If My People, Heal Their Land, Really?

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)

It is important to understand the promises of God dispensationally. Israel is Israel and the Church is the Church. The Church is not the replacement for Israel and the unconditional promises God has made to Israel that have yet to be fulfilled will be fulfilled in Israel, not just in the church.

However, it is also important that we do not parse out the Old Testament from the New Testament so much so that we do not see the principles in the Old Book that apply to us today.

This is one of those passages.

Seminary students flush with a newly manicured dispensational hermeneutic often want to throw this passage into the “only Israel” pile and consider anyone who prays it or claims it today as theologically unsophisticated. That would be a mistake.

Certainly, the context of the passage is God speaking to Solomon and pronouncing both blessings and curses upon Israel based upon its obedience or disobedience as a nation. He promises to be attentive to its prayers and that His eyes will be upon Israel perpetually.

This promise still very literally applies to Israel, but its principles also apply to us today.

After all, God deals with His people throughout the dispensations in similar ways. We are His people too. We are called by His name. We are a kingdom of priests. He visits chastisement upon His disobedient children in the church as well as with Israel. He promises to hear the prayers of His children regardless of the dispensation, and He also promises to forgive the sin of everyone who sincerely confesses.

And will heal their land.

There is the sticking point. Most often, this verse is used to espouse the idea that if God’s people—on their own and without the participation of the lost—humble themselves before God in repentance, the blessing of God will return to their entire nation—most often the USA is the nation in mind. The verse cannot be construed as an airtight promise that such would occur given the conditions laid out in the verse. In the OT context, ALL of the citizens of the nation of Israel were God’s people called by His name. Therefore, a revival as described would include a substantial portion of the entire population of the land.

However, we do have evidence of God’s mercy upon nations given the repentance of a few. God was willing to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if the two cities had two fistfuls of righteous people. God spared Nineveh in spite of it’s the horrible violence it had perpetrated upon others. God has shown a willingness to deal with other nations in the same way He promises to deal with Israel in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

So, how do we accurately and honestly pray these verses for our nation? It might look something like this.

Oh dear God.

I am a wicked person and I live in a wicked nation. We have turned our backs on You. Even those of us who claim your name have lived in selfishness and for self-gratification. We have lost a sense of your holiness. We have made sacred things profane and flouted your loving commands as if we are gods ourselves.

As a result, we now live in financial prosperity but also in spiritual, emotional, and cultural darkness. Our families are broken and dysfunctional. We have turned sex into a selfish god and have lost the beauty and joy of this precious gift you have given. You have left us in our confusion. We murder and are now mutilating our children. Our children are confused about gender, sex, family, and identity which is unheard of in all of human history. Our present behavior would make the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah blush. As a nation, we are physically unhealthy, depressed, sad, and without a sense of hope or direction. We are living under the heavy hand of your judgment and we are committing suicide as a culture.

You promised Israel in the Old Testament that you would heal their nation if your people, the people who are called by your name, would humble themselves and pray. We are your people. We are now humbling ourselves and praying. We are now confessing our selfishness and sinfulness before You knowing full well that you know us and our wickedness better than we know ourselves. We ask for forgiveness not based upon our own merit but rather based upon the shed blood of Jesus Christ that covers all sin.

We do ask for healing in our land. As you promised to heal Israel, so we beg it for our nation, and for nations around the world that have chosen the same destructive path that we have chosen. We know that you are under no obligation to heal. We all deserve eternal judgment and any mercy we receive is so much more than we deserve. But we ask, nonetheless. With repentant hearts, we cast ourselves upon Your mercy and your loving-kindness. We are not asking for financial favors. We are asking for a revival among your people and an awakening among those that do not know you. We are asking for spiritual showers of blessings that will restore our souls to your good favor.

Please dear God. Heal us, and heal our land.