Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
2 Kings 19:14-19
14 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. 15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the 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. 16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”
Have you ever heard some bad news? Whether it was a loved one on the other line alerting you of the loss of a family member, or the news about how you did not receive the job promotion, we have at some point in life have heard the reality of bad news. We find Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19 hear some terrible news in regards to his homeland Judah. The evil enemy nation Assyria was conquering land all around Israel and Hezekiah had been given news that the land of Judah was next. He was reassured by the prophet and friend Isaiah that the Lord whom He served would protect them against the attacks, but then sure enough after he was given that word of reassurance the enemy nations mocked the reassurance He was given and were after him (2 Kings 19:1-13). Hezekiah found himself in a mess. The way he chose to respond in the midst of the mess shows to be a great example on how we ought to respond as well: He chose to Pray.
Hezekiah’s first response in his mess was not to run to social media about his issues, nor was it to angrily approach the pagan king’s messenger and fight him. Hezekiah’s first response was to pray. Hezekiah understood how there was power in prayer. Perhaps he reflected back to how God moved when King Jehoshaphat handled a similar situation by choosing to pray 150 or so years prior (2 Chronicles 20), and mirrored his example. Perhaps he understood the faithfulness of God in his life and understood his only first true response was to pray. Either way, Hezekiah made the correct decision and chose to pray.
As followers of Jesus the good news is that we too can choose to take our mess to the Lord in prayer. We do not have to try and shoulder our problems, hold onto our burdens, or navigate through the turmoil we may be going through on our own. What is incredible about the God we follow and worship today is that He is the God who cares. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to Cast our anxieties on Him BECAUSE HE CARES FOR US! He desires for us to take our mess to Him and allow Him to minister to us in the midst of it; whether that be Him giving us wisdom on what next step to take, comfort/peace in the midst of the dark season, or breakthrough in the midst of the impossible situation.
As a loving father cares for his children, God cares for you and desires for you to take your mess to Him FIRST. A social media rant in reality will not help your situation so choose to go to the Lord. Choosing to play the blame game and harbor bitterness in your heart will not help your issue, so instead make the first decision to take your situation to the Lord and watch Him work.
Psalm 55:22 tells us to cast our burdens on the Lord, for He will sustain us. If you read the rest of chapter 19, you see that the Lord sustained Hezekiah and the people of Judah by destroying the enemy armies and protecting Hezekiah and the people of God. Choose to allow for the Lord to sustain you as well by taking your mess to the Lord in prayer. He cares for you.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Dear Heavenly Father, You are so great! Thank you for your care for me! Help me to choose as a result to run to You first with my mess. Help me to model King Hezekiah’s example and cast my burdens and problems on You, knowing that you will minister to me in the midst of them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 3:3- But You oh Lord, are a shield for me; my glory and the lifter of my head.