7 Minute Read
Be Still
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a couple of minutes to breathe deeply, to quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, prayerfully ask the Lord to speak to you in this time and let Him know that you will be listening and will make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Today’s Bible Reading:
Isaiah 37:1–38:22
Galatians 6:1-18
Psalm 65:1-13
Proverbs 23:24
Listen to the Lord
Slowly and reflectively read the following verses and listen to what God will say to you through them. Then, consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Isaiah 37:14 (NLT): “After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord.”
Reflections from Scripture:
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by what seemed to be impossible circumstances? Maybe things even seemed utterly hopeless?
Sometimes, life can do that to us. We live in a broken world, after all.
Well, what is to be done? As we read in our Bibles today in Isaiah, we continue the story started yesterday in Isaiah 36. It gives incredible hope! It is a truth that we all need to remember.
Sennacherib, the supreme leader over Assyria, sent his army to attack Hezekiah and the land of Judah. The battle wouldn’t have even been close. There was absolutely no way that Judah could prevail.
What was Hezekiah to do? Throw up his hands in despair? No one could have blamed him if he did.
But he didn’t.
While he was filled with despair and feelings of hopelessness, he took the matter to the Lord. A letter had been written to clarify just how dire the situation was … but Hezekiah took that letter to the Lord.
Isaiah 37:14-15 (NLT): “After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the LORD’s Temple and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the LORD:”
Did God already know what was in the letter? Yep.
Did Hezekiah inform God of anything He didn’t already know? Nope.
But, God was pleased when Hezekiah brought the matter to Him, opened up the scroll, told Him all about it, and explained what he believed needed to happen.
Essentially, Hezekiah bore his soul to God. He expressed his fears. He expressed his feelings of hopelessness. But, he also believed that God could do something about the problem.
And God did!
Do not settle into despair when life gets tough. It’s easy to do. Unfortunately, I have done it all too often. But, Christians have the powerful resource of prayer in times of trial.
Will God answer us quickly? Not necessarily.
Will God grant our requests every time? No.
But that’s where faith comes in. We go to Him, tell Him what’s going on, ask Him to intercede (maybe providing Him with some details), and then trust Him with the results.
Let’s strive to live in victory today. If you are a Jesus-follower, then your Father is the infinite Ruler of the Universe, after all. So when life gets tough, pray like Hezekiah.
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me to learn how to pray the sort of prayers that move Heaven. Help me learn from flawed men and women like Hezekiah as I ultimately strive to live and pray like You (John 17). I pray this in Your Name, Amen.
Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com). His latest book is God’s Grace in the Real World. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
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