Forward To God
“Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear;
open Your eyes, O Lord, and see . . .”
2 Kings 19:3
In the days before telephones, email, and mobile phones, the telegram was usually the fastest means of communication. But only important news was sent by telegram, and such news was usually bad.
It was wartime in ancient Israel when Hezekiah was king of Judah. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had invaded and captured the cities of Judah. He then sent a letter to Hezekiah, a bad-news “telegram” urging his surrender. Hezekiah described the moment as “a day of distress and rebuke and blasphemy ” (2 Kings 19:3).
With taunts and scoffs, Sennacherib boasted of his past military campaigns, belittling the God of Israel and threatening mayhem (v 11-13). In that dreadful moment, King Hezekiah did an unusual thing with the bad-news letter: “He went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord” (v 14). Then he prayed earnestly, acknowledging the power of God over their gloomy situation (v 15-19). God intervened in a powerful way (v 35-36).
Bad news can reach us at any time. In those moments, Hezekiah’s action is a good example to follow. Spread out the news before the Lord in prayer and hear His reassurance: “I have heard your prayer” (v 20).
Read
2 Kings 19:9-20.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, when people attack me, I can react defensively. Teach me to turn to You instead of taking matters into my own hands. I trust You and love You. Defend me today. In Christ's name, I ask. Amen.
Very encouraging