II Chronicles I
… 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 ESV)
Who?
The One True Living God is a God of second chances! We see this repeatedly in Scripture, often in places that go unnoted.
This verse is often used as a rallying cry for political activism in the form of prayer… but that is not the point here.
Without our usual labels and attachments, God simply gives hope. If God’s people, in other words, Christians, turn back to Him after we have wandered, He will forgive and undo the effects of our sin.
This is not a battle cry for Americans, because while many Christians are American citizens, America is not God’s People. It is similarly not a battle cry for Canadians, British, French, Russians, or Iranians.
It is an offer of hope for Christians, God literally says, “my people.”
Even better, it refers not only to individuals, but to the church! Because yes, even the church wanders and has ill effects from our sins… and when the church seeks God’s face instead of other things that have distracted us, He forgives and heals the ill effects of the church’s sins.
We err when we think the church is automatically in God’s favor. We are only in His favor when we humbly seek His face, and reject the wickedness that slips in the back door.
But note… our God, because of Christ forgives us! He heals us! He continues to love us!