2 Chronicles 7:14
And My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Two different people have sent me this scripture lately. They, like you, wish to see the healing of a nation. This devotional goes out around the world so let’s recognize that we are in different places and having different experiences. Even within a country, the experience can be quite diverse. Still, nations around the world have need of healing.
The keys for national healing are the exact reflection of what we need on a personal level for healing. Let us look at these three important elements to national and personal healing. First, most people will easily see the sin component in this verse. As a nation or as an individual who desires healing, we need to confess our sin. You cannot be healthy knowing you are carrying around sin. It will damage your emotions, relationships and ultimately find expression in your body. So, release your conscience of sin by humbling yourself before the Lord and turning from any form of sin for sin is a cruel task master. Be free of any sin because it is a toxin, then allow the healing to take place.
The part that jumped out at me from this verse is that God challenges us to seek His face. I think it is easy to get caught up in the sin component and overlook the next two pieces, i.e. seeking and praying. God did not say He would heal our land nor heal us without involvement on our part. He calls us into a deeper engagement with Him. “Seek My face,” it is a necessary part of healing individually as well as on a national level. When God’s people seek HIs face and engage with Him, good things happen.
Lastly, of course, is prayer. Well, how do you seek the Lord’s face and not involve yourself in prayer but . . . I do not think God is talking about petition prayer. What is that you ask? It is my moniker for those prayers which are about what we want Him to do for us: Father, heal me, bless me, pay my bills, care for my children, etc. Those are all good prayers but not what God is talking about here. The kind of prayer referred to in this passage is that which is involved in seeking God’s face. It is about getting quiet and contemplative and looking for Him in your heart, listening to Him speaking out of your own spirit. This is what we do too little of, myself included. If a nation, a family or a person will seek God’s face with heart engagement, then He can move in our realm and bring healing and deliverance.
“Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually,” Psalm 105: 4