Christian Living

THE PROMISE AND THE WARNING

by Charles (Chuck) Robey
11/01/12
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THE PROMISE AND THE WARNING ( 2 CHRONICLES 7:12-22 )

This is a very interesting passage of scripture, for herein God speaks to His servant Solomon, by giving him a promise and a warning. And this promise and warning is just as applicable today as it was 600 years before Christ. In (2 Chronicles 7:12 ) God appears to Solomon, telling Solomon He has heard his prayer.

What a wonderful statement for our Lord to say. How many of your prayers, as a practicing Christian, has the Lord heard and how many have been answered ? ( Isaiah 55:8 )

He knows exactly what is best for His children. Sometimes, God may say "no" to our prayers because He looks into the future and loves us to much for us to go through certain events in our lives.

Sometimes God may give us a delayed "yes" waiting for just the right time.

Sometimes God's answer is quite different from our original request.

Sometimes God says "yes" but I will give you much more than what you ask for. Then, in ( 2 Chronicles 7: 14 ) we see one of the most well-known verses of the Bible. One which is quoted frequently.

Especially, in the age we are living. God gives His people a Biblical paradox. Here, God gives a big "if" followed by a big " I will". And these paradoxes are simply stated. Often times, God will use a particular verse of scripture, for just the right time and just the right place. This verse ( 2 Chronicles 7:14 ) is just one such scripture.

Our world, and our country in particular, needs to turn back to God. With all the chaos happening on the world scene, such as the civil violence, the lawlessness, the political unrest, the struggling economy and the increased natural disasters, it's high time we, God's people, prayed for God heal our land.

However, just before giving these famous requirements for blessing: humility, prayer, devotion, and repentance, God, our all powerful Heavenly Father, ( Acts 17:24 ) ( Psalm 90:2 ) ( Ephesians 1:8 ) ( Matthew 11:21 ) ( Ephesians 2:4-5 ) gives an example of how He could disrupt nature. ( 2 Chronicles 7: 13 ). " Then, in ( 2 Chronicles 7: 21-22) we can indeed draw a parallel between Solomon's time and our world today. There is a very defining question ask her.

"Why has the Lord done this to this land". And the answer is simple, " Because they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers". Because they adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them. Does these verses not read like today's newspaper, or like today's TV lineup ?

Conversely, God's word tells us that in the last days, this style of living will be prevalent. ( 2 Timothy 3:1-9, 13 ) However, here we have another Biblical paradox. For in ( 2 Timothy 3:14-15 ) the scriptures tell us that we, as Christians, have a contrasting option, in that we have known and believed the scared writing of the scripture from our very childhood.

Getting back to our scripture in 2 Chronicles, we as nation still have time to repent of our evil ways. ( Romans 10:9-10 ) ( 1 John 1:8-10 ) ( Jude 24-25 ) So, what will it be ? God's blessing or God's curse ? But you better make it quick, before it's too late. ( Genesis 6:3 ) ( Jeremiah 17:7 ) ( Deuteronomy 8"19-20 )