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.
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
MY PEOPLE, MY NAME, MY FACE!!!!!
Who are those people that are called by His name?
Does God have a face for us to seek?
Those are questions that you would have if you were living in the days of the old testament. Up until the new testament no one had seen God’s face. In the contrary, it was an extremely challenging task to even be in God’s presence without a sort of preparation as we can see in the Book of Leviticus. You could even lose your life because God’s presence was so overwhelming (we can see that with the two sons of Aaron in Lev. 10:1-2) but in this passage, the author of the book of Chronicles writes that God tells us to seek his face!!? Might seem strange on the first read.
Fast forward over 400 years later, we see the arrival of the Messiah, the promised one, the Christ, Jesus which means “for He shall save His people”, Emmanuel which means “God with us”. Don’t just think that the name Emmanuel is just a coincidence. God the creator of all things came to earth to live among His people. (Leviticus 26:12, “I will walk among you and will be your God, and ye shall be my people”).
A saying says that religion is what people do to REACH UP to God. But the word shows that because man could never reach that goal, the Creator of the universe instead left His throne to REACH DOWN to us. He came to this sinful, fallen world, wore on flesh and walked this world as a man. That man is Jesus Christ who came as the living, breathing, image and reflection of God.
It is truly amazing when you see God do what exactly He said He would do. People were able to touch Him, eat with Him, drink with Him. They were able to SEE HIS FACE. People we’re able to see God’s face (in John 14:9, Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?).
Today Christ’s followers are called Christians as the main passage said: “my people who are called BY MY OWN NAME” which was written over 400 years before Jesus Christ was even born.
So having the full picture of 2 Chronicles 7:14 we can now read it again and understand that:
If we, His people (Christians),
which are called by His name (Christ),
humble ourselves, pray and seek His face (Jesus)
and turn from our wicked ways,
THEN will He hear from Heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land.
Stay blessed,
Prince