“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.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

Solomon has just finished building the Lord’s house and his own. 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep were offered. Salomon prayed, the burnt offering and the sacrifices were consumed, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. We will dwell only with a portion of this verse “if my people”.

It all starts with the recognition that we are God’s elect, his chosen people, his royal priesthood. It begins with knowing our identity lest we go in life loitering aimlessly without any sense of purpose and direction. Knowing who we truly are in Christ brings a new paradigm into our lives as the mind is stronger than the brain. The Bible says, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. We are a product of what we think, no wonder our thoughts have become a battle field for the devil. Once we are truly renewed in our minds, we can touch that reality that can propel us into a whole new dimension of walking with God.

“If my people…” bring also the concept of ownership. Whoever owns must protect, care, supply for the needs of the protected amongst many other responsibilities. In other words, there is an advantage that comes with being under the lordship of Christ. If we are under his wings then we can live a victorious life. This does not imply that there will not be trials but knowing who is holding our hand makes a huge difference. This elevates our faith to a higher level of belief as based on a real conviction that God is standing by our side.

Knowing that we are God’s people grants us free access to him. In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus taught us that as we approach God with reverence, we should know that he is Abba “father”. This revelation alone points out that God is ever seeking his children to have a communion with him. He is a loving and a caring God. Paul presents it beautifully in Roman 8:38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, …, 39 … anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.