‘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.’ 1 Chronicles 7:14
I've been deeply drawn to this verse in 1 Chronicles today as Marilyn and I deal with some very difficult news.
You and I are called by God’s name. I wonder if we have ever really understood the power and authority we have in God just because He calls us by His name? God’s name is never just a means of identifying Him, but of celebrating and extolling who He is, what He is like, the height, depth and breadth of His attributes and power. He is Lord, Healer, Saviour, Provider, Almighty, Father, Everlasting, Counsellor, Guide, Prince of Peace, Creator, Restorer, Protector, Shepherd, Victor … to give just a few examples of how He is named in the Bible. When He says we are called by His name, He means He has chosen to identify us and enable us to be channels of the fullness of who He is. We are made in His image; we carry His name and because of Jesus we have His very presence and life within us.
Will we pray from that fullness? Will we reach out in love knowing that He is reaching out through us?
Maybe, like Marilyn and I, you’ve had things going on in your life that have left you shaken or maybe the negativity of all the news reports of disasters and wars across the world is making you feel overwhelmed? When we are hit by the curveballs of life we can think, what is God doing? It’s hard to know how to pray with real faith and expectancy.
But God is calling us in this passage to rise up with conviction in our hearts of the importance of our prayers. He asks us to seek His face and believe in who He is, to know that He is mightier than all of man’s evil strategies and all of the devil’s schemes. Humbling ourselves as He exhorts us to here, is nothing to do with becoming submissive doormats, but everything to do with choosing to believe and stand upon who God says He is, our wonderful Saviour, God of love and supreme power. Yes, we will feel overwhelmed and despairing when we hear bad news, even Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb. But He knew His names were Resurrection and Life, so in the midst of holy tears came the joy of life restored.
God wants to bring joy instead of devastation, beauty instead of ashes, praise instead of despair. He promises that as we seek Him and pray and choose to put our faith in what He says and who He is rather than in our human understanding, He will hear our prayers and will bring beautiful healing even of the very land. All He looks for is for us to seek Him, to listen, to believe and to pray and His power and glory will come into every situation. It may look different to what we expect, but it will be a glory that lasts forever and changes lives because only He sees the full picture and knows the end from the beginning. But we are partners with Him in all He is doing, called by His name and revealing His splendour in our dark world.
Whatever is facing us or we feel overwhelmed by, let’s choose to pray with great hope and expectation of all He will do in His great love and power.
Praying you will be lifted up and know how powerful your prayers are.
