God Answers Prayers
The epitaph over the tomb of King
Hezekiah might well have read:
Hezekiah, “Best King of Judah.”
Taking the throne at a young age
of 25, he soon establishes himself
as a great reformer by destroying
all traces of heathen worship.
Choosing to put his trust in God
rather than in armies, Hezekiah
often found himself on his knees.
In response to the king’s prayers,
God strikes 185,000 Assyrian dead
& extends Hezekiah’s life by 15 yrs.
Lord, we Seek Your Deliverance:
The Assyrian king’s chief of staff…
gives this message to Hezekiah…
What are you trusting in that makes
you so confident?… What god…
has ever been able to save its pple
from my power? So what makes
you think that the Lord can rescue
Jerusalem from me (2Kgs 18:19,35).
When King Hezekiah heard their
report, he tore his clothes and
put on sackcloth and went into
the Temple of the Lord to pray. And
he sent the palace administrator,
the court secretary, and the leading
priests, all dressed in sackcloth, to
the prophet Isaiah… They told him:
This is what King Hezekiah says:
This is a day of trouble… Pray for
those of us who are left(2Kgs19:1-4)
Then Isaiah sent to Hezekiah saying:
Thus says the Lord God of Israel:
I have heard Your prayer about King
Sennacherib of Assyria. And the
Lord has spoken agst him (v20-21).
Lord, we learn from 2 Kings 18 the
character qualities of Hezekiah who
was likely the best king of Judah:
He did that which is right, trusted
and followed the Lord (v3-6).
And when challenges beset him,
he ran to the Lord who helped him.
Help us Lord to be like Hezekiah
who trusted and obeyed You.
Help us in the challenges we face;
we seek You for protection and
we seek You for deliverance. Amen.
Father God, help me to remember
to run to You when I need help.
Help me to swallow my pride and
ask others to pray for me when
circumstances seem overwhelming
or even before they get to that point.
For to wrongly think we are whole
and need no help is a great disorder.
Thank You God for the peace that
You give when we run to You. Amen.
Lord, grant us the experience of king Hezekiah that as he cried out to You God for deliverance and poured out his pain, he felt confident You answering his prayer. Grant us dear Lord grace to cry out to You when we face troubles. Thank You that when we cry out to You for help, You hear and answer our prayers in Your timing. Amen.