“Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone.” – Isaiah 37:20
There was a great king from a country called Assyria. This king had a powerful army. He was going from country to country, defeating the people and making them slaves to his country. One day, he came to Judah . Hezekiah was king of Judah . This was after Israel was divided into Judah and Israel. The country was divided because King Jeroboam, Solomon’s son, who rejected the truth and choose to believe a lie .. and so the tribes of Judah and Benjamin left and formed the nation of Judah . Bad things always happen when we reject the truth and follow a lie. Israel had already fallen to the Assyrian king – it looked like Judah was next. It seemed that nothing and no one could stop the Assyrian army.
The king of Assyria sent a man from the army to speak to Hezekiah and to the people. The man told them that God could not protect them from the King’s army any more than the gods in the other countries had protected the people in those countries before they were defeated. He said they must surrender or die. The problem was that this man did not realize that there is only one God .. that the gods the other nations worshipped were made by men’s hands out of wood and stone. They had no life, no power … There is only one God … Jehovah
But, still the people of Judah were very afraid … they did not want to die .. they did not want to become slaves to the king of Assyria. Then the prophet Isaiah spoke …. He reminded them that God is sovereign.. God reigns over all creation … He was sovereign over the Assyrian king. That God is the source of life and the source of truth.
The people could see no way that they could defeat this king and his armies. But King Hezekiah did not look at the great Army .. he looked at His great God. He prayed “Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone." And God heard Hezekiah and answered him through Isaiah "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,' Says the LORD.”
God sent an angel and without a battle, the King of Assyria left without attacking Judah. Hezekiah had prayed that God would use this problem to be glorified among all of the nations. It was not just for the sake of the people, to avoid trouble and its consequences, but so God would be glorified. This is a great story about God’s faithfulness. It teaches us that we should not fear …that God is with us. It also teaches us that our focus should be on God and not on ourselves. Do you want God to be glorified in your life? Do you believe that He can be?
There are three things I want you to see about King Hezekiah … he rejected the lie, trusted God and obeyed God. He was not living his life any way he wanted to and then when trouble came he looked to God for help. He lived in obedience to God and His truth.
Are you struggling with fear today? Is there a great army of problems facing you? And you do not have the strength to stand against them? Trust God … put your faith … your confidence in Him. Stop living for yourself and trusting in what you can do … stop ignoring God and His truth and the new life He has called you to until trouble comes. God blesses us in our obedience not in our sin.
I have to tell you … God does not always answer in ways that you want Him to. His ways are not our ways … His thoughts are not our thoughts. What is happening in your life right now? Do you want to hear a word from God? Do you want some kind of reminder that He is near and that He cares about you. This is it.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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