Home Recent Previous Series Phil's background Creation and science Miscellaneous Links Contact Phil

Closer to God, Part 4 - Our End of the Deal

2 Chronicles 7v14

27th January 2017

In our study of this passage, we've reached the stage where we can look in a bit more detail at its most well-known verse:

2 Chronicles 7v14
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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

The first step is humility, perhaps the least fashionable virtue in modern England. When was the last time you heard a public figure praised for his humility?

We should be humble because our God is humble. Jesus said in Matthew 11v28-29, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart" It's so contrary to the understanding of the non-Christians around us that God could possibly be humble, but He is. He is so humble He was willing to die for you.

I think humility before other people is the idea that they are as valuable as I am, that their dignity is as important as my dignity, their well-being is as important as my well-being. And their opinion is as important as my opinion, which is difficult when I'm sure I'm right.

Jesus taught us to "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Matthew 22v39). Every human being, including my enemy, is of infinite value. And I am of infinite value. Romans 12:3 teaches us "think of yourself with sober judgment". And this is sober judgement: I am of infinite value, and so are you, and so is the last person to treat you unkindly. Every human being is of infinite value.

Humility isn't "Oh gosh, I'm hopeless, me. I'm useless I'm no good at anything." Humility is knowing that you were created by God in His own image, of infinite value but not of more value than other people.

In Matthew 16v24, Jesus said "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Humility is to walk the road that Jesus walked, to absolutely refuse to look after my well-being, because I want to save others.

Humility before God includes meaning it when we say, "Hallowed by thy name - and not mine. Thy kingdom come - and not mine. Thy will be done - and not mine".

Humility is fundamentally important. If we want God to heal our land, we must become humble people. We must bow the knee before God, and say "You are God and I am not. Do what You want". That's not easy, but humility must include the idea that God knows better than I do.

And then God says that, having humbled ourselves, we must pray.

If we want God to do anything, we must pray. And if we want God to do more, we must pray more. We all know it's true, but many of us fail to act as if it was true.

If you only pray for 2 minutes a day, try praying for 4 minutes a day. Your prayer life will be twice as effective. If you only pray for 4 minutes a day, try praying for 8 minutes a day. And meet with other Christians to pray. And God will act.

Christians are called to acts of service, acts of kindness. It's important to show practical love to each other and to our neighbours. But that's what we can do. It's important, but it's not as important as what God can do. And God will only do what He can do if we pray.

If you want our church to reach more of the lost with the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ, then you will need to pray more.

The more we pray, the more He does. Nothing we do is as important as prayer.

Thirdly, God calls us to seek His face. To seek God's face is more than to say our prayers. When we're unwell, or very tired, or very discouraged, we can say our prayers as if God is in the next room and we're calling through the wall, or sending God an email, "God, please do these 43 things. Amen". It's praying, but it's not seeking his face. To seek God's face is to earnestly desire God's presence - God's company. When you pray, God wants to look you in the eyes, and He wants you to look Him in the eyes. If you really love someone, the thing you most want is to see their face. God wants to see yours, and he wants you to see His.

I've been through periods when I felt like I was too busy to pray, or too tired to pray, or even too upset to pray. That's no good. God requires us to seek His face, if we want Him to heal our land. And I've rediscovered that it takes time - quality time. We can't seek God's face while the TV is on, or the computer's on, or the phone's on (unless people very rarely contact us). But if we will turn the machines off, and spend time quietly alone with God, then His presence will come to us, and it will rest on us. And if we continue to spend time quietly alone with God, then it will continue with us. And it's wonderful.

In the difficult periods, we can almost forget what the presence of God is like. But when we rediscover the vital importance of sustained, silent prayer, and take the time to do it, we know the deep peace of God again. And the people around us know some peace, because we become kind and loving again. And that's not because we feel we have to be kind and loving because the Bible tells us to, but because we're living in the presence of God, and it's natural to be kind and loving.

Don't just pray. Don't just say your prayers. Spend quality time looking for God's face. And when you find it, stay there. You haven't got to talk all the time when you're praying. Just be there, enjoying his presence, looking into His face and thinking "What a beautiful God you are!" The best sort of praying is when you don't want to say a word, you're just there with Jesus and you don't want to move, because it's so precious.

May God give us grace to choose humility, to pray more and, particularly, to seek His face more, to dwell in His presence.

Imagine what it was like for the high priest when he entered the Holy of Holies in Solomon's temple, and stood before the mercy seat (or atonement cover) and saw the glory of God. That's what our prayer time can be like. Surely that's what Hebrews 4v16 means when it urges us, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence". Many of us can remember moments when our prayer times were like that. They can be like that again.

My prayer for 2017 is that you and I will have many prayer times like that. Whatever happens, whatever goes right or wrong according to our understanding, may we spend more time consciously in the presence of Jesus. And he will change us, heal us, and equip us for service much more when we gaze into His face than when we rush round trying to be Christians.

And God says His people must "turn from their wicked ways". If there's anything at all that you know, deep down, Jesus doesn't like, please stop it. And if you can't stop it, please pray, and ask God to help you stop it. Because 3 out of 4 won't do. God commands these 4 things: humility, prayer, time in His presence seeking His face, and repentance. Whatever wickedness is still harboured in our lives or in our hearts, please turn from it, and you will see more of His face, and you will be more transformed by His Spirit, and God will do more through your life.

And if we people will do these 4 things, then God promises us, "then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

More next week.