Focal Passage: II Chronicles 7:1-3, 12-20
As we close out the month of June, the American public make plans for the cookouts, fireworks and summer fun of Independence Day.
As believers enjoy this festive time of patriotism, we must also take time to pray for our country and ask the Lord for His continued blessing upon this nation. II Chronicles 7 outlines the way we can intercede on behalf of our nation, state and communities.
While we enjoy many freedoms in this land, especially religious freedom, the signs grow concerning that this may not always be the case. Moreover, God calls His people to pray for our government leaders (Romans 13), pursue the welfare of the communities around us (Jeremiah 29:4-7) and to always remember that blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh (Psalm 33:12).
God’s glory, our humility. God’s people often feel frustrated at the continual moral slide of the prevailing culture around us.
Moore
It seems that we are losing our influence on the generations coming behind us. We rightfully fret at what the future may hold. However, the first three verses of our focal passage describe the power of God’s presence and glory among His people. One of the first projects for King Solomon once he ascended to the throne of Israel was to build the temple of the Lord.
Once completed, Solomon dedicated the temple with an extensive prayer chronicled in chapter 6. The Lord responded with fire from heaven consuming the burnt offering and filling the newly built temple with His glory. All the people including the priests bowed down in humility before such an awesome sight. While it may seem that our nation continues in the wrong direction, may we have the humility and faith to realize that God’s glory is greater than any cultural trend.
May we recognize God’s sovereignty over the nations. Remember, “The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; He thwarts the plans of the peoples” (Psalm 33:10).
God’s promises, our repentance. Later in the narrative God confirmed His promises to the people. God’s promise rings forth to us in one of the more famous verses in the Old Testament: II Chronicles 7:14. Interestingly, the context of this promise is one of judgment.
God’s promise of healing and forgiveness is in response to drought, famine and pestilence due to pervasive wickedness. God promises to always respond when sinners “turn from their evil ways.” May we pray for repentance in our land this 4th of July holiday — within our own lives, our own families and our own communities. True revival in congregations and counties alike burst forth from an outbreak of repentance.
God’s blessing, our obedience. God admonished Solomon to remain faithful to God’s commandments, as His father David had done. The Lord promised to establish Solomon’s kingdom and bless the nation of Israel through the king’s obedience.
As we pray for repentance and God’s healing power upon the land, may we also pray that our leaders will look to God and His Word for wisdom in the difficult decisions all governmental officials face. Solomon devoted himself to God’s wisdom in the early years of his reign. However, he increasingly became influenced by his many wives to entertain other traditions.
His failure to remain faithful to God’s blessing would sow the seeds for a divided kingdom and the eventual exile of God’s people in the generations to come. Let us pray for God’s wisdom upon our leaders over us. B&R
