Chapter 7 - God's Promise
God's Promise - Hear, Forgive, and Restore
The guide to the Shalom Effect is 2 Chronicles 7:14. It contains a requirement and a promise. You are now familiar with the requirement -- the four elements of a man's position with God. Now we move to His three-part promise.
Then 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." (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Part 1 - I will hear from heaven
All of God's attention.
Can you imagine having all of God's attention? Seriously . . . you, humbly surrendered, in His presence, seeking Him intently for the next step, willingly confessing and turning from any sin He may indicate! His promise is that you will have His full attention. He will hear from heaven.
John knew it . . . "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us." 1 John 5:14
Peter knew it . . . "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12
David knew it . . . "I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!" Psalm 66:17-20
Jeremiah knew it . . . "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you." Jeremiah 29:12
Isaiah knew it . . . "Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear." Isaiah 65:24
Matthew knew it . . . "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8
James knew it . . . "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 5:16
Solomon knew it . . . "The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous." Proverbs 15:29
Those are first hand reports of a common experience of different men at varying times and circumstances, each of whom met the same qualifications. Each was convinced that they experienced the full attention of God.
Active Listening
The skill of "active listening" emerged as a therapeutic tool in psychological circles in the late 1950's. It is the intentional practice of fully concentrating on a speaker, understanding their message, and responding thoughtfully. It involves giving undivided attention, withholding judgment, reflecting back what is heard, and seeking clarification—so the speaker feels genuinely heard and understood, not merely listened to.
Three core conditions are keys to its effectiveness:
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Empathy - deep accurate understanding of the speaker's feelings and meanings confirmed in the moment of engagement.
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Unconditional Positive Regard - acceptance and respect conveyed through listening without evaluation, diagnosing, or moral judgement.
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Genuineness - the listener's authenticity and emotional presence demonstrated by listening that is real, not formulaic.
Essentially, active listening is an intentional exercise of other-focused love. The English word "hear" used in the original language of 2 Chronicles carries the same meaning as the active listening tool described above.
God listens to a man in position with intentionality and with love for that man.
Part 2 - I will forgive
Just as God's listening to a man in position is intentional and focused, so is His forgiveness.
The word used in 2 Chronicles describes God’s forgiveness of a man's sin/guilt, not just brushing it aside, but as granting pardon and restoring the covenant relationship with that man, exercised as a divine prerogative. It is part of God's commitment to hear, forgive, and restore. So, “will forgive” means: God removes the sin-guilt that prompted judgment, so that restoration can follow.
It is important that you understand the gravitas of both the expectation and promise of God. Do not deal with this lightly. Understand that you are dealing with Holy God, Creator and Sustainer of all that is, and His purpose for you. Thus, both the responsibilities expected of you and the gift of God's promise are of eternal significance never to be trifled with.
He will hear from heaven, and He will forgive your sin, so that . . .
Part 3 - I will restore
The Temple
To understand "restore the land," it is important to be mindful of the context in which the story of 2 Chronicles occurred.
The likely location was in the city of Jerusalem, Israel, atop Mt. Moriah in the newly completed worship center that came to be known as Solomon's Temple, approximately 960-950 BC. At that moment in history, Israel was at its political, economic, and territorial height; the Davidic monarchy was secure, the Temple had just been completed, and the territory under Solomon's rule was at peace.
The Temple was the place God chose to signify His nearness to the people of Israel. It was also the spiritual and physical heart of the covenant He established with Moses to safeguard the people. It was the place where sacrifices were offered to address sin and guilt, express thanksgiving, and foster communion. It also contained the Holy of Holies, a central vault that housed the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the law given to Moses and was reserved for the Chief Priest alone to mediate between God and Israel.
Thus, the restoration of the land is for its agricultural fertility and economic stability, to preserve the Temple, the centerpoint of God's place among His chosen people.
It's still about the Temple.
We, however, live in 21st-century Western civilization, and our economic well-being is influenced more by international politics than by the condition of the soil in the backyard. How, then, are you and I to interpret the relevance of this promise of restoration to our lives?
That answer requires Spirit-directed thought, scriptural insight, and careful interpretation. Here is my conclusion. The "land," then and now, concerns the care of the Temple as God's residence among people
For Solomon, that residence was the Temple he had just completed building under the mandate of his father, David, and the guidance of God's Spirit.
For us, that residence is the heart of a man inhabited by Christ. The people of God are the temple of God. Here is the support for that position.
“All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?”21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said. (John 2:19-20)
Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:20-22)
So, I understand "restoring the land," to occur in a man transformed in the name of Jesus. The "restoration" is the God-empowered, Spirit-initiated action that ensures the welfare of a man's heart for God.
The Heart of a Man - the Temple of God
God's promised restoration centers on the same subject as his hearing and his forgiveness -- a man's heart.
Here is the essential reality for a man in position with God: Christ lives in you. Colossians 1:27.
The moment you believed, God took up residence in the place He created in you specifically for Himself -- your heart. This is not about the physical pump in your chest. It is about the centeredness of your metaphysical self, the place God chooses to reside in you.
Poets and songwriters speak of the heart as the center of a person's thoughts and emotions, especially love, compassion, or loyalty. The Bible refers to the heart as the center of hidden emotional-intellectual-moral activity.
"Man looks at the outward appearance," says Samuel, "but the lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7
"The king's heart is unsearchable to humankind." Proverbs 25:3
"but the Lord searches all hearts to reward all according to their conduct." Jeremiah 17:10
"In the time of judgment God will expose the hidden counsels of the heart." 1 Corinthians 4:5
Maybe it is easiest just to think of your heart as the Captain's chair in the control center of your life . . . the place where your spirit, your mind, and your will intersect. Like the Holy of Holies in the Temple, it is reserved for the Holy Spirit alone to mediate with God for your benefit. No person or thing other than He is allowed in that chair.
Consider the potential of God's hearing, forgiving, and restoration from His residence in that Captain's chair of your heart -- His Spirit communicating clearly through your spirit, shaping your thoughts, and conforming your will to His purpose.
These are not distant theories of possibility. They are core Biblical instructions and governing realities that shape a man and prepare him for all that God has purposed for him.
Ok...now click over to Chapter 8...
Mark Foley, Ph.D.
effectivesolutions.today