“Bible promises: If my people”
II Chronicles 7:14
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Just over seventy years ago, on January 20th of 1953, Dwight David Eisenhower took the oath of office to become the 34th president of our United States. A crowd of some one million people lined the streets for the two-and-a-half hour inaugural parade.
And as you can imagine, it was quite a parade! With its twenty-two thousand service men and women, five thousand civilians, fifty-two bands, three elephants, an Alaskan dog sled team, and an atomic cannon, it was one of the most elaborate inaugural pageants ever!
And that’s nothing to say of the reception that followed after, with its three thousand guests, not to mention two inaugural festivals and two inaugural balls, complete with forty stars of the stage and screen.
And just before he took that oath of office, he even prayed a prayer. He said, “Almighty God, give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong, and allow all our words and actions to be governed thereby, and by the laws of this land. Especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people regardless of station, race, or calling. May cooperation be permitted and be the mutual aim of those who, under the concepts of our Constitution, hold to differing political faiths; so that all may work for the good of our country and Thy glory. Amen”
And just as soon as he prayed that prayer, he held the same Bible that George Washington once held at his inauguration, opened it, and rested his hand on the words of II Chronicles chapter 7.
This is what it said: “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” (II Chronicles 7:14).
The Bible has a lot to say about nations and their leaders. Psalm 33 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen as His heritage” (Psalm 33:12). Proverbs chapter 14 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). And the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (I Timothy 2:1-2).
And here in the words of II Chronicles chapter 7, we find this: “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” (II Chronicles 7:14).
Let’s step back for a moment to see what’s going on.
It was 950 years before Christ. King Saul had died and King David did too. And now it was left to David’s son, King Solomon, to reign on his throne. And one of the very first orders of business was to build a temple, a house in which to worship the Lord.
And suffice it to say, it was a big deal, a really, big deal! As it says in chapter 3: “Solomon had the inside walls of the temple’s main room paneled first with pine and then with a layer of gold, and he had them decorated with carvings of palm trees and designs that looked like chains. He used precious stones to decorate the temple, and he used gold imported from Parvaim to decorate the ceiling beams, the door frames, and the walls. Solomon also told the workers to carve designs of winged creatures into the walls” (II Chronicles 3:5-7).
And it says, “Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God: the golden altar, the tables for the bread of the Presence, the lampstands and their lamps…the snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold” (II Chronicles 4:19-22).
Anyone could have told you that Solomon’s temple was certainly one the most expensive and most beautiful buildings on earth!
And now that the temple was built, now it was time to offer it, to dedicate it, to the Lord. And so Solomon prayed: “May Your eyes be open day and night toward this house…and listen from heaven Your dwelling place, and when You hear, forgive” (II Chronicles 6:20-21).
And just as soon as Solomon prayed his prayer, the Lord came to him and said, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice” (II Chronicles 7:12). Then He said, “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” (II Chronicles 7:14).
As we celebrate our nation’s two hundred and forty-eighth anniversary and the great blessings God has poured out on us, it’s important to ask, are we the nation God wants us to be?
If we were to ask a thousand different Americans, “What’s wrong with America?” we’d probably get a thousand different answers. One author wrote, “America is in trouble. From sea to shining sea, we are witnessing the devolution of a nation. The United States is quickly becoming the divided states. Disunity and conflict abound. Family breakdown, the immigration crisis, the threat of terrorism, an abiding racial divide, and political dysfunction all point to a deeper problem.”
But for just a moment, instead of focusing on what’s wrong with America, let’s consider what’s right.
For one, America was founded by the right people and for the right purpose.
When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, they said, “We have come for the glory of God, and for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Then twenty-three years later, as more immigrants came to our shores, they formed the New England Confederation and wrote, “We came with one purpose and that is to advance the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In the summer of 1787, when representatives met in Philadelphia to draft the Constitution of our United States, 81 year-old Benjamin Franklin stood to address the discouraged men who were about to adjourn and go home. He said, “I have lived a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs the affairs of man. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid?” Then he asked them to pray.
In 1776, eleven of the thirteen colonies required that one had to be Christian to run for political office. In 1777, the Continental Congress voted to spend $300,000 of tax dollars to purchase Bibles to distribute throughout the nation.
John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said, “I profess faith in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I do hereby acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be given by divine inspiration, and do hereby support the Holy Bible for use in our schools.”
Our sixth president, John Quincy Adams, said, “No book in the world deserves to be so unceasingly studied, and so profoundly meditated on as the Bible.”
Our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, said, “The Bible is the rock on which our republic rests.”
Our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, said in his Gettysburg Address, “This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.”
Our twenty-eighth president, Woodrow Wilson, said, “America was born a Christian nation, born to exemplify a devotion to righteousness drawn from the revelations of Holy Scripture.”
And our fortieth president, Ronald Reagan, said, “If we ever forget that we are ‘One nation, under God,’ then we will be one nation gone under.”
And whenever the justices of our nation’s Supreme Court meet in session, they begin with the words: “God save the United States and the Honorable Court.”
Our nation was founded by the right people and for the right purpose.
And if you were to visit our nation’s capital, you’d be amazed at what you would see. Visit the Library of Congress, the largest library in the world(!), and you’ll find inscriptions from the Bible on the ceiling and on the walls. There’s Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork” and Micah 6:8: “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”
Visit the Capitol building and you’ll see inscribed in gold behind the Speaker of the House, “In God We Trust.” Visit the White House and you’ll see inscribed in marble above the State Dining Room fireplace, “I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and on all that inhabit it.” And climb the stairs of the Washington Monument and you’ll read the words of John chapter 5, “Search the Scriptures,” Proverbs 22, “Train up a child in the way he should go,” and Exodus 28, “Holiness to the Lord.” And don’t forget to look at the very top of that monument, for, by law, it’s the highest point in all of Washington, D.C. And there you’ll find, “Laus Deo,” Latin for “Praise be to God.”
Not quite two hundred years ago, back in the mid 1800s, a French sociologist and political theorist named Alexis de Tocqueville came to study democracy in America. He said he wanted to see what a “great republic was like.” And after spending ten months touring our country, this is what he wrote: “I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests--and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning--and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution--and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good. But if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!”
One more thing--if you were to visit the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., you’d see the flag that once flew over Fort McHenry, the very inspiration for our national anthem. It’s thirty feet wide and forty-two feet long and was set on a pole 189 feet in the air.
So how can you fly a flag so large and raise it up so high?
That’s the very question members of our National Park Service tried to answer. So they went to Fort McHenry to find out. And as they dug deep into the ground, they found it. Nine feet below the surface, they found two massive oak timbers, each one eight feet long, and joined as a cross. And when they found that cross, they knew that was the reason a flag so large could fly in such stormy weather.
And so it was a cross that proved to be the foundation for the symbol of our nation.
In the words of the prophet Isaiah: “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” (II Chronicles 7:14).
We thank You, dear Father, for this great nation and the freedom we enjoy. Grant that we may seek Your face always that we may share in Your strength and blessing. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen
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7-4/7-2024
Let us come before the Throne of Mercy with our prayers for the Church, the world, and one another.
We thank You, dear Lord, for the abundant blessings You have bestowed on America. Our forefathers looked to You as Protector, Provider, and the Promise of hope. But we have wandered far from that firm foundation. May we repent for turning our backs on You. "From sea to shining sea, we are witnessing the devolution of a nation. The United States is quickly becoming the divided states. Disunity and conflict abound. Family breakdown, the immigration crisis, the threat of terrorism, an abiding racial divide, and political dysfunction all point to a deeper problem.”
We pray that this great nation will be restored by Your forgiveness.
From bondage, You grant freedom. Through Your own sacrifice, You offer salvation. From the state of despair, You offer peace. From the bounties of Heaven, You have blessed – not because of our goodness – but by Your grace.
You have given us freedom to worship You in spirit and in truth as Your holy Word instructs. May our lives honor You in word and deed, and may our nation acknowledge that all good things come from above.
Help us to pray earnestly for all who govern, that they may humble themselves and seek Your guidance, so that everything we do will shine the light of Your glory in a sin-darkened world.
May our prayers as a people and a nation be heard and blessed for such a time as this. We make this plea in faith, believing in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus.
And grant Your all-sufficient grace to Your persecuted servants. By their faithful witness, turn their enemies toward the cross of Christ, there to be forgiven and transformed. Bestow Your favor and guidance upon Your missionaries, especially those who serve in dangerous places.
As the apostle Paul prayed that his thorn in the flesh might be removed, we pray for all who suffer.
Especially we remember…
. . . ., the homebound, law enforcement, first responders, and the men and women of our Armed Forces.
Comfort them and heal them, all according to Your will.
Hear and graciously answer our prayers, dear Lord, as it is best for us and most glorifies your holy name, for the sake of Your dear Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray…