Tag Archives: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Humble Prayer Isn’t Important, Perhaps, to Anyone But God

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The surest way to succeed, our culture tells us, is to be accomplished. Athletes “make history”, and business people keep score by how much money they’ve made. Leaders want power, gangbangers want respect, and everyone dreams of being able to do whatever they want to do. The Bible has a different take on being great: It says if you want to achieve real greatness, start by being humble. If you’ve never considered that, you might be surprised at how much difference that makes in the long run.

“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.” (2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV). This is a pretty well-known verse from 2 Chronicles, which came from a dream Solomon had right after he had made sacrifices and dedicated the temple. They were justifiably proud of what they had accomplished. But God appeared to Solomon and reminded him how important proper worship was, and what God required of his people.

A Different Standard

God’s word to Solomon was one of those “If—then” conditional statements that rely upon the fact that God’s character is consistent and unchanging. In this case, God is reminding Solomon (and us) that He has the authority to forgive our sins and heal our land. Since we are His children, that makes perfect sense. But what’s required of us?

First of all, we have to be God’s people, the ones who are called by his name. We need to be in a relationship with God, one that is exhibited enough externally so that others know what we are about. When people think of us, do they think of Him?

Second, we have to humble ourselves. In a world full of ego this is an attitude that we don’t see very often today. (The Special Olympics might be a place where humanity comes close to exhibiting this virtue, and there may be a couple of others. But, the world is far more calibrated to celebrating money, power and looks than it is to celebrating the efforts of humble people.)

So, Humble Yourself

We are surrounded by so much ego that we think it’s right to puff ourselves up and to treat the universe as if we are at its center. Because pride is so central to the culture we live in, it stands to reason we might even approach the Lord that way, too. Do we ever take him a bit for granted, or treat him like a buddy who comes whenever we call? Perhaps our perception of God’s place in our world would go up a couple of notches if we stopped to really think about what HE has to be proud about versus what WE are proud of…

Are you proud of anything? Kind of a silly question, but if you have normal human pride, then you are NOT humble. (Not sure if being proud of grandkids counts on this one, I think that may be a small exception…) But of course, whenever we have been proud, in the long run we figure that we can always be sorry and confess. If we tap the brakes on our pride and tell God He is Lord, then we’ve become humble again, right?

Stop and think: from a Biblical perspective, there is more to humility than that. Back in the day, people tore their clothes, put on sackcloth and sat in ashes, they wept and fasted, and they lay prostrate on the ground before the Lord. Quick check: when is the last time you humbled yourself and prayed like that? (That’s what I thought. Me neither…) And let’s not forget that humility is not an external show, but an internal transformation. We humble ourselves from the inside out, not the other way around.

Third, we need to seek God’s face. I think this implies not only seeing eye-to-eye, but being transparent, open, and intimate with God. Face to face means seeing Him as He truly is, and realizing that He sees us as we really are, without masks or excuses or spin. While we present our outward appearance to the world, the Lord sees our hearts.

Finally, He tells us to turn from our wicked ways. If enough of us humble ourselves and do this, He promises to forgive our sin and heal our land. What are your wicked ways? Do you think our land needs healing? Great news! God has already given us the prescription: when you turn from THEM, turn to HIM.

A Truly Humble Prayer

If my people, called by my name, will hear what I have to say,
And keep My word which they have heard, and come to me and pray;
If they will humble themselves, confess the wickedness they are in,
Then I will hear, and heal their land, and I’ll forgive their sin.
Come to me without delay– repentance must not wait–
For only through humility can you be truly great.

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The Tour, the Guide, the Tell: What Shlomo Taught in Israel

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 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV) God’s statement to Solomon reminds me this week that current events are linked not only to political and military acts, but to our Creator and his plans. We can make many assumptions about Israel as we try to judge the motives and the actions of all the players, but I would submit to you that most of those assumptions will fail to encompass the most important factor of all: what is God’s timetable? If we ask that question, then we can also consider something men have been wondering since the days of Solomon: is there anything men (we) can do to influence God’s plan?

On our tour of Israel a few years ago, we moved so fast and saw so many things it was almost overwhelming. There’s a common expression in large companies for the process of assimilating new people who are onboarding. They are confronted with so much new information coming at them all at once that we say they are “drinking from the firehose”. That phrase was used on our tour more than once because of all of the information and the locations that came flying at us in such a short time. Such was our experience for twelve days in the Holy Land.

Many Cultures, Many Encounters

We went from the airport to Joppa to Tel Aviv to Caesarea Maritime to Capernaum to Magdala to the Dead Sea. We were on the Golan Heights, at the Syrian border, went into Palestine, and looked just across the border into Jordan. Our group stood in mountaintop trenches next to UN observers. Our tour took us to Mt. Carmel, where we imagined Elijah confronting the prophets of Baal and looked out over Megiddo and the future site of Armageddon. We encountered diverse cultures and people. I even met a nice Palestinian guard! As we learned what God had done in the land throughout history, at every stop I wondered, “what is God going to do here?” The battles of ancient kingdoms are continuing today, and the Bible jumped off the pages into today’s headlines.

Our group saw multiple levels of civilization stacked upon modern times, old times, medieval times, and ancient history. (And in every level, there were offenses and grievances that built up like an archeological tell, a growing mound of retribution, revenge, and enmity between the land’s inhabitants.) On our tour, we visited museums and memorials, tells and tombs, boats and borders. Our tour took us from the Sea of Galilee to the City of David, and from Dan to the Dead Sea. We encountered religion and royalty, sometimes in the same place. Prince William happened to be visiting Jerusalem the same time we were, and we ended up in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher right alongside his highness. (Y’ all, I was like FIFTEEN FEET from Prince William!)

It was a wonderful, bucket list tour. Our Israeli guide Shlomo Ben Asher was a teacher, a Rabbi and a fount of wisdom as he led us through the Holy Land (which is fitting, since the name Shlomo is a modern Hebrew derivative of Solomon). He taught us brilliantly about not just Israel’s ancient history, but about who Israel is today. Shlomo shared Hebrew music and poetry, woven into the tapestry of modern Israeli culture and life, and it was impossible to tour Israel without developing a sense of kinship with the Holy Land. All that we saw made quite an impression on me, so I put it into verse:

Solomon the Wise

I once met a modern Rabbi from the kibbutz Ein-Shemer
Who took me through the Holy Land, and showed me all the treasures there.
Shlomo son of Asher helped me look at Israel through his eyes,
Teaching our group of Baptist pilgrims just like Solomon the wise.
Ancient history came to life in Israel everywhere we went,
As we Moved faster than a nomad Bedouin could unfold his tent!
We saw Israel’s treasures from the Syrian border to the South,           Learning from the stream of wisdom as it came from Shlomo’s mouth!
From Joppa to the Dead Sea, we were starting early, finishing late,
Learning more of history than Herod who was called “the great”!
Of Israel’s sumptuous banquet we could only get a little taste,
But led by the wisdom of Solomon, we did not let a moment waste.

Somehow, like a miracle, I’ve slept almost where David slept;
I’ve seen fields and hills where sheep by the future shepherd-King were kept.                 We saw the very stars that glistened, listened as he sang his song,
And I saw his city in Jerusalem, still alive and strong.
I have seen the evidence where men unearthed the temple wall,
Reflecting on the fact that men and walls, like David, also fall…
We observed Mt Carmel, where Elijah called for holy fire,
Where he called for Baal and his unholy prophets to retire!
I have witnessed tells where ancient truth was excavated out,
Centuries of dirt obscuring what the truth might be about,
And churches built on holy sites or old traditions they would tout,
With Truth and legend intertwined so much that it could make you doubt.

Like Elijah, I could look upon the Valley of Jezreel,
Thinking of its storied past and all the things it made me feel:
Will this tranquil place become the Armageddon battlefield?
Mary Magdalena, did you ever know or could you see
That groups would come from Mexico, that someday archaeology
Would find your village’s synagogue near the shores of Galilee?                                       Your hero and your exorcism have been so far-reaching
That they brought us to this place, this week, for Shlomo’s teaching.

I have seen so many things I want forever to recall:
The oasis of En Gedi, where David went when chased by Saul;
Herod’s grand and ancient hall, and desperate Masada’s fall…
Going in the Garden Tomb, or praying on the wailing wall;
So many things both big and small, and in this list not nearly all!
Ancient Scriptures, Dead Sea floating, doing Galilean boating!
Marketplaces. Children playing. Rabbis swaying as they’re praying.
The Dome of the Rock, so mean in spirit that they will not let you near it;
Their loud, intrusive call to prayer–you can’t ignore it if you hear it–
The Holocaust, so much regret; so much the world should not forget…
Modern life and ancient tells are my mosaic of Israel.

I’ve been near the place where Peter wept because a chicken squawked!
I have heard some politics, where threatening words like trash are talked;
We went to the marketplace where goods were sold and wares were hawked;
But I have seen the Holy Land, and walked where Jesus walked.

Men may turn from ancient truths and follow after new;
Men may scoff at Scripture and debate its point of view,
And men may say there is no God by what they say and do;
People say the Bible is just something you can misconstrue,
But I have been to The Holy Land. And I know it’s true.

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