Vs. 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 will heal their land.”

to call on the name of the Lord,

to humble ourselves,

to pray,

to seek God’s face,

and

to turn from our wicked ways.

Basically I am advocating that we make an intentional decision to return to God.

Why am I recommending this resolution of returning to God?  It is the only way that we will be healed.  It is the only way to restore health to the world.  It is the only way to restore peace within families.  It is the only way to mend our foolish thinking and ways.  It was true for God’s chosen people back in the Old Testament times.  It is true for the world today. No new technology, no advancement in postmodern thinking, no new age religion, no military or nuclear power will bring health to our sin sick world.  As God said, our only hope is,

“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 will heal their land.”

These are God’s provisions for our healing.  If we are serious about receiving God’s blessings, we need to be just as serious in making a resolution to humble ourselves. By humbling ourselves God means we must admit our sins. We must make a resolution to pray to God for forgiveness. We must make a resolution to seek God continually. We must make a resolution to turn from sinful behavior.

As I said before we must resolve to return to God.  Making this resolution is more than talk it requires changed behavior.  It requires freeing your life of unloving actions, actions such as impatience, sarcasm, and judging others.  It requires doing away with the impulse to covet your neighbor’s possessions, to gossip about someone’s child.  It involves identifying thoughts and behavior where loving obedience to God is absent.

Lets be honest every one of us needs to return to God in some area of their life.  Whether it has to do with work, relationships, attitudes, finances, or habits.  There is some area in our life that we have not surrendered to God.

We have deceived ourselves for too long with the thinking that going to church, reading our Bible, saying our prayers and doing good works will get us God’s blessings.  As excellent as these disciplines are we need to replace our thinking with the act of obedience to the Word of God.  Obedience is often ignored, dismissed or glossed over because obedience is like a slap in the face.  It confronts us with our sin and our determination to do things our way.

The truth however is that if you and I want God’s blessing, we have one choice and one choice only.  God said,

“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 will heal their land.”

Will you make this your resolution for 2002?