How to Pray the 2 Chronicles 7:14 Way
Have you ever wanted God’s help, but didn’t know how to pray? Do you ever pray for God to bless your people or nation? Would you like to claim God’s promise to heal His people’s land? God said, “If My people which are called by My name will humble themselves and pray . . . I will . . .” (2 Chron. 7:14). In this verse God made 3-promises to those who meet 5-conditions. This article will explain how to use 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a model prayer.
A 22-page e-Book, entitled “The 3-Promises and 5-Conditions of 2 Chronicles 7:14“, is available for immediate download if you would like a a more in-depth Bible Study on 2 Chronicles 7:14. Get the free e-Book.
Table of contents
The 5 Elements of a Model Prayer
God’s promises to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:14 require meeting 5-conditions. A model prayer includes five elements based on those five conditions.
1. If My People called by My Name
The first element in having God take notice of your prayer is to be the right kind of person. God knows everything anyone thinks, says and does. So, while God hears all prayers, He does not pay favorable attention to everything that is said by just anyone. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God singled out one class of people that He would listen to.
God said, “If My people which are called by My name . . .” In the context of God’s promise to Solomon, God’s people would have referred to the nation of Israel, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Today, this applies to those who are called by the name of Jesus Christ. This applies to those “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2), called to be God’s holy people.
An angel told Joseph that Mary would have a son conceived by the Holy Spirit and that he should “call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Today God’s people are faithful Christians who have been saved from their sins by trusting in the name of Jesus Christ for salvation.
If you are not one of God’s people, the first thing you need to do is become a child of God by trusting Jesus as your savior.
2. If My people Humble Themselves
The most important element in the model prayer is humility. God said, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves . . .” (2 Chron. 7:14).
We pray to God because He is omnipotent and has the power to meet our request, but He is under no obligation to do so. We must repent of any pride in our lives.
Remember, we are foolish, finite, sinful creatures. God is the all-knowing, infinite, holy Creator of the universe and all life. If we want God to accept us, we must come in humility, acknowledging our unworthiness to receive His blessing.
In the Bible, people often demonstrated their humility by afflicting themselves with fasting and wearing sackcloth (i.e.: burlap) and ashes (Job 42:6; Nehemiah 1:4; Esther 4:1, 3,16; 2 Kings 12:1-2).
Humility is the most important element of a model prayer seeking God’s gracious help.
3. If My people Pray
The third element in the model prayer is to pray. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray . . .” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
It should come as no surprise that the heart of the model prayer is to pray. The word “pray” is stated in a way that indicates that it should be an ongoing action. We should keep on praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Effective prayer includes the following:
4. If My People Seek My Face
“If My people will . . . seek My face . . .” The fourth element of the 2 Chronicles 7:14 model prayer is to “seek God’s face.” But what, you may ask, does that mean?
The Hebrew word translated “face” literally means face, the front of the head. “Face” is often used to represent the person, their “countenance” (the expression on their face), or their presence. In this passage, “seek” refers to diligently conducting a dedicated search.
If we want God to answer our prayers, we must seek Him with all our heart and soul
‘Seeking God’s face’ refers to diligently seeking to know God and obtain His favor. The best place to search for God is in the Bible and with God’s people in church. If we want to please God, we must obey His Word. The best ways to seek God’s praise are through obedience, humility and prayer.
If we want God to answer our prayers, we must seek Him with all our heart and soul (Jeremiah 29:13; Deuteronomy 4:29; 1 Chronicles 22:19; Psalm 119:2). We must seek to please God so the light of His countenance will shine favorably upon us. Only then will He pay favorable attention to our prayers.
5. If My people Turn from their Wicked Ways
The fifth element of the model prayer in 2 Chronicles 7:14 instructs us to turn from our wicked ways.
Psalm 66:18-19 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer” (KJV).
If we accept sin . . . in our heart, God will not accept our prayers.
This means that God will not “hear” (pay regard to) our prayers if we are aware of any sin or wickedness in our life and do nothing about it. God is aware of our wicked ways and the sin in our hearts, and He finds them unacceptable. God will not bless His children when they sin. Instead, He chastises them (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-11; Leviticus 26:27-28).
Any sin we allow to continue in our life becomes an idol that breaks our fellowship with God and hinders our prayers. If we accept sin that we observe in our heart, God will not accept our prayers.
If we want God to hear and answer our prayers, we must repent and turn from our wicked ways. We must confess and forsake any sin in our lives. If you do, your fellowship with God will be restored and He will listen to you.
Summary
God revealed five elements of effective prayer in 2 Chronicles 7:14. This post identified and explained them. In short, the 5-elements of prayer given in 2 Chron. 7:14 are:
1. Be Humble
“If My people will . . . humble themselves . . .” The most important element in prayer is humility. Effective prayer requires us to abandon our pride and acknowledge our dependence on the almighty God.
2. Repent
“If My people will . . . turn from their wicked ways . . .” True humility requires us to acknowledge that we are sinners and turn from our evil thoughts and wicked ways.
3. Seek God
“If My people will . . . seek My Face . . .” To obtain God’s favor, we must first seek to know and please Him. We must diligently search for God with all our heart and mind. The best ways to know God are by studying His Word, the Bible, and listening to the Holy Spirit who dwells in God’s people. The best way to seek God’s favor is through humble prayer.
4. Be a Believing Christian
“If My people who are called by My Name . . .” Before Jesus came, 2 Chronicles 7:14 applied to God’s people Israel. Today it applies to those who have trusted Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as their savior and are called by His name (i.e: born again Christians).
If you are not yet a Christian, you need to become one of God’s people by humbly acknowledging and repenting of your sin and believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died on the cross to save you.
5. Pray
“If My people . . . pray . . .” When you meet all the conditions listed above, then you are ready to make your requests known to God (Philipians 4:6).
If you found this helpful, Please SHARE it!
If you liked this post, you may also like: