If you have ever been too busy to pray or felt like a spiritual failure, this message will give you hope and encourage you towards prayer. Ultimately, God cares about our prayers and calls us to draw near to Him. Worship produces a desire in us to tell others about Christ. God said to Solomon, “and [If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).
Appearing as the very last verse in the book of 2 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a very popular verse in ministry circles. Many preachers have used the verse to convict the hearts of their listeners. Can we use it in our day-to-day walk with God or should we scrutinize the verse before using it?
You’ve probably heard it said that you need to be in the Word every day. If you are already reading the Bible every day, this verse may seem like a no-brainer. It probably sounds like a common-sense command, but is it really? Let’s find out.
2 Chronicles 7 14 Sermon
2 Chronicles 7:13–14 Reminds Us to be Humble So, let’s pray 2 Chronicles 7:13–14, in light of what we see all over scripture. God, we humble ourselves before you right now. We confess that you are God, we are not. You are perfect in all your ways, and we are sinful in our ways. Often this verse is used to teach that if Christians repent of their sins, their nation will be healed. However, the emphasis here is that a nation is being addressed and if the people of the nation repent that nation will be healed.
Many people have interpreted this passage to mean that if they change in some way (for example, by becoming more religious), then they will receive godly blessings like salvation or healing. However, there are other interpretations of this text that do not require its readers to change their behavior in order to receive godly blessings.
2 Chronicles 7:14 is a verse from the Bible that says, “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.”
This verse comes from the Old Testament. It’s the story of God’s covenant with the Israelites—the promise he makes to them if they turn away from their wicked ways.
But what does this mean? Why would God make this promise? And how can we apply it to our lives today?
We’ll unpack these questions in today’s sermon!
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.”
This is the text for the sermon I’m preaching today. It’s a famous verse in the Bible, but it doesn’t get much attention. It’s not one of those verses that you see on t-shirts or bumper stickers or memes or anything like that. But it is a verse that holds incredible power. In fact, I think this verse is one of the most important verses in all of Scripture.
Why do I say that? Because it contains within it the answer to every question we have about our lives, our relationships with God and each other, our nation’s future—everything!
All we have to do is apply this verse correctly—to ourselves individually and collectively as a body of believers—and then watch what happens.
Let’s begin by looking at what this verse says specifically: “If [my] people who are called by [my] name humble themselves…”
The book of 2 Chronicles is a great place to start if you’re trying to understand the history of Israel. This chapter, in particular, shows us how the prophet Nathan preaches repentance to King David, who is living in sin with Bathsheba.
2 Chronicles 714 Message
Biblical Translations of 2 Chronicles 7:14“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.”
Sermon on 2 Chronicles 7 13 14
2 Chronicles 7:14
“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.”
Explanation and Commentary of 2 Chronicles 7:14
The occasion was the dedication of the Temple that David had desired to build for God, but that Solomon was the one to build (1 Chron 28:3). Solomon prayed to God for blessing and favor on his people and on this holy dwelling place. God responded to Solomon with these words and others, reiterating his promises of blessings according to the covenant made previously with their fathers.
God had plans to bless them from the very beginning, and he even had contingencies in place for their lapses in obedience. Here God was providing for their eventual return, assuming that the human heart is prone to wander and cannot help but stray. He makes a promise that when they do stray, if they will only repent in truth, God will always hear and forgive them. Especially for this occasion was the promise that though he doesn’t really dwell in a mad made construction, he will condescend to do so for the sake of his people.
God loves to forgive the true-hearted penitent. He will always forgive one who is truly sorry and sincere in their repentance. He knows our weaknesses, and while he calls us to perfection, he has sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and bring us into peace with him.
Breaking Down the Key Parts of 2 Chronicles 7:14
#1 “if my people, who are called by my name,”
The Jews were the offspring of Abraham, who was the first vicarious man since Adam. This means that Abraham represented a nation that represented “all nations.” God had chosen a people to be the object of his love and blessing, but it was for the sake of the blessing of the whole world. At this point in redemptive history, the people of Abraham were the people of Yahweh, his chosen people, the people of the promise, God’s children.
#2 “will humble themselves and pray and seek my face…”
God knows that we will fall sometimes. The test to see if we belong to God or not is whether we will humbly acknowledge this when we’ve sinned, or will arrogantly go on as if God doesn’t see. God loves a humble heart that says, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Lk 18:13). Jesus said that the humble tax collector, rather than the arrogant and self-righteous Pharisee went home justified.
#3 “…and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin…”
Repentance that is true will come paired with turning from sin and “wicked ways.” Some have been taught that they can sin all they want so long as they repent every time. This is false, as an unwillingness to stop sinning is a probable sign of unbelief. Even though it may take multiple tries to change, with the help of the Holy Spirit and Christian community, the true believer has been given what he or she needs to turn and change.
#4 “…and heal their land.”
Especially in the days of David and Solomon, and the kings after them, one of the consequences of turning from God to worship idols was that the land would begin to suffer from famine, as promised by God for disobedience as a way to bring them to repentance. It was often fertility gods that were so enticing to the agrarian Israelites. In God’s mercy, he stunted the production in order to draw his wayward and adulterous people back to himself. Upon repentance, God promised to “heal the land” and lift the famine and infertility of the soil.