When we humble ourselves and seek Him ...

II Chronicles 7:14 "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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

From the above verse, we understand:

1. God declares that we are His people by the words "my people". We are His people called by His Name.
2. His people should "seek His Face". In psi 27:8, Kings David says, 'My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek..'.
3. His people should "Humble" themselves before Him before seeking His face.
4. His people should "turn from their wicked ways". Only then, their prayers for themselves and their nation will be heard and answered.

1. Blessings for being humble

King Solomon
King Solomon humbled himself before the Lord and built the temple of God with the best materials available in his kingdom. Solomon prayed to God for wisdom to govern the people of God, rather than for riches or fame. God heard His prayer and blessed him. He even gave him what he had not asked for!

"I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings." -- I Kings 3 :12,13

King David
Even though David was the King of Israel, he humbled himself before God and danced in front of the ark of the covenant, when it was brought back to Israel after so many years. When his wife was angry with him for dancing before all people, David said:

"It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." -- II Sam uel 6:21,22

God blessed David: "David's fame spread throughout every land, and the LORD made all the nations fear him." - I Chronicles 14:17

Ruth
When she humbled herself and stayed with her aunt, God blessed her to become the wife of Boaz, a rich man in Israel that time. Because of her humbleness, she was part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. We see her blessing in:

"May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." -- Ruth 2:12

Esther
Even Esther was blessed in the same way. She was living with her uncle and was without parents. Since she humbled herself and heard all the advice of her uncle Mordecai, she was chosen as the queen. God used her to protect the tribe of Judah. She left all her greatness and comforts and humbled herself by fasting for three days, which can be seen in:

"Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.". -- Esther 4:16

For her humbleness, God gave her the place of Queen Vashti and protected His people through her.

Daniel
When Daniel humbled himself and prayed , God revealed His prophesies to him.

King Hezekiah
When he humbled himself and prayed to God He added 15 more years in his life.


2. Curses for not being humble

King Hezekiah
King Hezekiah instead of giving glory to God, and speaking of His glory, he made a great show of his wealth to the Babylonians. So, the Kingdom of Israel was given over into the hands of his enemies.

King Solomon
King Solomon in the later part of his life, disobeyed God, married foreign women, and went seeking after other gods. He broke the covenant that God made with His chose people. So His kingdom started crumbling.


We have seen that when we humble ourself before God, He lifts us up. When we humble ourselves before Him, take time out to pray to Him, and seek Him earnestly (not just seek His blessings), He will surely hear our prayers. He will bless our personal life and family. He will also bless our nation through us.