“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:14).

This wonderful verse was spoken by the Lord to King Solomon after the dedication of the temple. Things were going well at the time but knowing the tendency of man to get lifted up in pride, the Lord gives this invitation to come down (from pride) and pray. The Bible says, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17-18). God has never had trouble with the sinner. One of great power (Nebuchadnezzar) said, those that walk in pride he Is able to abase* (Daniel 4:37). The problem is with His people for two main reasons: 1) The devil fights God’s people (not his own) and 2) Sometimes God’s people become sermon-proof, or get lifted up to where they will not listen.

HUMBLE ourselves in this verse humility comes before prayer – because to be proud is to be disobedient and to disobey God is a great sin. David said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” Psalm 66:18. Regarding iniquity in the heart is the reason for many unanswered prayers. The writer is saying, “If I had seen Iniquity In my heart and encouraged it; if I had pretended to be what I was not; and if I had loved iniquity while I professed to pray and be sorry for my sin, the Lord would not have heard me. I would have been left without His help and support in my time of trouble.” We must come down from our high places    God knew that sometimes His people would listen to the devil; “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that Is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3).

Let us look at the example of Satan. He was down but desired to go up. “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14).

Now the example of Jesus: He was up, but He came down. “And being found In fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  Philip. 2:8. Pride sown in the human heart by Satan, that which causes the desire to go up, to exalt ourselves, can only be broken by following the example of the Savior. We must come down in humility before we can even pray to God.

and PRAY When our minds come down to earth, then we can talk to God, and He will talk to us. *For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord Is against them that do evil* (1 Peter 3:12).

SEEK MY FACE Prayer brings us to God. Prayer builds desire for God. Only He can satisfy our deepest needs in life; now as the source of life we seek him. Seeking His face means His favor or his blessings. “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek” (Psalm 27:8-9) *

TURN FROM THEIR WICKED ways We have humbled ourselves, or come down, prayed, begun to seek God’s face, now we are able to turn from our wicked ways. Notice this was put last, because without the light of God searching our soul we will never see our sinfulness. “But if we walk In the light, as he Is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin“ (1 John l:5-9)