ISAIAH 37:14-20 – Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”
THEME OF THE DAY: A MODEL PRAYER IN TIMES OF TROUBLE. Today’s scripture is one of the “choice” prayers in the Bible. King Hezekiah offers a model prayer when facing impossible and fearful circumstances. But let’s go back a little and see how impossible and fearful the circumstances are confronting the king.
The king of Assyria, Sennacherib, is threatening war against the cities of Judah. He sends his messenger with blasphemous threats against Hezekiah and backs it up with the ruthless track record of the Assyrians. They slaughtered people. They left carnage everywhere. And the messenger names the conquered nations. He also said, “You are next” and, humanly speaking, Hezekiah had every right to be afraid (Isaiah 36:1-37:13).
What does king Hezekiah do when fear grips him like a vise-grip? He prays, and oh, how he prays! Three things we see from this praying leader.
First, King Hezekiah prays acknowledging and affirming God’s sovereignty – “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth”. Hezekiah focuses on God first, not himself, and here is where prayer must always go; God rules and that is our comfort in times of trouble.
Next the king shares his fears. Transparent prayer without the “Christianese” or mechanical forms is true prayer. The fearful Hezekiah bears his soul – O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. Remember we are in a relationship with God of spiritual intimacy, not lifeless routine. He delights to hear our hearts.
Finally and this is big, King Hezekiah is pleading for the Lord’s help in delivering His people, but pay close attention. It was not foremost about the people. It was God’s fame and glory that shaped his prayer – So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord. For prayer to be effective and God-pleasing, then the chief desire behind our request is not the request to be answered according to our will, but God’s exaltation according to His will. Hezekiah’s prayer is not primarily about his fears but about his God, and that is a model for us in all our praying.
PRAYER: “Father, may I not allow fear to silence my faith and cease my seeking of You.”
QUOTE: “The ends of all our troubles is to deepen our prayer lives and desire for God’s honor in the trouble.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim