2 Kings 19:14-19 – “Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. ¹⁵ Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. ¹⁷ Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands ¹⁸ and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So, they have destroyed them. ¹⁹ Now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I was inspired to pray, but not just to petition.   Sometimes we face things that far exceed our ability to handle.  We come face-to-face with the glaring reality, “I Can’t!”   In that moment, we have a life-or-death choice to make.   We can give up and surrender to the enemy.  We can wail in the despair of our hopelessness.   We can turn to our only true source of help. 

Hezekiah did the latter in 2 Kings 19:14-19.  He read Sennacherib’s threats.   He did not ignore or deny the problem.  He took to heart the validity of the enemy’s claims and threats.  That’s step one – Face the problem.

Then, he took the threats, placed them on the altar, and prayed a prayer that was like the opening statement of the plaintiff in a court of law.     In verse 16, He argued that the taunts, blasphemy, and threats were only indirectly directed at Israel, but were, in fact, taunts against The Living God!

In verses 17-18, He acknowledged that what Assyria claimed was a factual historical record.   They had done what they said and would do the same to Israel unless God intervened.

In verse 19, He made his petition – It was Help!   Sometimes the simplest prayers are the most powerful!  “God, here is the situation.   We can’t handle it – HELP!”   In verse 34, we have God’s response, I will shield you!

Hezekiah sent to Isaiah for a Word from God.   What do we do?   God’s Word came in 2 Kings 20:5 – I have heard your prayers.   (I have considered your case).  I have seen your tears. (I see your heart).  I will heal you.  (The Word heal = make complete or whole).   They did not need physical healing; they needed deliverance from an enemy far superior in power!   God said I will make you whole!

From Revelation 8:5, a challenge came to my mind.     Prayer releases the fire of God.  Hezekiah prayed, and God acted.  The Early Church prayed, and God acted.  James 5:16 – “The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much.”    Let me rephrase that: “When we pray in total sincerity and honesty according to God’s Word, God moves.”   

1 John 5:14-15 should be learned as a life guide.   If we pray according to God’s will & word, He hears us.  If He hears us, we are assured our prayers are answered.   Like Hezekiah, we need to be totally honest and transparent.   We must become totally dependent on God.  We must be willing to follow His directions explicitly.  We must pray with expectation.

LORD, help us to guard against double-mindedness and live in total surrender!