2 kings 19:14-16 - Hezekiah received the letter
from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and
spread it out before the LORD. And
Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: "O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the
cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms
of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to the
words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
Hezekiah…burdened with the possible destruction of Judah….went
to the temple ….for the second time in days. He had heard the ugly words that blasphemed
Yahweh…and his heart was fixed on correcting the hostile words the king of Assyria
had dared to speak over his nation. He wanted more than anything to know that
God had heard the assault…and would never allow it to go unpunished.
Hezekiah did not care who spoke the correction to
Sennacherib…..he just wanted God to speak. So he humbled himself…tore his royal
robes and dressed in sack cloth as an outward sign to his people. Then he sent for the prophet Isaiah….so he
could hear God speak …and act an answer to his prayer. His faith….his close
relationship with God…the confidence he had built in the father…. gave him the
strength to wait on God...and not rashly go after this man in anger or simple
retaliation.
Hezekiah’s close relationship with God gave him the
confidence he needed to wait for God to deal with this man who dared to speak
taunts to him. Hezekiah knew the truth…that God was the only true God…..and
controlled every corner of the Earth. His prayer showed he believed with all
his heart that God was in control the whole time….his humility allowing him to be
still…and know that God would fix this horrible threat….his prayer asking God
to show the king of Assyria the truth as well.
I want some of Hezekiah’s confidence. I admit that I let satan scare me out of this
kind of true humility when I am faced with such dangers. I can’t remember one
time that I have torn my clothes…and dressed in sackcloth to pray and show my
humility before God. And I sure haven’t spread my prayer journal over the altar
at church when I really needed some strength to wait on an answer.
Maybe we aren’t supposed to literally do it the way Hezekiah
did….but just grasp the concept of true humility when we pray. To call out at the beginning of our prayer
that we know… that we know ….that we know…the Lord is our only hope for any
hardship we might need an answer to. Then
just ask him simply to fix it for us…the way he needs to…so that he can show
the world that he is God.
I know …that I know…that I know….in my heart that God has
built my faith in the last years…because I have been studying his word…and
praying more. I hope that is the start of a closer relationship with him. I
want to pray like Hezekiah someday….with confidence…with faith to know that God
will handle it. I want to pray with God’s
love and peace giving me the patience to wait for God to tell me what to do…all
the time.
The amazing thing about this story is that God sent down an
army of angels to fight Hezekiah’s battle with Sennacherib. The Assyrians woke the next day to 185,000
dead soldiers in the camp….that the death angel had choked out of life through
the night. Hezekiah had fought this battle with prayer….the humble prayer of a
man who believed that his God held all the power…and waited on him to prove it
to those who dared to mock him. Oh how he must have shouted praise to God for
such an amazing victory…one that used no human finger of effort.
Father…thank you for the prayer of Hezekiah. Help me to
model my own prayers after his …and lean on you for the strength I need to make
it through the storms you allow in my life. Help me to build my relationship
with you even closer…spending even more time with you each day. …so I can have
the strength to let you fight my battles for me with your armies of angels. Give me a clear sense of who you are…and
embed it so deep in my heart that satan cannot find it…and ever remove it. Help
me know…that I know…that I know…that you are in control and will show the rest
of the world who you are...when ou are ready. Amen.
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