Meeting God's Conditions

Jesus called the temple a "house of prayer" (Matt. 21:13, quoting from Is. 56:7), and when God spoke to Solomon He referred to it as a "house of sacrifice." (2 Chron. 7:12)  Since the institution of the new covenant in Christ's blood, Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).  This is suggestive of things that ought to mark our lives, even as they did the life of Christ on earth:  prayer and sacrifice.  God does not dwell in temples made with hands, but indwells those redeemed by faith in Jesus Christ.  Consider the implications of believers being the temple of the Holy Spirit as God spoke to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:13-16:  "When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 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 will forgive their sin and heal their land. ¹⁵ Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. ¹⁶ For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually."  Amazing truth, this!

The fulfillment of God's promises often are contingent upon our obedience.  He does not give carte blanche blessings, for His conditions must first be met.  Anyone who has a grave illness, experienced the heartbreak of broken relationship, even a nation which has experienced plague or been ravaged by war, healing and restoration is God's desire.  God has the power to heal people, broken relationships, destroyed cities, and defeated nations.  The healing will come after we - those who are called by God's name, Jew and Gentile who are in Christ by grace through faith - meet His conditions.  It may start with one person, but it will take a people united to bring about this healing God desires for His glory and our good.

There are four conditions given in this passage.  God entreats His people to humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and repent (turn from their wicked ways).  It is possible we can do one without the other.  It is possible to pray without humility, or repent without seeking God's face.  But I say if we neglect any of these four requirements, we cannot bring any of them to full completion.  We can humble ourselves and pray for healing and forget to seek God's face.  What point is there to seek God's face without humility or praying without repentance?  We can make the healing our end when it is simply a means of God revealing His power to the world!  I have been asking myself:  are there any conditions I have not been intentional to fulfill?  We all want the positive final result, but do our souls draw back to fully accomplish any of these conditions?  We must walk in faith, believing that God will not leave undone one word of His promise.

Do you know that as a Christian God's eyes are open and His ears attentive to your prayers?  He has chosen you, with your cooperation will sanctify you, and He has claimed you as His own forever!  It is God who works in us both to will and do for His good pleasure.  Our world is sick and dying due to sin, but take heart in Christ, dear Christian!  Hebrews 10:35-39 says, "Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: ³⁷ "For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. ³⁸ Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." ³⁹ But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul."

Let us embrace the will of God for our lives by humbling ourselves, praying, and seeking His face in repentance.  The day is coming when our Saviour will return and make all right.  Until then, let's be about His business, providing a temple dedicated to prayer and sacrifice for His glory.