Several years ago my son wanted to earn some money when we came home for the holidays. A giant walnut tree dominates our backyard. So, being a city boy who doesn’t know country living, I offered my son 25 cents for every walnut he picked up—thinking there were no more than 50-100 walnuts and this would allow him to make up to $25. He grabbed a bucket and started going for it. It wasn’t long before he crossed 100 walnuts. Then 200, then “Daddy, I’m up to 400!” At this point I contemplated changing his wages, but I didn’t want to be like Laban. He kept working, crossing 600, 700, and finally finishing at 800 walnuts! I owed him $200! But I had to come through on my “if…then” offer.
Solomon’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 6 appealed to the “If…then” theme emphasized in the books of the Law (Lev. 26:40-42; Deut. 4:29; 30:1-30). God’s response in 2 Chronicles 7:12-14 indicates that God’s chastening is for the purpose of awakening. God’s “If…then” offer is clear: “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.”
In this patriotic time of year it is time to take God up on His “If…then” offer. This amazing verse delineates three phases of a faith-response to God’s “If…then” offer.
1. Entrance into God’s “If…Then” Offer (“If my people, which are called by my name, shall”)
God, in the first person, starts with a target audience. The text does not say “Israel.” The precision of verbal inspiration enlarges the promise to include God’s people in any dispensation. Then God gives a target offer. A specific condition is followed by a specific promise. God makes clear that if you will fulfill the specific condition, then He will fulfill the specific promise. Our sovereign God says revival is a promised response. Will you let God’s “If…then” offer grip you to the point of entering into His offer?
2. Expressions of God’s “If…Then” Offer
The condition God gives involves four expressions of faith. If the condition was anything beyond faith, we would not be able to fulfill it. Faith (God-dependence) is something man does, not God. However, faith is not a work; it is dependence on the Worker (Rom. 4:5).
First, brokenness is the faith of agreeing with God (“humble themselves”). This involves both honesty regarding sin and the need for cleansing, as well as honesty regarding self and the need for enabling. In the 1960s, when Evelyn Christensen and two other ladies began to pray weekly for their church to see revival, they started on the basis of Psalm 66:18, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” After “six miserable weeks” of confessing subtle sins, the Spirit released them to pray for their church. The next Sunday God moved mightily, beginning a season of refreshing that lasted for six months, reviving the church and bringing in a great harvest of souls.
Second, heart-cry is the faith of crying out to God (“and pray”). God used John Hyde (“Praying Hyde”) and others to support the Punjab Prayer Union in India. Those involved in this prayer union took seriously the challenge to cry out to God for the outpouring of His Spirit. This prayer union began at the time of the first Sialkot Convention. The Sialkot Conventions took place from 1904-1910. It is a fact of history that the conventions experienced powerful outpourings of the Spirit, especially in 1905 and 1906.
Third, pursuit is the faith of pursuing God (“and seek my face [presence]”). The focus of revival, whether on the individual life level or the corporate atmosphere level, is God—Him, not it. When God breathed on a Christian group on a college campus, one young lady called her mom at 1:30 am and exclaimed, “He is here! The Holy Spirit is here!”
Fourth, surrender is the faith of giving up whatever hinders (“and turn from their wicked ways”). Because you want God’s presence, you do not want sin’s presence. God is of utmost importance. Anything that grieves the Spirit must be let go.
3. Expectation of God’s “If…Then” Offer (“then will I”)
God initiates with His divine offer, “If…then.” When you enter into His offer, taking grace to express faith according to the conditions He spells out, then you must expect God to do His part in His perfect will and way. God’s promise is clear.
First, God will respond (“hear from heaven”). God has always been ready to respond, but now He is able to righteously respond.
Second, God will release (“and will forgive their sin”). God prefers to revive rather than to judge. In 2 Chronicles, at least ten Judean kings on fourteen different occasions applied and experienced God’s “If…then” offer of 2 Chronicles 7:14.
Third, God will revive (“and will heal their land”). History abounds with examples.
In this patriotic time of year may we be encouraged to take God seriously on His “If…then” offer!
John Van Gelderen
Post Author
About This Blog
Hello, I’m John Van Gelderen. I am an evangelist and the president of Revival Focus Ministries, an organization for the cause of revival in hearts, homes, churches, and beyond, and for evangelizing. This blog is focused on experiencing Jesus. I believe in order to really live, you must access and experience the very life of Jesus Christ.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary (revised edition) says: “What is perhaps one of the most well–known verses of Chronicles and the OT as a whole (v. 14, “If my people, who are called by my Name …”) is also simultaneously one of the more misappropriated verses in the Bible. In short, this verse is not a promissory statement being made to the United States or any country apart from the ancient covenant community of Israel. This statement is situated within covenantal particulars related to the Deuteronomic covenant (cf. v. 13), matters of temple theology (and the interwoven Israelite sacrificial system; cf.… Read more »
Thanks for your comment. Two thoughts. First, the verse does not say “If Israel…” It says “If my people called by my name…” The precision of inspiration makes the promise broader than just Israel. Walter Kaiser makes a big point of this in his book Quest for Renewal. Second, based on the precedent of 1 Corinthians 10 and Hebrews 3-4, which take OT passages about Israel and apply them to individual believers now, we can apply this verse individually. Theoretically, if a number of people did this, then a number of people could experience God’s promise.
While the verse does not say “If Israel” it is certainly implied in the context. 2 Chron 7:14 is a word written to a specific people – ISRAEL – who were coming home form exile. When God said “If my people who are called by my name,” He was pointing the Israelites back to the covenant He made with Abraham. God had told Abraham (speaking of the Abraham’s descendants) that, “I will be their God” and “They will be my people.” I’m assuming you are a dispensationalist. If so, then how do you equate this passage as being a promise… Read more »
Thank you for participating in the discussion. Contextually, you are making a fair point. However, believing in verbal inspiration means there may be significance to the particular words used. “If my people called by my name” simply enlarges the promise beyond Israel to God’s people called by His name in any dispensation. Peter does this type of thing under inspiration when he took a promise made to Israel in Joel 2:28 and applied it to the church age in Acts 2:16-18. This does not mean the church replaces Israel, it means God enlarged the promise to include others. The bottom… Read more »