The Big IF

2nd Chronicles 7: 14 reads "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 heal their land."

The Big IF marks the threshhold between the path of ruin and the path of redemption. There is always a Big IF at the beginning of every step we take. There is a Big IF that marks every turn on the pathway of grace. Today we look at the first.

"If my people" will humble themselves there is always hope. Why? God dwells with the one who is humble (Isaiah 57:15). Jesus when he heard a man pray "Be merciful to me, a sinner", says that the man went from his prayer justified. Humbling ourselves is the only means of transforming us from our own man to being God's. The Big IF only becomes active when that transformation of repentance takes place.

If a person clings to their own ways while trying to humble themselves they are not truly praying. Prayer here is defined as 'judging by comparison'. We are called by God's name. Our faith is defined then in comparison to God's name and word.

The Big IF then defines us. We seek God's ways and scorn our own rather than scorning God's ways and seeking our own.

Our Big IF becomes God's Big YES! God's "Yes" in Jesus Christ kicks in!

Now, if God hears from heaven God moves in the earth (I John 5: 14-15). God moves with forgiveness and healing and we who have answered the Big IF are never the same.