Healing the country is a big job - it can be done

Is healing the U.S. even possible at this point? You’ve seen the same headlines I have, right? Chaos, confusion, and evil seem to abound. Amid the mess, how do we respond as believers? I’ve asked myself several times if there is anything we can do about this? Well, let’s look into Second Chronicles for a possible answer.

Healing America will take a return to Christian values

2nd Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear them from Heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.”

There’s a lot to unpack there. But I want to start this in the previous verse (Chapter 7, verse 13) when the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said, “When I shut up heaven, and there is no rain or command locusts to devour the land or send pestilence among my people…”

Let’s examine that a moment. Has rain shut off in many of the top crop-producing areas of the U.S., let alone around the globe? Drought is a big word in agriculture during 2021. I’ve also read more about locusts in the last couple of years than in the previous ten years combined. As recently as January, a Bloomberg article talked about Kenya having to beat back a “fresh wave of Desert Locust invasions.”

Speaking of pestilence, have any diseases been making the rounds recently? I’m in no way implying that God sent coronavirus around the world (we do know where it came from), but is it possible He knew it was coming and allowed it to happen? That’s a rhetorical question because, of course, He knew it was coming.

So, in my simple way, I’m getting the sense that sometimes God will allow some tough times to hit the Earth and everyone living here. You may be thinking, “Why does He do that?” It’s a logical question, and I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb here in saying He’s doing it to get our attention. He wants our hearts pointed back to Him, the Giver of Life.

What’s the first step? “If my people… will humble themselves…” We hear the word “humility” an awful lot, but what does the word Biblically mean? Let me offer an example.

The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and Preachers tells a story about Hudson Taylor, a missionary scheduled to speak at a large Presbyterian Church in Melbourne, Australia. The moderator of the service introduced Taylor in rather glowing terms, telling the large congregation everything Taylor had accomplished. He presented Taylor to the crowd as “our illustrious guest.”

Taylor stood quietly for a moment, then opened his message to the crowd by saying, “Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.”

Think about that for a moment. He’d been puffed up by the moderator for several minutes and Taylor’s stock in the eyes of the crowd was off the charts. He could have claimed credit for all of his accomplishments. Not only did he reflect any acclaim away from himself, but Taylor also gave it to his BIG God and pointed out how little he was in comparison.

Is God that big in your eyes? That, my friend, is the definition of humility. Taylor is saying a BIG God did that work through a little man like him.

It's going to take prayer - a lot - to turn this around

Another key part of verse 14 is “seeking my (God’s) face.” What does God say will happen when His people seek His face? How about Jeremiah 29:13? – “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” He promises if you and I seek Him, we will find Him.

There’s no set formula for seeking God. We won’t do it perfectly; do it faithfully. Read the Word, sing praise music to Him, attend Church, and make decisions every day that honor Him, not yourself. And, if you happen to go a couple of days without reading the Word or singing praises, pick right up where you left off. What Earthly father doesn’t want to hear from his children after they’ve been away? I know I sure do! God is the same way. He wants to hear from you! He’s a good Father.

The last point I wanted to fish out of the Bible verse is “turning away from their wicked ways.” That falls under the definition of repentance. Got Questions Dot Com says it literally means the act of “changing one’s mind.” Eerdman’s Bible Dictionary defines it this way: “in the fullest sense of the term, it’s a complete change of orientation involving a judgment upon the past and a deliberate redirection for the future.”

How about we say it this way: repentance is a choice we have to make every day because the temptation to sin won’t go away on this side of Eternity. The good news is He promises help to resist the temptations we face. 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises that “no temptation has overtaken you except that which is common to mankind (others have overcome the very sins you and I struggle with, and we can too!). And God is faithful: he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But, when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

So, as people of God, let’s wrap this up: as God’s children, what would happen if we ALL came together and started to truly humble ourselves, pray, seek His face in our daily lives, and turn away from the sin that tempts us?

There’s no analysis necessary to answer the question: God Himself says, “I will hear from Heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land.”

How does that sound? Let’s make a deal between us: how about we take Him up on that? Let’s humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our sin. What might America look like then if Christians across the country pursue God? I guarantee you that our God is bigger than everyone and everything else. Let’s live like we believe that. Pass it on to other believers. Let’s challenge each other.

Am I saying it will cure everything that ills America? I don’t know. But I do know the God I believe in.

Amen?