In God’s Word we see promises from God that are simply His promises to us. No string attached, they are given from His heart of love to His children.
There are also promises from God that are contingent upon an action we must take. The verse we have spent days studying in 2 Chronicles is one of those contingent promises … what we might call an “if … then …” promise.
“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 heal their land.” [2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV]
God promises His people that “if” they are humble and repentant, turning back from their wicked way to seek His face, “then” He will not only hear them, He will also forgive their sin and bring healing to them.
That is our goal as individuals and as the church corporate, to see forgiveness and healing. We desire to see sin vacate our own hearts and our churches and hopefully as a result our nation. We desire to see God’s righteousness take up residency among God’s people once again.
God’s promise is here, but it is hinged on our action. If, as the church, we abandon God’s truth and His Spirit and continue with our own agendas, the church will remain sick and weak. If we fail, the church fails. If the church fails, it is a certainty that our nation fails also.
Of course, there is no guarantee that even if God’s people return to Him, the nation will turn around, but if the church remains unrepentant, our country is truly without hope.