Hezekiah prayed.
And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD.
Isaiah 37:15
I had come across the story of Hezekiah twice in the last couple of days . First in the book of Isaiah and then in 2 Kings. If you go back a few pages in 2 Kings before the story of Hezekiah, you’ll find that the reason for God's very own people being taken captive. It was because of their sin. God had delivered the Israelites out of sin and bondage (Egypt) and they would not listen, but they feared other gods. God said to put NO other gods before Him. There is only one true God. Yet when we worship, love, or fear anything or anyone more than we do God, and focus on it (whether good or bad), it becomes god to us. This gets us into trouble every time. Yet, God is always looking to bring us back to Him. Prayer is a vital part of that.
His people walked according to the customs of heathen nations. The Lord had already delivered them but they wanted to go back to their way. They did all the things, very wicked things that provoked the Lord to anger! They served idols of which the Lord had told them not to. He warned them, yet they wouldn’t listen. They wouldn’t hear and hardened their necks and didn’t believe! Just as their fathers did. They refused, rejected, and despised the very word and instruction of their God Who delivered them. (2 Kings 17) In other words, they got out of their mess just to get back into it, as often times we do too. Yet, He still loves and wants us back. There was a plan. So God removed Israel from His sight and they were carried away from their own land to Assyria. (2 Kings 17:23)
They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away. 2 Kings 17:33
They thought they could serve two…
Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and put them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded; and they would neither hear nor do them. 2 Kings 18:11-12
I just wanted to set the stage for the story of Hezekiah but don’t want us to miss the importance of obedience and staying in prayer and in sync with Almighty God, Who created us. It’s no secret that our nation isn’t where it needs to be with God because of sin. Many homes and lives are turned upside down. I want to magnify the importance of prayer and just how vital it is in and for our lives. One man’s prayer saved many! Don’t discount what your prayers can do for family, home, church, workplace, school, and nations. And when we all come together, it’s even more powerful!
Hezekiah becomes king in chapter 18 of 2 Kings. He did right in the sight of the Lord as David his forefather did. He removed the very high places that the people had set up. We can’t submit almost all or mostly to God and leave hidden agendas or things that we’re not willing to let go of. It’s always catches up to us. God wants it all and Hezekiah was giving God all. He clung and held fast to the Lord and didn’t cease to follow Him; keeping all His commands. (2 Kings 18:6)
So the Lord was with Hezekiah and prospered him wherever he went, just as He did David.
And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him. 1 Samuel 18:14
Also, just as He did Joseph.
The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. Genesis 39:2
WHY?? Because they were faithful to God and honored Him EVEN WHEN and especially when things got tough and the enemy came against them. This is not the time to flee but to dig into the very faith that you have and to trust God to come through. Even though Joseph had to wait years to see the promise or vision that God gave him. David had many ups and downs and even had to hide from the wicked king Saul during his time of preparation. But, nevertheless, David did become king.
Hezekiah was faithful and like Daniel and the 3 men, Hezekiah refused to serve and bow down to the king of Assyria and so rebelled against him. (18:7)
Obedience is the 🔑 to success.
What happens when we resist the enemy? He first gets mad but eventually… he’ll flee. Yeah, he’ll always come back again but Hezekiah understood the importance of submission to God and eventually, the power of PRAYER. The enemy would try to make us succumb and if he can’t get us to take his bait, then he’ll try to threaten us, and sometimes he does that through the very people we love. He uses people just as God does. That’s why it’s so important to stay in prayer. Know who the real enemy is behind it all so that we can attack the real issue.
The king of Assyria, we’ll call him king A, didn’t like Hezekiah's stance. So, what did he do? He tried to intimidate him. What the enemy is best at but no good at if we’d just realize it’s only threats. He has no power over God or God’s own. He is a deceiver and the father of all lies. It’s all a lie! He is a defeated foe so we do not have to fear his threats, believe his lies, or give in to his tactics. We are clearly told not to. “Do not fear” is commanded many, many times in the Bible. It’s not a mere suggestion, but a command! We must take it seriously so that fear doesn’t get the best of us!
We are constantly reminded and daily told to “fear not”! We know Who wins and Whose on our side. If we know Whose we are, then we can trust that He will come through. Jesus already defeated Satan. It’s nothing more than a smoke screen and he’s powerless against our God. Remember who David prayed to and gave credit to when he fought the giant? Remember how easily the giant fell? The enemies tactic is the same now: Intimidation! And so, no one wanted to come up against him, except for this little guy, David. Who was full of guts and faith!
So Hezekiah, on behalf of God's people, stands in the gap to save the lives of the people. But first, he almost didn’t. King A was taking the people of God away and holding them captive. The enemy wants you to go with him and if he can get you to believe him, he’s got you where he wants you. If you do not obey God, then you’re on the right track to being destruction bound but unfortunately, not on the right track to where you belong. God gives us His Word and there’s warning signs all around of what’s ahead if we don’t follow God.
They refused to hear the word of the Lord and were hell-bent on their own way. We are horrible leaders on our own when we’re not following God and His ways. Many, many are our plans but it is always His that’ll stand! Even if we mean well. Every single time we will fail if we try to go it alone. We’re not only to follow in the footsteps of Jesus but we now have His Spirit residing in and guiding us. We aren’t powerless and He wouldn’t have commanded all of this if it were not possible to do. We have Him helping us. We all struggle but God intervenes.
King A came up against Judah and took them. Now the fight was on. He was coming to battle. King Hezekiah was over Judah. Now Hezekiah was becoming fearful and was giving into the enemy. We can stand firm at first but fall at any time, if we take our eyes off Jesus (The author and finisher of our faith). He thought he could buy his way out of trouble with the evil king A and so he gave into despair. He started giving the king their goods. He was about to partner with fear, INSTEAD of truly trusting God and really leaning upon and into HIM. He was going to go BACK to leaning on the very thing that God delivered them from.
Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 2 Kings 18:21
Hezekiah’s fear almost got the best of him and he almost missed it. But, he didn’t.
Sin is not and will never be, our friend or ally. Faith isn’t the absence of fear but when we rely on fear, it is sin. Relying on the wrong things or people will not work. Any thing other than God is useless and will always fail us when we lean on and trust on them. We must always lean on God. He cannot fail us. It may seem like the better choice in the moment when we are experiencing fight or flight, but it never is. It’ll back fire on you. It’s not the solution to succumb to fear and make rash decisions- it is always best to wait, pray, and to rely on God. Thank God that Hezekiah got his head on right and his heart back in sync. He did what any wise man would do: HE PRAYED. The fear of these threats moved him to pray.
I came to tell you today that your prayers are powerful!! Even if your own disobedience, or even if it was no fault of your own, that got you or someone that you love where they are today! You can still and should pray! Prayer is the only way to victory. There is no victory without war. We desperately need the hand and the direction of God before we move. God will show you what to do and you can rest in knowledge of knowing that He is in control.
So the king of Assyria begins to threaten. He’s pointing everything back to himself as if he is god. He’s reminding them just how powerful he thinks he is. “Look at me attitude.” We know that a haughty spirit comes before pride and pride before a fall. This was what was about to happen. We are to humble ourselves before God, and not to try and lift ourselves up. Let God do that.
And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:12
Just go back to the story of Haman, in the story of Esther and the Jews, to see what I mean. It didn’t end the way that the evil Haman thought or hoped that it would.
If someone is digging a ditch for you or creating a noose, it won’t go as planned - if you will just pray and seek God’s face. It’s a plan straight from the enemy. Fight right or you won’t win. The enemy don’t play fair and the weapons of warfare are spiritual and not always as we would think. It’s a spiritual matter and it’s for your soul.
King A was telling the people that Hezekiah was deceiving them and not to believe that he could save them. Don’t believe what the enemy is telling you. He was also mocking God! When they (or the enemy) mocks you, they mock your Maker. He was now putting himself in direct opposition to God Almighty! When they mess with God’s own, they mess with God too.
He was telling the people not listen to Hezekiah, their leader and king, whenever he would say that the Lord would deliver. The enemy knows that God can save and deliver so he will ALWAYS try to get you to succumb to fear and mess with your mind. DON’T listen or give in. Listen to that still small voice inside of you, not all the outside noise around you. He’ll try and get into your head. Do not listen. Listen and believe the voice of truth!
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 1 Kings 19:12-13
Follow that still small voice.
2 Kings 19
10 “Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah: Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, 'Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.
11 You, certainly, have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands: they put them under the ban! And are you to be rescued?”
Again, these threats are empty threats. Wait and see…
And 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. 2 Kings 19:14
Instead of giving into the threats, he was moved by them to go up to God and to pray! We can’t expect for God to come down and rescue us if we aren’t willing to go up and put time aside to spread it (the issue and our hands) out before the Lord our God. None can save or deliver like, or besides Him.
Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said: “O LORD God of Israel, the One Who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.” 2 Kings 19:15
THEN HEZEKIAH PRAYED. Before the Lord.
That’s all we need to know. The rest is history. He didn’t run to his friends, give in to the enemy or call on false gods to save him. No! He acknowledged the Maker of all of heaven and earth: the One Who made him, the king of Assyria, all the troops, and all of heaven, and all the earth on which we stand!
He called upon the God on high who is also with the lowly of heart. He prayed for the Lord to bow his ear down and to open His eyes to see all the mocking, reproaching, insulting, and defying of the Living God Who made us and to Whom He prayed.
God sees and God already knows. He knows all about it. He cares! His hand isn’t shortened that it cannot save or His ear too heavy to hear. It’s already finished. He’s waiting for you. Our sins separate us from Him and when we refuse to call, He can’t answer. He’s waiting on our call and our return, or turning to Him. He wants to not only intervene on your behalf but He wants you to trust Him in full, not in part. He wants all of you, all of your attention and all of your heart. He just wants you to call. When we call, we acknowledge Him.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; Proverbs 3:5-6
So simple, yet so profound, and so will this simple truth and way, always stand. We can always go back to it. The Truth and the Word that stands when all else fails and crumbles around you.
No matter what, who, what sickness, or what threats come against you, GOD IS GREATER - WHO is for, in and with you.
HE IS THE GREAT “I AM” and that is all We need to know. He fills in the blanks. He calls us to pray and so we must pray!!!
Pray without ceasing… In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
What is the first thing that we should do? Pray! And then give thanks! For it is all ready and already done -and it is on its way, when we pray!
God was about to use the evil king as an instrument; a tool in His belt.
He already had a plan from the very beginning and already knew this attack before it even formed or came against you. So, Remember!! —> Weapons will form BUT they will not prosper, because this is your heritage child of the King. <—- He will fight for and defend you. You don’t have to defend yourself. I truly believe that most weapons that begin to form, we will never even see or know about, because God has angels all around us. He Himself is behind us, in front of us, going before us, and He is for and with us.
“Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass, That you should be For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins.” 2 Kings 19:25
He already knew.
God knows not only us but our enemies inside out, and their intent. He knows that they are helpless and defenseless against HIM, no matter how big or strong they think they are. They’re really not! He knows but do you know and trust Him??
Message to the evil king:
“But I KNOW your dwelling place, You're going out and you're coming in, And your rage against Me.” 19:27
It was no surprise to God. When they’re against God, they’re against me and when they are against me, they're against God. So it is with you and each of His own children. I am His and He is mine. Amen! Give Him thanks in advance and even now, begin to praise Him. Your Heavenly Father will not abandon you or leave you helpless and defenseless. Believe Him and believe Him for the miracle that is coming and is on its way. PRAY! One of our greatest weapons but we must use it!
Because your rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back By the way which you came. 19:28
Pretty straight forward. God will take care of them. They’ll have to flee away naked and defenseless ON THAT DAY. The enemy and his tactics be exposed by the Almighty on the day He chooses to expose. He knows their intent. We must trust Him in the meantime and wait.
The horse is prepared for the day of battle, BUT DELIVERANCE (VICTORY; SAFETY) IS OF THE LORD. Proverbs 21:31
Trust and lean…
Don’t try to figure it out on your own. Team With Almighty God of the universe and pray.
Rest in Him and in that knowledge. Know-it! Trust it! Believe it. Expect it. Don’t doubt it. Maybe not right now but eventually…He always comes though. He doesn’t know how to fail and He is not a man that He should lie. He cannot lie! Even though people lie to you and disappoint or disrespect you, God never will.
“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.” Jeremiah 33:14
Jesus even prayed! Esther prayed! All of these who have gone before you that faced trials and tribulations of many kinds, prayed! God acted on their behalf and will for you. It all began and begins with this one thing: PRAYER.
(Jesus) saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Luke 22:42
And so, heaven came down!!! He overcame. Pray for heaven to move on your behalf! Do not give up just because you have not seen heaven come down. Get serious like Esther and Hezekiah did. Do not delay or wait to see if anything else comes. Pray first. Pray always: Sincerely, and early, and earnestly, seek God and pray. Before and not after.
“By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,’ Says the LORD. ‘For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’ ” 2 Kings 19:33-34
You are God's chosen and He wants you back. A remnant from those who chose to defy and rebel against God, were saved, and remind you: on the behalf of one man’s prayers. God moved not only for him but for His people. He loves you! He wants us back if we have strayed. He wants to help us if we’re in a bind. He wants to save us if he were lost. You never know who or what is waiting for your prayer and you never know what’s on the other side of it, so pray!
And we know that:
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Roman’s 5:19
Our sin led us away but Jesus brought and bought us back! You can be the reason for a miracle today if you will just pray! Your prayers touch heaven, even if they feel like they’re hitting the ceiling. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and a due time HE shall lift you up. It is not your power, but by the power of God in and through you, and through your prayers.
King A departed, returned and dwelled in Neneviah. God did what He promised and his very own sons killed him. If you go back to verse 6&7 in 2 Kings, chapter 19, you’ll see where the Lord said to not be afraid of the words that they heard which the evil kings spoke to them. God said that He was going to put a spirit in him so that he would hear a rumor and return to his own land and that he would cause him to fall by the sword in his own country. And that is exactly what happened! God is faithful to His promises and to act on your behalf. Don’t take matters into your own hands. First, pray!
There was a lot of threats and potential fear involved at first. It took a lot of praying and trusting God in-spite of all of those threats. God came through. GOD CAME THROUGH AND HE ALWAYS WILL. It happens when you believe and have faith in Him, and do not succumb to the enemy. Do not give in to fear - Follow God, obey and pray. You can’t buy, wish or hope your way out. You can’t even see your way out but you can always pray your way out, because God is for you and if God be for you, who in this evil world can be against you? No one, not even one! Hezekiah didn’t even have to fight his enemy in battle, only in prayer. God moved on his behalf and the king of Assyria self-destructed.
And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. Exodus 13:14
As we can look back over the Word and remember when the people of God had been bound by the enemy and were now in Exodus from the very enemies who bound them, for years! God has set us free from the power of the enemy and we do not have to fear. Praise God.
Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world, in the name of Jesus, amen. This isn’t just a good saying, it is truth!!!
You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17
Some things only the Lord can do. So, take your position in Him, in faith and stand still, and see The Salvation of The Lord.
“Whom shall I fear? I KNOW WHO goes before me, I know who stands behind me. The God of angel armies is always by my side.” 🎶
In Jesus' Almighty Name, amen. Stand Still and see the salvation that the Lord will work for you today on the very behalf of His own.
