II 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.
We may practice these commandments from the Lord in our personal lives, but can you imagine what would happen in the world if God's people were to do them as a collective!?
There is such a thing as a generational curse, and curses upon nations, lands. Here are just a few references:
Numbers 14:18 The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.
Malachi 3:9 You are under a curse--your whole nation--because you are robbing me.
Psalm 107:34 A fruitful land into a salt waste, Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
God gives us the perfect recipe, step by step, in order to receive healing as a people, a nation, a land, even the earth itself.
1) Humble Ourselves
Do we have national pride? Do we boast about how great our nation is, reveling in patriotism? It is one thing to thank God for living in a country with relative safety, education and resources, but it is another to worship the flag or our political leaders. Proverbs 11:2 says, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom." James 4:10 implores us to "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."
2) Pray
How much time do we spend during the day doing mindless things when we could be spending time in prayer? Our culture is full of distraction. Turn away from the world and toward God.
In a letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells us to be watchmen over all people (our nation, all nations), bringing to God any type of prayer we may have, at any given moment: "6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
So numerous are the places in the Bible where God tells us directly that he WILL listen and answer our prayers...here is just one, along with such a promise in today's verse: Jeremiah 29:12 "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."
3) Seek His Face
What do we seek? Fame and fortune? Objects? Power? You don't have to be a megalomaniac to seek such things on subtle levels. The quest for worldly treasure comes in many degrees...imagine a nation who sought God instead of imperialism, instead of gold, spices, land, oil...
David wrote this psalm (63:1), knowing the state of things when God is not present: "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water." Seek not after the kingdoms of men, but rather "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)
4) Turn from Wicked Ways
In other words, Repent. Israel turned away from God time and time again, yet in every instance they turned back to God, he restored them. This verse in Judges 10 is particularly striking, for it not only shows God's mercy, but it reveals God's pain when he sees his people suffer in wickedness: "The sons of Israel said to the LORD, 'We have sinned, do to us whatever seems good to You; only please deliver us this day.' So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer." When you repent, you not only spare yourself the suffering, but you spare God's suffering as well! This verse tells us that the pain we heap upon ourselves is hard for God to bear.
This is why He makes it so clear for us the steps that we can take toward healing. God promises us that if we can take these four steps, we will be forgiven and He will restore the people and the land itself. For the final 10 days of this prayer commitment, pray for all nations, that His restoration will cover the face of the earth.
Find out more about the 40 Day Prayer Commitment Here