Praise the Lord! God is good! One of the best things that can happen in our life is that God is for us no matter what life-situations we go through. God has blessed us with a number of blessings, such forgiveness of sin (Isaiah 43:25;  Jeremiah 31:34; Acts 2:38; 1 John 1:9); salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Romans 5:1-2; 6:23; 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-9); the gift of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 32:15; Ezekiel 36:27; 39:29; Joel 2:28; Luke 24:49; John 14:16-17, 26; Acts 1:8; 2:38-39); wisdom and knowledge and understanding (Psalm 32:8; Proverbs 2:6; Colossians 1:9; James 1:5); protection from harm and danger (Psalm 91:1-4; 121:7-8; 2 Thessalonians 3:3); good health and divine healing (Exodus 15:26; Psalm 103:2-3; Jeremiah 30:17; 33:6; 1 Peter 2:24); provisions in life (Deuteronomy 29:5; Psalm 23:1; 34:10; 105:40-41; Matthew 6:31-32; Philippians 4:19; 2 Corinthians 9:8); family and friends (Genesis 1:28; Psalm 127:3; 128:3; Proverbs 24:3; Ephesians 2:19; 3:14-15); and so on.  Now, the Lord is asking us to be faithful Him and to one another.

The Lord has blessed us with an instructional Scripture passage for our SftW meditation this week, which is taken from 2 Chronicles 7:14 (mentioned above). This passage is narrated as part of God’s response to king Solomon for his prayer to have solicitude for His people Israel as he was praying and dedicating the temple he built for God in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 7:1-22) as his father king David took an oath to build a temple [a permanent resting place for the Ark of God] for the God of Israel in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 7:1-29; 24:10-25; 2 Chronicles 3:1-6:11; Psalm 132:2-5) similar to the pattern of the Tent of Meeting that was built under Moses’ leadership and supervision as per the directions the Lord God had given to Moses on the mountain (Exodus 25:40; 26:30; 39:42-43; Acts 7:44; Hebrews 8:5). The temple premises was used as a place where people submit themselves to the Lord God and pray for themselves and intercede for others for the forgiveness of their sins (Leviticus 16:6, 16-17; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; Hebrews 7:7) and for God’s favor to rest upon their lives and to receive God’s blessings in their lives.

Right from the beginning of God’s creation, He wanted to have fellowship with His creation, especially with human beings who He created in His likeness and image. As God is holy and righteous, we too were holy and righteous as there was no sin in us as we were created in the likeness and image of God. There was harmony and constant fellowship between God and humankind during the early days of our creation. Yet, the freewill we were given [the freewill to choose what we wanted to do, which means whether we wanted to have fellowship with our Creator or not; or comply with the commands of God that we should not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17) or ignore God’s command and follow our instinct and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil], caused us to disobey God’s command and eat the fruit the Lord God prohibited us from eating (Genesis 2:17a). God made it clear to us that we will die for sure if we disobey God’s commands and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). Here, death does not mean our physical death but separation from God, we will be separated from the fellowship of God. As we disobeyed and sinned against God, we cannot have any fellowship with the holy God unless we repent and return to Him with a pure and holy heart because the holy God cannot associate with those who are sinful in their nature. Sin has utterly separated humanity from God, as prophet Isaiah stated: … your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear (Isaiah 59:2). However, God wants His people to return to Him holy and righteous just like the way they were created, as God spoke through prophet Malachi that Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD Almighty (Malachi 3:7). If we return to Him with a holy and pure heart, He will return to us and have fellowship with us again. That is what God desires and 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 (2 Chronicles 7:14). We can understand from this passage that God is asking us [who are called by His name] (7:14a) to prepare ourselves and do the specific things God is asking us to do in order to receive the favor and blessings He promised to us:

• • God invites us to humble ourselves (7:14b)
  • God invites us to pray (7:14c)
  • God invites us to seek His face (7:14d)
  • God invites us to turn from our wicked ways (7:14e)

If we are able to listen to God’s commands properly and do the above mentioned factors, then the Lord will definitely forgive our shortcomings and restore us, as He assured in the passage:

• • The Lord will hear from heaven (7:14f)
  • The Lord will forgive our sins (7:14:g)
  • The Lord will heal our wounds (7:14h)
  • The Lord will heal our land (7:14i)
  • The Lord will repair and heal our broken relationship with Him
  • The Lord will heal our wounds – spiritual as well as physical
  • The Lord will heal the brokenness of our family
  • The Lord will heal the brokenness of our friendship

Trusting the Lord wholeheartedly, turning away from wicked ways, humbling oneself, seeking God truthfully and praying sincerely are the key for godly living. Apostle Peter wrote:

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins (2 Peter 1:3-9).

If you and I as God’s chosen people, humble ourselves and seek the Lord in truth and righteousness, we will be a blessing to everyone around us regardless of them being a follower or of Christ or not. Our changed life-style might cause someone else to change their life-style and that would help their family to be blessed and be a blessing to those around them. Let us know the fact that the true and lasting hope of the world does not emerge from the man-made principles and policies but God-established righteous laws and decrees and commands. Therefore, let us trust in the Lord and turn from our selfish ways and humble ourselves and seek His face and pray to Him and He will definitely guide us and lead us in the right path – the path God set for us. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!