14 After Hezekiah [king of Judah] received the letter from the messengers [of King Sennacherib of Assyria] and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord: 16 “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. 17 Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.
18 “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. 19 And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. BUT of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. 20 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.”
(emphasis added)
As the enemy encroached, threatening his life and land, King Hezekiah did not deny there was a problem. He did not deny that he and his people were in grave danger. It was true that the Assyrians had destroyed many nations. They had thrown their “gods” into the fire—the so-called “gods” those nations had trusted.
BUT! Hezekiah knew the God of Israel is enthroned between the cherubim. That God in His majesty is God of all the kingdoms of earth. That God alone created the heaven and the earth.
Hezekiah knew his God could not be destroyed as the pagan idols had been. And, he had faith that God would rescue His people from this blasphemous king who dared to speak words of defiance against the living God.
Hezekiah did not back down in the face of the facts. Instead, he looked beyond the present reality to his eternally faithful God. He stepped forward in faith and refused to speak fear.
Like that ancient king did millennia ago, we can cry out this very day:
“I’m in trouble, it’s true. BUT YOU, O GOD, are mighty to save.
Rescue us that the world may know that You alone are God.”
The king of Judah laid it all out before God, but he didn’t wallow in it. He lifted up the name of Jehovah and asked that He would move in power for the sake of His name and fame.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” ~Hebrews 4:16~
Seated at His Feet 