2 Chronicles 7 verse 12-14 And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice, if I shut up heaven. that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people. If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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. Now my eyes shall be opened and my ears shall attend on to the prayer that is made in this place. Amen. We know the Lord. Well, that is blessing to the reading of his word. 2 Chronicles 7 verse 14 is the Lord's answer to King Solomon's prayer, a prayer that actually began in 2 Chronicles 6 and I encourage you to take time to read Solomon's prayer. I've always said before, if you want to learn how to pray, and you want to have an effective prayer life then learn the prayers from the bible pray over the prayers of the bible and solomon he prays in chapter six and he ends his prayer and as solomon prays in chapter six he prays for god's people in a future day that if they fall into sin and the land bear the consequences of their sin, and if that sin is then confessed, that God would heal, that God would forgive their sin, and God would forgive the land or heal the land. Solomon prayed over if they experienced defeat in chapter 6 verse 24. over drought in their life in chapter 6 verse 26 over dearth in the land chapter 6 verse 28 and disease or pestilence chapter 6 verse 26 and then deportation that is being carried away um in chapter 6 verse 36 through 38. Now these are all forms of chastisements that would be sent by the Lord for his people living in a backslidden state, for his people turning from the Lord. And this exactly was the case that took place just before they went into captivity, during the 70 years of captivity, and then when they came out of captivity. So if you like, what Solomon is praying about here took place when they went into captivity. And he's praying about certain situations, Lord, if thy people are in their sin, and you send these things and drought, and they're deported out of this land into another land, but Lord, if they confess that sin, Lord, forgive them of their sin, and Lord, heal the land. And so what you have then, when you come to chapter 7, verse 1, Solomon, he ended his prayer. And we read then in verse 12, the Lord appeared to Solomon by night and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer. And that there is a sermon in itself, a message from God. That's why you, child of God, should get to prayer. That's why you should not go a day without prayer. That's why you can come and ask God for great and mighty things. because God hears and God answers prayer. The Lord responded to the chastisements about their sin, verses 13 and 14. If I shut up heaven, that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence, disease, among my people, If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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 will heal their land." And so this verse was given to Israel. They were warned that their sins would have influence over the land, and impact the land. And that is something, child of God, that we must learn. Because Peter says in 1 Peter 4, verse 17, For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if first began at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel?" In other words, this here, God is showing that when it's not right in the church, it's not right in the land. Yes, you can blame everyone else in the land. This land is in a state because of its king, because of its prime minister, because of its political party, because of its mayor. But the truth comes down, it results in God's people not walking with God. If it's not right in the church, it's not right in the land. And that's what the Lord is getting at, and that's what Solomon is praying about. And so the Lord's promise is this, that repentance equals blessing. And that is the same situation of today. These words are solemn, searching, and serious. Because my life, the sin in my life, impacts my life. family life, church life, and the land. You've also heard it like this, if my life is not right with God, then I'm not right with other people, and then I bring it into the family, I bring it into the church, and then I bring it into the workplace, and bring it into the streets, and then people say, huh, and you're a Christian, huh, I want nothing to do with it. And so that's where it leads to. Solomon is stating, if the nation that the nation is reflected by the state of the people. Because of their sin, turning away from their first love, forsaking God, heaven is now shut. That means no blessing from the Lord. He withholds his blessing. And whenever the Lord withholds his blessing, there is only barrenness and desertion But the Lord gives the promise that if my people obey my word in verse 14, then I will intervene. I will visit my people and will heal the land. And what you have here, what may be termed as revival, a picture of revival, because revival is God visiting his covenant community. When all is well with God's people, It is well with the land. And that's what Solomon is praying for. And that's the promise for us today. And we want to look at this. The promise of revival. Notice first of all, the people of this promise. the people of this promise this prayer is clear that there is a covenant people and few and a promise that belongs to them notice what solomon is praying and what the lord says my people called by my name and the word cold it means a people that have been called out of bondage called out of darkness called in to the glorious light of the gospel, the Lord saying that there's a people that I identify with and a people that identifies with me. I have brought them out of deadness, out of darkness, out of bondage. I have delivered them just as I did when I delivered them from Egyptian bondage, from a hard taskmaster like Pharaoh. My name is upon my people, a people called by my name. Sin no longer has dominion over them, but Christ lives in them and through them. In fact, these words in the Hebrew, called by my name, actually read, upon whom my name is called. And therefore the Lord is saying that my covenant people, my redeemed people, my peculiar people, those whom I send revival to, are those who bear my name. I have called them, and my name rests upon them. They bear my name. They are a people given to me, given to my son before the foundation of the world." Again, the same word is used in Deuteronomy 28, verse 10, as the Lord speaks of his people, Israel. All the people of the earth shall see or shall know that thou art called by the name of the lord and those words read that they that the people will know that the name of jehovah is upon thee and so when the lord refers If my people which are called by my name, he's referring to his own covenant people, a people that bear his name, a people that represent his name, a people whose name rests upon. Again, referring to Jesus Christ. In Jeremiah chapter 23, verse 6, we refer to the name of the Lord. He shall be called the Lord, our righteousness. Well, that title, that phrase, belonging to the Lord, that name is also the name that His people bear, that rests upon His people. Because we read in Jeremiah chapter 33, verse 16, of the people of God, She shall be called the Lord, Our Righteousness. And so, as His covenant people, we represent His name. As the songwriter said, take the name of Jesus with you. Take it wherever you go. And in revival, it's God visiting those who bear his name. It is God coming in great power and visiting his own covenant community. Revival is not about souls being saved. When we pray for revival, people often think, when I pray for revival, I mean that for sinners to be saved. That's not revival. That's redemption. That's regeneration. That's a great awakening. Those are maybe impacts of revival. But primarily, revival deals with God's people. It's God visiting His people. stirring them up, coming upon those who bear His name. Why is that? Because they have not been living for His glory. They have dishonoured the family name and such need revival. And here is a people that Solomon is praying about. Lord, if they get involved in this, and they turn from you, and they're in sin, Lord, if they turn from their sin, have mercy upon them, forgive them, heal the land. And the Lord responds, if my people, which are called by my name, if my people, which bear my name, and do all these things, then I will forgive their sin, I will heed the land, I will come, in other words, and visit my people, and I will visit the land, and I will open up heaven that has been shut and pour out the showers of blessing upon them. Oh, how we need to pray, believer, showers of blessing to fall. O wilt you pray, Lord, open up the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing sweeping this way, yes, sweeping this way. Showers of blessing are sweeping this way. Lord, come, visit us who thy name is upon. Lord, come, stir us up, we pray. O Lord, revival comes from Thee. Send a revival. Start the work in me. Cleanse me from sin. Cause me to live again, that I may have the mind of Christ in all I do, all I go, and all I say. Exalt your precious name. upon a people that bear your name." Here is a promise for this people. But notice secondly, the preparation for the promise. The preparation. Though we cannot make or produce revival, because revival comes from God. However, we can prepare for revival to catch the wind of heaven when God chooses in his own sovereign time to visit his own people. And therefore the Lord In answering Solomon's prayer, he shows them, he teaches how his people can receive a blessing. And you want revival in your life. You want to see this church revived again. I want to see it revived again. I want to see my heart stirred up again. I want to see God's people flocking to the house of God. And the Lord shows us how that will be accomplished. Notice what he says, four simple thoughts. This preparation includes submission. If my people, which are called by my name, notice, shall humble themselves. humble themselves. In other words, here's something they must do themselves. Humble yourself. One man said, pride is the greatest hindrance to revival. Why is that? One, because we don't see ourselves as needing revived. It's always someone else is the problem, not me. Or, because we believe revival comes from us, that we can create the emotion. This word humble has the idea of being under another. It means to be under, submit to another. And so the people, Solomon's praying about Lord, if they forsake you, they reject you, and they turn to other idols, they go their own way. The Lord responds, if they humble themselves, if they submit, they surrender to me, then they will have blessing again. When they admit their total dependence upon me, when they worship me, when they honour me, when they glorify me, when they pray to me, when they seek my face, they will have blessing again. And so to humble ourselves is to acknowledge the Lordship and Headship in our lives. Again, James 4, verse 10, humble yourselves. in the sight of God. And as one man has said, God is so gracious throughout the Bible to give words like this, humble yourself. The Lord says, humble themselves, because one man said, you don't want the Lord to humble you. Therefore, obey his word and humble yourself before God humbles you. under Solomon, the Jewish people. The Lord's people, they enjoyed prosperity. They were blessed during his reign. It was a time of peace. Solomon was a man who knew wisdom from God. The land had known peace, the people had known blessing. But it would be easy for Israel not to thank God for his provisions. The more we seem to have, the less we seem to become thankful. And during this time of prosperity, it would be easy for them to acknowledge that it did not come from the Lord, or somehow they created it themselves. It's the same thing whenever the Lord supplies food for the table. I know and I'm sure you do, but just to remind you, every time you have your dinner or breakfast, whatever it may be, give thanks for your food. Whether some people like to sing when they do that, some people have a particular song that they sing to give thanks, some people pray when they give thanks. But the point is, you're giving thanks to God for providing for the food. We can get so used to just having food on the table that we don't acknowledge the Lord. It's come from you. And so the people could easily forget the Lord. It could be easy because there's peace in the land. Someone to rise up and start rebelling. And that's what took place. Solomon's son began to lead a rebellion. He wanted the kingdom. He wanted his father's throne. We learn in 2nd Chronicles chapter 12 verse 5 that the prophet of God was sent to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah and the message from God through the prophet was, ye have forsaken me. but they humbled themselves. They heard the message, and because of that, we read, the Lord said, I will not destroy them. He humbled himself. The wrath of God was turned from him. It's interesting to learn that the prophet Ezekiel records in Ezekiel chapter 28 verses 13 through 17 about the pride of the devil. And Isaiah 14 verse 14 claims the pride of the devil where he said I will be like the most high. And in Isaiah chapter 14 verse 13 you have the I wills of the devil. For thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will be like the Most High. And the devil was cast out of heaven because he placed himself above God. He wanted all praise. He wanted all worship. He wanted to lead this rebellion. Therefore nothing has changed because man fell because of pride." Man still battles with pride. In fact, I read an article of Charles Spurgeon, and Spurgeon said, and he confessed his greatest sin, was the sin of pride. Now that may shock you. Why is that? And the reason why, because on Spurgeon's day when he had 8,000 people, between six and 10,000 people coming every week to hear him preach, and souls were being saved, and at times, you'll not hear from me, but times he had to tell people not to come to the service because they let other people come. But Spurgeon got so proud because he couldn't understand all the other churches around him were near barren, empty. People weren't coming as much. Preachers weren't saying souls saved, and Spurgeon began to say, well, if a man is not leading souls to Christ, then he's not called of God, because I'm saying souls won for Christ. And if a man's church is not fulfilled, he can't be called of God, because my church is fulfilled. and you read his life, and he battled time after time, all the different quotes about pride, and you can type it in yourself, Spurgeon's battle with pride, and all the different things that he battled with, but he had to come and say, he had to confess that sin before God, because he realized the truth in James 4, verse 6, God resisteth the proud. but giveth grace unto the humble. And Spurgeon had to humble himself to submit to God, and that's why he knew blessing. And so it is the Lord says to his people here, for them to have blessing, they must humble themselves. But notice also, it involves prayer. Now these things are surprising. You will read down this list, and it is a shocker. You imagine that. Humble yourself. And then pray. Well, I just took it. Every Christian prays. Well, here the Lord says that there's an occasion that his people are not praying. He knew Solomon would be a time when the people would stop to pray, when they would neglect the place of prayer and they would neglect private prayer. And so he prays, Lord, Visit thy people. And the Lord responds, if they humble themselves and they pray, they will have the blessing. Let me just give you a story here from 1857 in New York. You will know this well, many of you. The 1st of July in 1857, there was a quiet man, a zealous businessman by the name of Jeremiah Lampyre. and he became a city missionary in downtown New York. The church that he was attending was beginning to lose its members, relocating to different areas, and the numbers were beginning smaller, smaller, and smaller. And he was burdened by what he was seeing. It was discouraging him that there was less people coming to God's house. And let me say this here, any revival you read, it's because there's been a lack of people coming to God's house. It's been a lack of prayer. And he was burdened about this. And so what he decided to do was to have noon prayer meetings. And they were held every Wednesday. once a week and he gave out a leaflet and it said a prayer meeting is held every Wednesday from 12 o'clock on to 1 o'clock in the building near the North Church on the corner of William Street. According at 12 noon, we learn on the 23rd of September 1857, the door was opened for the first prayer meeting on the Wednesday from 12 o'clock until one o'clock. And as Lamphere took his seat, five minutes went by, no one appeared. He paced up and down the room in fear. Would anybody come to the prayer meeting? 10 minutes later, still no one came. 15 minutes later, no one came. 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes. At 12.30 he heard a step, and the first person appeared through the door, and then another, and then another, until six people gathered together for prayer. On the following Wednesday, on the 7th of October, 40 people gathered to pray. Within six months, 10,000 businessmen gathered daily for prayer in New York. And within two years, 1 million people were converted to Jesus Christ and brought into the churches in America. Because one man was burdened for prayer. One man desired to get other people seeking God in prayer. And you read in Our Own Nation in 1859 of the revival that broke through United Kingdom and mostly in Northern Ireland. It was started by children in school when boys and girls gathered to pray one with the other and God came in great prayer and great blessing and sent revival. The Lord says, if my people shall humble themselves and pray. Can I ask, before you complain, and I say that respectfully, about the king upon the throne of England, or whoever's in charge of Westminster, have you prayed? Have you brought the situation before the Lord? Have you sought God already today in prayer? As someone said, the chorus, it's me. It's me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer. Not my brother, not my mother, not my sister, Lord. It's me standing in the need of prayer. The Lord says, if my people pray, but notice also, if they seek my face. Again, Solomon knew that there would be a time when the people would not seek the face of God, and therefore God would shut heaven to them. And so the Lord says, if they seek my face, the word seek, it means to search until something is found. And you know yourself, if you've ever lost your phone, you've ever lost your car keys, or you've lost maybe your Oyster card, or your purse, or whatever it may be, something that you need, and you search it until you find it. And you know, I need to find this because I need to use it. And you keep searching with all your energy until it's found. And that's what this word means. It means to seek God. It means to search with Him. It means to get alone with Him. The Free Presbyterian Church was born by prayer meetings. You should never complain. about having prayer meetings in any church, not saying anybody does, I'm just saying generally, we should never complain about how many prayer meetings a church has, because whenever the day is taken when there is none, people will lament. I could tell you of great times of prayer that are recorded, but Dr. Paisley and Dr. Douglas and other men, when they gathered for prayer through the nights, and they sought God, and then Dr. Paisley would stand up and close the meeting and say, that's it. God's met with us, we've met with God, the answer now will come. And whenever they went round to have gospel missions, 100 saved there, 200 there, 400 there, 300 there. Every Sunday night souls were being saved and Sunday morning people kept coming and people kept coming. And that's what this means. When my people seek my face, when they meet with me, not just before they go to bed, a wee quick thing to fall asleep, but when they search me, seek me with all their heart, I want the blessing. Lord, I want you to come down in South Grove with great power. Seek God. Again, Jeremiah 29, verse 13. Ye that seek me shall find me when ye search with me with all your heart. The Lord said in John 5, 39, search the scriptures for they are they which testify of me. Notice also it involves separation. Now this is probably one of the things that always hits me. The Lord says, if my people shall humble themselves because they're full of pride. And if they pray, because they're not. And if they seek my face, which they're not. And notice, turn from their wicked ways. Now that always amazes me when I read this verse of scripture. I can understand if this was referring to the unsaved because that's what you would expect. And yet the Lord is speaking about the people that bear his own name. Those who are saved, they're filled with pride, they're filled with self, they can't work with other people. They don't pray, they don't seek my face. And now, he refers to their wicked ways, they must turn from their wicked ways. The word wicked means evil, their evil ways. How they live, what they do, what they get involved in. The Lord says they must turn from their wicked ways. That means repentance. Again, the psalmist said in Psalm 66 verse 18, If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear me. If I look with favor to those things that displease Him, He will not hear me. But if I turn from my sin, if I come to Him weary, wounded, sore, just as I am, He will send the blessing. And so here we have a word that they were to put away the strange gods. They were to abandon all their idols. Everything that had taken the place of worship to God. Everything that they put before the Lord. Things that excited them more than the Lord. Things that they depended upon more than the Lord. If my people, which are called by my name, if my redeemed people that bear my name, represent my name, humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways. Amazing, isn't it? And that refers to God's own people. The Lord says, I will send the blessing. I wonder, do you fall into these? Do I fall into these? I'd be the first to admit, Lord, remove my pride, my prayerlessness, my seeklessness, if that's even a word, not seeking, turning from my wicked ways. We want the blessing from the Lord. Notice finally, And briefly, the provision of this promise. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven. If you stop there, I wonder is that why so many Christians don't enjoy their Christian life? I wonder is that why so many Christians feel coming to church is boring and when they're at church they've no interest of being in church? And you can blame other things. Is it because they're full of pride? Is it because they're not praying? Is it because they're not seeking the Lord? Is it because they haven't turned from their wicked ways? Everything else is crowded, their time, their space, their heart, their mind. That when they come to God's house, the Lord says, then I will hear. So unless these things are done, the Lord will not hear. And He says, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. What's interesting to note is that in Solomon, when he prays, you read chapter seven at the start, he prays on the ground of the sacrifice that had been offered up. And so he comes to the Lord on the ground of the blood. He comes to the Lord by faith upon the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he's praying upon the ground of redemption, upon the basis of Christ, the mediator, the only redeemer, Lord. When your people are in sin, visit them, move among them again." And the Lord gives his answer, I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. If you act upon the first part of verse 14, Then God will answer the second half of verse 14. What about you today? I trust as we pray for revival, as we long for revival, that God will come and bless our hearts. Let it come, O Lord, we pray Thee. Let the showers of blessing fall. May the Lord draw us back to prayer, draw us back to seeking His face, wanting us to desire the blessing. Because the Lord is willing, able to send the showers of blessing. May the Lord write His word upon our heart for His name's sake.