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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

2 Kings 19-20
John 12:9-36

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

2 Kings 19:14-15a (CSB): “Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers’ hands, read it, then went up to the LORD’s temple, and spread it out before the LORD. Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD: …”

Reflecting on God’s Word

If someone were to drop you and me into 2 Kings 19, I suspect that we would be sweating bullets. The Assyrians were notorious for their unspeakable barbarism after they finally broke into a city that had been resisting them. The Assyrians, Babylonians, and the Romans had mastered how to torture someone while not letting them escape by getting too close to death.

And the Assyrian army was knocking on Jerusalem’s door. Hezekiah had pleaded with Assyria’s King Sennacherib to withdraw, and then he emptied the Temple and the king’s palace of all their gold, silver, and other treasures. But the Assyrian king took those things and still surrounded the city. Hezekiah knew that if he opened Jerusalem’s city gates, there would be bloodshed and torture. If he kept the gates closed, it would seem to only delay the inevitable: bloodshed and torture. And the delay would make the Assyrians even angrier and more vicious.

So, Hezekiah took the letter he had received from the Assyrian messengers. He took that letter, with all of its threats, into the Temple of the living God. He opened that letter up, as if to show God what it said, and then he began to pray with all his might.

Did Hezekiah inform God of anything by unraveling the scroll in the Temple? Of course, not. But it pictures how Hezekiah brought God into the matter. God already knew what the Assyrians planned to do to the people of Jerusalem. And God already knew what He was going to do to the Assyrian army and its king (2 Kings 19:5-8). But while Hezekiah knew that God was watching over them, he intended to wrestle with God there in the Temple until he got what he needed from Him. Isaiah had already prophesied that the Assyrian army would leave and its king would be killed, but Hezekiah may have wondered if the means by which God accomplished that victory was through the prayer of Jerusalem’s king. So, he prayed with all his heart.

I have discovered the power of approaching God this way. There have been plenty of times when I have been overwhelmed. Things were so crazy that I sometimes didn’t see any way out of the mess. So, I went into the Lord’s presence and simply unpacked what I was dealing with to Him. I didn’t inform Him of anything He didn’t already know, but it sure felt good to formally bring Him into the situation and wrestle with Him in prayer. It was an added measure of grace when He gave me the ability to trust, to rest in Him. My prayer journals testify to the fact that God periodically gave me exactly what I was pleading for.

Are you overwhelmed with something in your life right now? Probably the worst thing you could do is bury your head in the sand or fret privately over it. Why not consider doing what Hezekiah did? Find a place where you can be alone with the Lord. Then, follow the outline of Hezekiah’s prayer:

  • Build up your faith by celebrating God’s power (2 Kings 19:15)
  • Tell the Lord exactly what is bothering you (2 Kings 19:16)
  • Be honest about why your concerns are valid (2 Kings 19:17-18)
  • Ask God to intercede so that He might be exalted by a watching world (2 Kings 19:19)

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you learn the art and joy of wrestling with Him in prayer, just like Jacob wrestled with Him (Genesis 32:22-32).

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into how prayer isn’t merely therapeutic but actually accomplishes things, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“Is there evidence that God answers prayer?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)