Don't Misunderstand "If My People..."

  Someone recently corrected me for applying the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 to America. They were right. I was wrong.

"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land."(1)

The Old Testament is God's Word, but not all of its commands and promises apply today. God promised to heal Israel at a specific point in history, not all countries throughout history.(2)

We can't make God's promises everlasting when God makes them specific. Other examples of specific and temporary promises: God's promise to send manna (Exodus 16:4), His promise to give the widow unending flour and oil during famine (1 Kings 17:14), God's promise to defeat enemies by marching and blowing trumpets (Joshua 6:1-5).

The promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 couldn't be perpetual for another reason: God always keeps His promises. Yet many evil countries throughout history have had faithful Christian communities.(3) 

The principles in 2 Chronicles 7:14 are timeless: humble prayer for our country and repentance. The promise is not.
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(1) The universal principles in 2 Chronicles 7:14 are found in 1 Timothy 2:1-3. But God did not give every Christian the promise that He would heal their land if they pray, seek Him, and turn from wickedness.
(2)  For a New Testament example of a Scripture that applied to a specific group at a specific time read Matthew 10:5.
(3) The Apostles were martyred in countries that had evil governments, and they surely humbled themselves and prayed for those countries. North Korea is a modern example where Christianity thrives amidst evil governmental rule. North Korean Christians put most of us to shame for their purity and fervor, yet they have lived under intense persecution for over 60 years.
More on this Scripture from other sources:
About American Politics
Commonly Misused
Got Questions

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