“O Lord our
God, I pray, save us … that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are
the Lord God.” (v.19)
Here in chapter
19 we pick up the story in which we were left hanging from our previous
reading. The unresolved question from chapter 18 was, “In whom will you trust?”
Now trouble lay ahead for King Hezekiah of Judah. He had just received a
menacing letter from Assyria's King Sennacherib who had conquered many cities,
and Jerusalem was next on his list. In his letter, Sennacherib mocked the God
of Israel, threatened to destroy the holy city, and bragged that none could
stop him.
We now get our
answer as to what king Hezekiah would do. He went immediately up to the temple
and spread the letter before the Lord and prayed. In his prayer he acknowledged
God as the One who created all things (v.15), he told Him that Sennacherib had
reproached the living God (v.16), and finally, he pleaded with God to deliver
Judah so that all the nations of the world would know that He alone is God
(v.19). In answer to Hezekiah’s prayer, God sent the angel of the Lord who struck down
185,000 of the enemy, and Sennacherib withdrew (vv.20-36).
Wow! What an
example of faith. Hezekiah resting in the One who made heaven and earth to work
out this problem for him. Waiting on the LORD and not jumping in all emotional
and on his own. So, when you find yourself in a situation where you need God’s help, lay it out
before Him in prayer. He has promised His comfort and help (Hebrews 4:16). Then
be patient, as God’s dawn of deliverance often comes when the hour of trial is
darkest.
The Truth
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in
whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
(Psalm 18:2)
