Word of Encouragement (01/09/2025)

“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemies besiege them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, ²⁹ whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house, ³⁰ then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind, ³¹ that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers. (2 Chron. 6:28–31)

Here, Solomon mentions several of the covenant curses that God promised to afflict Israel with if she disobeyed God’s commandments and violated her covenant with the LORD—pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, caterpillar, siege by enemies, plague, and sickness (v. 28, Deut. 28). Again, for sinners and a nation of sinners to sin is not a matter of if but when.

This is an obvious point but let’s not gloss over it: these verses remind us that God is in control of all things. Solomon’s prayer assumes that all these disasters come at God’s bidding to punish Israel’s sins. He is in control of locusts and caterpillars as well as pestilence, blight, mildew, plague, sickness, not to mention nations and wars and sieges. God has all these things and more at His disposal and uses them for His sovereign governance of the world. As the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, He has the authority to bring them on as well as take them away. So, it is only right that Solomon should direct this petition to God.

Another obvious point is that the LORD is the Judge, and we are all accountable to Him: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (1 Cor. 5:10). He is not just the God of the Jews but also the whole world. We must also keep in mind that whatever temporal judgments God brings on people and nations are but small previews of the eternal judgment to come on the Last Day.

We also must not forget that God is a merciful God. Solomon is certain that, when the people of Israel recognize the evil of their ways and cry out to God, God will hear them, forgive them, and deliver them from their afflictions. Notice how the condition of the people is described: “...each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this place...” (v. 29). We can imagine how intense the affliction may be when one is struck with any of the disasters listed earlier. He does not just pray by moving his lips; out of desperation, he stretches out his hands in the direction of the temple and cries out to the LORD. God is impassible—that is, He does not, and cannot, suffer by any external factors, Even so, when His people cry out to Him in pain, He hears them and is moved by mercy to forgive them and deliver them. (But if God can extend such mercy to His sinful people, it is only on account of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice and righteousness, which are the basis not only of the salvation of His people but also of God’s common grace by which He delays the Final Judgment for the salvation of His elect.)

Finally, let us observe what Solomon says: “...whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel...” (v. 29). This suggests that one person’s heart-felt prayer may move God’s mercy to deliver a nation. Daniel’s prayer triggered the return of Israel from her Babylonian Exile. What a privilege it is that we can pray! No matter how painfully we are afflicted, God’s mercy toward us is far greater in Jesus Christ! Why worry? Just pray.