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40 DAYS OF LENT: DAY #16
WORD OF TODAY: 2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)
14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
THOUGHTS ON THE WORD:
The people of God are given four specific actions that the LORD says will result in the ear of God hearing from heaven, with the result of forgiveness of their sin and also the healing of their land.
The first action is for God’s people to humble themselves, which we saw in our Scripture yesterday also. Here the call for humility is to be from the very heart of the person, humble yourselves. This reflects the very words as the ashes are placed on the forehead on Ash Wednesday, remembering that we are of dust, and to dust we will return. We are brought low, and we surrender ourselves before God. The second action is to pray, and the prayer from a humble heart produces the third and fourth actions-seeking the LORD’s face and turning from wickedness.
Today, consider how you might embody these four actions. How might you humble yourself today? How might you pray in humility today? How might you seek the face of Almighty God? How might you turn from your wicked ways? Consider how God Incarnate humbled Himself to be obedient to the Father. Jesus did so for you. Will you pray to God for a humble heart, for the Holy Spirit to guide you into a more Christ-like existence today? Will you seek the face of Almighty God, instead of hiding from Him in the bushes for fear of your wretchedness? Will you quit trying to serve self, and turn from all wickedness? Hear the Word-if you do this God will hear, and He will forgive, and He will heal!