If

 Why do we like to pretend as though certain words are not in the Bible? If we had our way, we’d likely do away with them altogether and insist they were never there, to begin with. One of the words we run headlong into time and again when it comes to the promises of God is if. That’s a dangerous word. It’s a word that demands action on our part and has negative implications whenever we do not follow through and do as God instructs.

Even when we quote scripture, we’re so reticent to let the full weight of it settle on us that we abbreviate verses to make them seem less demanding. We look at the horror show in clown makeup that society and culture have become, and the only reply we have to it is if my people who are called by My name. That’s it. That’s as far as we get into quoting the verse nowadays. What are they supposed to do, pray tell?

Whenever an if is present, it precludes certainty and presupposes conditionality of some kind. Something must follow whenever an if is present: some sort of instruction, condition, or demand.  In this case, even though God is speaking to His people, the preconditions are that they humble themselves, pray, and turn from their wicked ways. Before we can expect the world to change, God’s people must. Before we can expect those of the world to be beacons of righteousness, those in the church must turn from their wicked ways and humble themselves.

That seems like quite a broad brush. Why not get specific? Why not say if John and Jane, who are called by My name, will turn from wickedness and humble themselves? Is God just being hyperbolic? Is He so focused on one or two bad apples that He’s missing the rows upon rows of the righteous? Or is it that He knows the inner hearts of men, knows the number is smaller than we would like to believe and is urging those who are called by His name to act like it?

Whatever healing, whatever restoration, whatever forgiveness one hopes to see for the nation must begin with the church first and foremost. Read that verse slowly and let its implications resonate.

2 Chronicles 7:14, “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 heal their land.”

Until such time as those who are called by His name humble themselves, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, He will not hear them! If and then. These two words go together like a hand in a glove. If you watch what you eat and exercise, then you will drop those last few pounds. Granted, for some of us, it’s more than a few, but the point is valid nevertheless. Once you do these things, then I will hear from heaven, God says.

It used to be that if you got an education, then you could have a career and live in a fancy house with a three-car garage. I know; I’m aiming for the moon; three-car garages are nothing to scoff at. Nowadays, a three-car garage is just shy of poverty, and rather than an education and a career, all you need is a tick-tock account and no self-respect.

Although the if and then changes regarding the world, God’s if and then remain the same in perpetuity. What worked for the Hebrews of old works just as well today, but we have an aversion to everything God said we must do to be heard, except perhaps mumbling a few words once in a while and calling it prayer.

Well, you see, I’m a princely prince or a priestly priestess. I’m going to rule the nations and lord over my own universe someday, so humbling myself isn’t really in my wheelhouse. I tried it once, didn’t like it; it’s not going to work for me, so we can skip the humility part.

James 4:10, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

That was before Instagram and Snapchat, though; who’s got time to wait on the Lord to lift them up? Imagine how many likes and follows you’d amass in the time it took you to humble yourself, just posting duck-face pictures of yourself instead.

America will not be restored because God’s mean-spirited or because He doesn’t want to restore it, but because it will not do what God prescribes in order to obtain healing. We’re not talking about the general population, either. We’re talking about those who are called by His name. Even they won’t do what is necessary in order to be heard by God.

Whether for an individual or a nation, the steps are the same: first, repentance, followed by forgiveness of sin, then healing and restoration. We want healing without repentance, restoration without humility, then get angry when nothing happens and things go from bad to worse.

The sad reality is that most self-professing Christians today are just playing church. They’re willing to compromise their ethics, principles, values, morals, and the Word of God just to be spared the ire of the godless. There is no foundation of truth or pursuit of righteousness because those who knew better looked the other way and allowed it to be so because life was just too good to throw a monkey wrench into it.

There was a tacit, unwritten agreement between the shepherds and the sheep wherein the shepherds would no longer call the sheep to repentance, and the sheep would reward the shepherds monetarily for looking the other way and validating their life choices. It was a win, win situation until perverts in dresses started molesting children in church sanctuaries and calling it love.

There is always a price to be paid for compromise. The modern-day church is discovering this belatedly.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.