Prayers of Trust and Fear

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Its sad, but too often true that crisis drives us to prayer. That seems to be what happens with King Hezekiah. His back is up against the wall. Unless God intervenes they are in for it. They are going to be destroyed.

The time was about 701 B.C. Sennacherib king of Assyria was on the move. He was heading southward along the coast conquering Phoenicia and Philistia. Judah was captured and Jerusalem besieged.

Part of a psych-ops they sent people up on the wall to shout to the people inside Jerusalem all kinds of mean and dirty things.

“Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand.”

“Hath any gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?”

When this didn’t work Sennacherib sent a letter. Just mean and nasty.

Defied the gods of all the other countries and Hezekiah’s God as well.

Now I do want to mention that God was using Sennacherib to punish these other nations and even Judah. But pride got the best of him.

When Hezekiah received the letter and read it he didn’t send messengers to Egypt to join with him. He didn’t make any alliances with anyone except God.

I tell you what - when we take our problems to God we will soon find God is bigger than our problem.

I love verse 20 - “Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” (, KJV 1900)

Israel: From Conquest to Exile: A Commentary on Joshua–2 Kings VI. Hezekiah’s Second Prayer and God’s Answer (2 Kings 19:14–34)

Sennacherib made a fatal miscalculation when he thought that Jerusalem was just another city (2 Kings 19:21–22)! Other great cities may have their kings (cf. Isa. 7:8–9), but Jerusalem also has a heavenly King who happens to be the Sovereign God of the entire earth!

Sennacherib had a host for an army but they weren’t too big for God.

Sennacherib may have had a host for an army - but Hezekiah was in touch with the Captain of the Lord’s Host!!!

In fact God said - oh Sennacherib is bothering you, I’ll get the best I have on the job.

The KJV uses the phrase: “The angel of the LORD” as best I can tell - now I don’t want to read in more than is right - as I understand the term, “The angel of the LORD” it is usually referring to the pre-incarnate Christ. To Jesus in the Old Testament.

Hezekiah’s Second Prayer

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I don’t want to say God changes His mind, but sometimes I think he allows messages to get to us to change us.

Hezekiah recieved quite a message and instead of giving in to despair and grief - he prays.

He desperately prays - prays with tears.

Some prayers can only be prayed with tears.

While speculation has arisen - that perhaps God answered this prayer but sent leanness to Hezekiah's soul - and that may well have been true

We do need to be so careful that we are praying in agreement with the Will of God. And God does seem to have a Desired Will and a Permissive will - I want to pray within God’s desired will.

But what an amazing answer to prayer - not only healed and given 15 more years, but the sun moved backwards.

Let’s have faith, and trust that when problems come the enemy or illness - we won’t give up we will pray. we will trust we will expect miracles.

Tonight I’m sure there are battles being fought, illness in families - Let’s cry out to God for these needs, for one another and lets allow God to show himself.