Learning How To Pray Pt. 40 Praying When Judgment Comes From God!

The Temple of Jehovah is a place of repentance, seeking forgiveness and prayer. 

2 Chronicles 6:21  Hearken therefore unto the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, which they shall make toward this place: hear thou from thy dwelling place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive. 

The beautiful Temple constructed by King Solomon served as a visible reminder of our Omnipresent God and our need to live for His glory. It also served as a reminder that prayer and confession are closely connected with a right worship of Jehovah. 

God wants us to seek forgiveness when we sin, and He promises to cleanse us when we confess our sins to Him. Then, and only then, is our heart prepared to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. 

King Solomon continued his prayer of dedication for the Temple of Jehovah at Jerusalem. He is pleading with God to hear his own prayers and the prayers of all Israel. The idea is whenever the king of God's people prayed, the LORD would hear their supplication. 

Our individual or corporate prayers must acknowledge the One, True God of heaven. He has no comparison in heaven or earth, and prayer must magnify His  willingness to hear us when we pray. 

Our confidence rests upon His faithfulness and goodness to us.  He has promised to be attentive to our prayers.

King Solomon knew what prompted most prayers. We sin or fail God and we seek His forgiveness. God will pardon and forgive us when we fail Him, and we can rejoice in receiving a fresh start from the LORD.

King Solomon offered seven types of sins for which the Israelites must seek God's forgiveness.

When a man sins against his neighbor and lies about it.

2 Chronicles 6:22,23  If a man sin against his neighbour, and an oath be laid upon him to make him swear, and the oath come before thine altar in this house; 23)  Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his way upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving him according to his righteousness. 

The first case is where a man's neighbor sins against him. He is sure about who committed the sin against him, but cannot offer direct evidence.  The accused neighbor is permitted to come before the altar of God, and purge himself by his personal oath that he did not do it. 

Claiming his innocence before the altar of God is a solemn act, for God knows the neighbor's heart, whether he is telling the truth or is lying.   

Solomon's prayer is that God won't permit a false oath to be taken. He wants Jehovah to expose the truth, so that the wicked shall be condemned, and the righteous justified.

Many crimes are committed against average citizens today, and often, the sinner gets away with them. However, God will ultimately hold them accountable and judge them for their sins. 

When enemies are victorious over us due to our sins. 

2 Chronicles 6:24,25 And if thy people Israel be put to the worse before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee; and shall return and confess thy name, and pray and make supplication before thee in this house; 25)  Then hear thou from the heavens, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest to them and to their fathers. 

The second case is when Israel's enemies defeat them in battle, and lead them into captivity. This is the record of Israel's idolatrous past. Jehovah was displeased with their transgressions, and delivered them up. 

However, if God's people repented and confessed the sin of idolatry, and turned to God, He would turn to them.   King Solomon asked that Jehovah hear from heaven in this circumstance and bring them again unto the land He gave unto their fathers.

Are we praying for our nation? America is rapidly loosing ground to our enemies in terms of education, research, and innovation. We are loosing ground as both our culture and economy teeter on the brink of moral collapse. 

We must pray that all our people, from the President to the lowliest pauper, will be brought low and humbled by their sins against Holy God. 

King Solomon demonstrates that He will forgive those who genuinely repent and confess their sins, if they turn to Him and walk in His ways.    

When there is drought because the people sinned against God. 

2 Chronicles 6:26,27  When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; 27)  Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance. 

 The third case is when God's people ceasing to walk in the good way in which they should walk. God will cause a drought to come. He will refuse to send the beneficial, timely rains, so that when the time of harvest arrives, there will be no crop.

Yet, if the people are humbled by their sin and repent, and confess their sin, God will forgive them and bless them once again. 

In William Bradford's Monumental work "Of Plymouth Plantation. Governor Bradford recorded that "The summer of 1623 saw a long and nearly disastrous drought, which was ended by a day of prayer and humiliation." 

The Pilgrims and Puritans took God's Word seriously and viewed severe weather events as chastening from the hand of God. They were often moved to pray and confess sins, seeking relief, just as King Solomon laid out in his prayer. 

It seems that the world has seen an uptick in severe weather events. These will increase as long as people persist in their sinful ways. God can and does use the elements of nature as a tool to bring judgment upon people when they sin against Him. 

When multiple plagues and problems break out due to our sins. 

2 Chronicles 6:28-31  If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be: 29)  Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house: 30)  Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:) 31)  That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. 

The fourth case includes several kinds of issues.

Famine followed by a lack of bread, due to drought.

Pestilence which is a term for any general, contagious disease. Blasting like a black dust or a powdery blight that injures crops. Mildew has a similar impact upon crops.

Insect infestations that destroy vegetation, including swarms of locusts and caterpillars

Enemies who breach their defensed cities and take over the land. 

Any other plagues; that affect the skin of the body, such as blotch, blain, leprosy, ophthalmia, etc. General sicknesses that impair our strength.

All these things came from God in order to humble his people and bring them to full repentance and confession of their sins. He would forgive them when they truly repented. 

God wants us to walk in His ways as long as we live on this earth. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

We need to see the world as it is. A sinful place that is under Divine judgment. God's judgment for sin is always progressive and it will worsen over time if sinners refuse to repent and turn away from their sins. 

King Solomon has given us four different causes that are meant to bring us to repentance and confession of our sins, so that our Father may forgive us. 

Christians must live out this truth in our prayer life, so that we are living examples of faith in Christ. 

Are our enemies getting the better of us? Are we experiencing severe weather events? Does it seem like a multitude of problems are plaguing us? 

God's answer is that we repent, confess our sins and the sins of our people, and turn to Jesus Christ in faith, to receive forgiveness. 

America, indeed the whole world has careened into sin, immorality, idolatry as people follow their own wicked hearts.

God will not turn away from such depravity. He will judge it because He is holy. 

Are you ready for His final judgment? Do you know where you would spend eternity if you were to die this moment?

Jesus Christ died on a cross, and shed His blood to atone for the sins of the world. To receive full forgiveness and pardon from God, you must turn to Jesus with repentant faith, and He will save you. 

I pray that you have given your life to Jesus Christ and that you are learning how to pray and learning how  to walk in the ways of God.

Bob