Humility

II Chronicles 7:12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name 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. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. 16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.
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God doesn't ask us to come to him with everything perfect already. He just asks us to humble ourselves and come as we are. I have often thought that humility is much closer to courage than to weakness. In humility, we recognize our weaknesses and ask for help. This requires courage. How much easier would it be to hide our sin and shame? It can be so difficult and dangerous to confess sin! The Kingdom of God is a safe place for us...but not for our sin. When we confess our sin in the Kingdom of God, it is put to death, but we are made new. God says that if we, who are called by his name, humble ourselves and seek his face, he will heal our land. What does this mean right now and here? Does this promise apply to our local community and our generation? I am praying to God right now and believing that he will bless this community and this generation with His Love. I want to see everyone come to know what a great and loving God he is. I want to worship him with abandon this year. I want to be a better man this year because of the Holy Spirit's fruit in my life. If you were like Solomon and God said you could ask for anything, what would you ask for?