And I Will Heal Their Land

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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14

I was listening to the Joy FM this morning and the DJ’s were interviewing Jordan, a man whose story is one of the songs on Matthew West’s new CD.  Jordan grew up in a Christian home with wonderful & loving parents.  In college, he hurt his leg and got introduced to oxycontin. As happens with too many people, Jordan became addicted.  I listened to his story without too much emotion—yes I felt badly for the things he’d gone through, but he’s telling the story, so it must have a happy ending.  As soon as he “defined” himself, I became “attached” to the story.  He said, “I would now have to introduce myself as ‘Jordan, an addict,’ and I was ok with that.”  It was at that moment a light bulb went off and God opened my spiritual eyes and softened my heart and I thought to myself, “Does she think of herself that way?  Does she only see herself as an addict?”  I have a friend who has abused drugs and has seen herself as a victim, and seems to introduce herself that way.  Suddenly, my heart broke for her and all I could do was weep and pray for her.  My heart’s desire is that we would all see ourselves as we truly are: Children of the living God; Redeemed and freed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

A little over a year ago, I read a book by Mike Wilkerson, called Redemption: Freed by Jesus from the Idols We Worship and the Wounds We Carry.  This book changed the way I look at people and it changed the way I look at me.  It said that far too often we walk around with labels such as victim, addict, recovering addict, and the list goes on.  The author said that once you’ve accepted God’s forgiveness and accepted Christ into your heart and life you are no longer that label.  You are free; you are redeemed.  As you think about that, it lifts so many heavy burdens and you begin to feel lighter on your feet all because you have been made free.

I was thinking about this scripture in relation to the revelation I received this morning.  God said that when we pray He will heal our land.  How does He do that?  By opening our spiritual eyes and giving us a revelation; by calling us to pray for others that they would have a God-encounter where they could learn that they are free because they’ve been redeemed.  When we pray, God doesn’t wave a magic wand and turn a toad into a prince or a pile of garbage into a pile of money.  When God’s people humble themselves and pray, God moves mightily and people are healed—sometimes physically, sometimes emotionally, sometimes mentally, sometimes all of the above—and when people are healed, the land is healed.