Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:12-14

It’s one of the most well-known scriptures of the Bible. It is quoted, preached on, put on memes, photo’s, and T-shirts. Just the title gave it away.
The scripture is 2 Chronicles 7:14.
God did not send a prophet to Solomon.
He did not come to him in a dream.
God did not just speak to him but He appeared to Solomon. This demonstrates the relationship of God and Solomon and the importance of the message.

God said, “I have heard your prayer!”
He always hears our prayers but the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

God also reminds us that He sends an attention-getter (drought, famine, pestilence) when His people sin against Him.

But the promise of verse 14 gives such encouragement and hope of God’s love for His people.

For God to heal our land, we must take the appropriate steps.

Humble ourselves.
I discovered that humility is tied closely together with fasting. Fasting is lost on us today. To do without food is a foreign idea. However, I have seen God answer a humble person when they fasted with television, sweet tea, or even social media. The important thing is to fast with something you’re passionate about, which is why food works so well.

Pray! If you’re fasting from something you’re passionate about then you have extra time to pray. For example, if you get a lunch hour, then you get an hour to pray.

Humility and prayer must lead you to seek God. Seek His will for your life.

Humility, prayer, and seeking God will expose the sin in your life giving you the opportunity to repent – turn away from wicked ways.

Not only does this verse promise that God will heal our land but He will heal you and draw your life closer to His.