks like:  1 Peter 5:6-7 New American Standard Bible

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

There is so much to pray for and that is why it is important to keep ourselves in prayer.  Even the short walk to our car could be filled with prayers.   Right now our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East are being tortured, raped, and killed by beheadings.  We need to pray for them.  America is losing its favor with God because we have allowed Satan to move in by our complacency.  God is very clear about prayer.  It is our way of partnering with God and fighting evil.  It is our weapon against a wicked and perverse world.  Prayer is a privilege and a God given right.  Praying should be as natural for us as breathing.   Seeking God’s face gives us a better understanding of God’s heart and God’s mind and then we are able to pray according to His will.  In the top verse, “…….turn from their wicked ways…” is what God is ultimately waiting for in order to have a close relationship with us.   Our sin separates us from God, but our humble and obedient heart removes the obstacles preventing us from receiving what He wants to give us.  

God desires to answer our prayers.  Sin or wickedness are inroads which allow the enemy into our sphere.  Sin is in darkness and that is where the enemy resides.  The last line of this verse is the promise of God to do the difficult part if we do the easy part.  What He asks of us is simple and very attainable.  God is waiting, willing and ready to bless us.

Challenge:  Repent for your apathy; pray and repent for our nation. Ask God for revival and for His will in the White House.  Pray for Godly representatives in the governments of the world.

God bless

Marni

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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.