Day 4: God’s Spiritual Program

“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 7:14)

What a promise: God will hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land! The first thing we need to do in order to fulfil God's conditions for this promise is to humble ourselves and submit ourselves to God. Being submitted to God, means also that we are submitted to His Word and His authority.

It is easy to say that you submit yourself to God, but God’s Word says: “Submit yourselves one to another... Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands... Children, obey your parents” (Ephesians 5:21–22; 6:1). That is where it is not so easy. Many people claim, “I am submitted to God,” but when the test comes in their relationship to other people, it is obvious that they are not.

If you are to humble yourself, you must be the doer. It is not a bad thing every now and then to get right on your face on the floor before God. Have you ever done that? Say, “God, here I am and here is where I belong! I am a worm. I came from the dust and the dust is my place.”

Do you think that is fanaticism? Read through the Bible and see the number of men who were on their faces before God: Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel. There is practically not even one of the great, outstanding saints of God of whom it is not recorded that he was flat on his face before God. If it was a good place for Moses, David, Daniel and others, I do not think it would be beneath your dignity.

“If My people who are called by My name shall humble themselves.” God has His spiritual program arranged in grades: grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4. Until you pass in grade 1, you will never get to grade 2. It does not matter if you have to repeat grade 1 ten years in a row, God will not promote you. That is why some of us have been stuck so long in the same grade. Do not think, “Lord, I couldn’t make it in grade 1, but I will make it in grade 2. Let me pass this one and I’ll make the next.” No, it will not work! The first step God requires is that we humble ourselves and you cannot leave it out.

The second step is to pray. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray.” Do not start to pray until you humble yourself. Humility comes before prayer.