2 Chronicles 7:14 is almost surely the most well-known verse in this book. It is commonly used as an encouragement to the nation to turn to God in penitent prayer. And that is a fair application.
But a more contextualized interpretation would see the text as an invitation to congregational prayer gatherings. God is addressing "my people who are called by my name." He promises to hear the prayers made in "this place," the temple that Solomon has just consecrated. He is explicitly not addressing this promise to an ethnic or political body; Jesus quoted Isaiah who called the temple "a house of prayer for all nations" (Is. 56:7). Even foreigners who called on God's name at the temple could expect God to listen (2 Chron. 6:32–33). The temple was a symbol of the ministry of Jesus whose blood grants believers access to the ears of God. In Jesus God's people, the church, become a living temple, a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.
So God's promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 is to the church, the people of God: If you pray, I will heal you, and forgive your sins. This text should encourage us to gather as a congregation for corporate prayer.
SERMON ACTIVITY
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