2 Chronicles 7:13-15

Hello everyone.

Happy new year everyone. I hope and expect 2007 to be a real year of growth and breakthrough for Fire outreach.

Anywho, a word from 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 ;

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, 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. Now my eyes will be open, and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place

So, as of late I have been struggling with dryness. This is not a medical condition. It is a spiritual one. Perhaps you have been feeling a little spiritually dry lately, and therefore I hope this word speaks to you.

I feel like my heavens have been shut up, so there is no rain. I feel like I haven’t been hearing God like I used to, experiencing his presence as much as I would have liked. For sure, we can struggle against it, hide it, curse at it, try to fight against it, but I feel that Verse 14 tells us exactly how to deal with spiritual dryness, and I would like to concentrate on this verse.

If my people- We belong to the most high God
Called by my name- We are individually, personally, chosen by God and set apart for his work. We are sons and daughters with Christ. Awesome.
Humble themselves- Humility isn’t a natural human virtue. We love the spotlight, to be recognised for what we do, to receive what we see as our just rewards. Humility is sometimes very hard for Christians to take on – it means realising they are nothing and God is everything. I find that getting on my knees or face before God is a humbling experience, and I myself find this one way of humbling myself before God – you don’t even have to say anything.
Pray- We all know what the right prayers are to pray. However, we need to rise above the “right prayers” if we are to overcome dryness. Tell God honestly what is on your heart – he can see it all anyway. Be honest before God. Try doing it more than once. Prayer should be a constant thing – we should be in everyday communion with God – it is our right and privilege as Christians.
Seek my face- The bible says seek and ye shall find. I think this verse means we should look to God in everything we’re doing. God wants to be a part of all of our lives – seek his will for even the mundane things. Let his will be done. In the words of Larry the Cucumber, “God’s way is the bestest way, and that’s the way for me”. Let’s seek God will, and live it out, and then will we see his abundant blessing on our life.
Turn from their wicked ways- Finally, repent! Often the reason we feel dryness is because we become subject to our circumstances and sin, rather than rising above it to the higher calling God has for us. Turn away from anything that is holding you back from the life in abundance God has for us.

I feel this verse is like a natural progression – it shouldn’t be something that we overly struggle with. Firstly, we need to humble ourselves. When we get the revelation of being nothing, and letting God be everything, then we begin to get an unction to pray - we rely on God so fully when we are humble before him. As we begin to pray, we begin to seek God’s face. Our prayers take on a more urgent and passionate form – it is not enough for us to pray, but we seek God’s face in everything that we do. When God’s will is revealed to us, naturally we turn from our sin, and wicked ways. We love God to much to let ourselves become bogged down in the things of this world.

I always find I get things in the wrong order. So often I try and turn from my wicked ways before I pray. Where does the power to change come from unless I have sought God’s will for my life? Often I try and seek God’s face before humbling myself. I feel like I’m searching for what God wants without having broken my own pride. God can’t reveal his will if I am going to hold on to my own desires for my life.

When we take these practical steps in our lives, then can we receive the blessing of the rest of the passage:

Then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.

Amen

--Mikey Brown