And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. (2 Kings 19:14)

Take It To The Lord In Prayer

During the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, the king of Assyria surrounded Jerusalem with an army of over 185,000 soldiers. Sennacherib the king sent his envoy, Rabshakeh, to discuss the terms of surrender with the leaders of the city. Rabshakeh argued there was no hope as the Assyrian army had destroyed all the nations before them. Egypt would not be able to save them. Isaiah the prophet had promised that God would deliver them, but the Assyrians had seen that Hezekiah had taken away all the idols of the land, commanding worship only in Jerusalem. The Assyrians had destroyed the cities of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah, all of whom had trusted in their gods. Samaria had fallen to the Assyrians, and their gods were powerless to stop them.

The Assyrian army was the greatest fighting machine on earth, and it threatened to destroy Jerusalem. When the people looked beyond the walls of Jerusalem, all they could see was a vast army hungry to plunder and kill. They had heard of the destruction of the Assyrians in the cities surrounding them, and hope seemed dim. The heart of Hezekiah and the people was filled with despair and trouble at the sight of the Assyrians. There was no strength left in them. When Hezekiah heard the news, he went into the house of the Lord and sent word to Isaiah.

Isaiah assured Hezekiah the city would not fall to the Assyrians. The prophet tells the king that Sennacherib will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where he will be killed. Rabshakeh sends another letter to Hezekiah, warning him against not submitting to the Assyrians. When Hezekiah received the letter from Rabshakeh, he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed earnestly, seeking the favor of the Lord. Isaiah assures the king that no harm will come to Jerusalem. On a certain night, an angel of the Lord went out and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers. Sennacherib king of Assyria fled back to Nineveh and was killed by two of his sons when he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god.

Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel. The son of Ahaz was the greatest king since Solomon for his faith and trust in the will of the Lord. Hezekiah held fast to the Lord and did not depart from obeying the commandments of the Lord. His faith was tested when the Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem, but he took his problem to the Lord, and the Lord answered in a mighty way. The king trusted in Isaiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. Faced with a letter seeking the destruction of the city, Hezekiah took the letter to the house of God and spread it before the Lord. God delivered His people through His love, grace, and power.

Prayer is taking things to the Lord, small and great. Hezekiah had a prepared heart to do what he did as a natural outgrowth of his faith. When he received the troubling letter from Rabshakeh, he did not attempt to devise a strategy to defeat the Assyrians through his wisdom. He took it to the Lord in prayer. Spreading the letter before the Lord in the house of the Lord was how Hezekiah looked at his problem. God answered according to divine will. Prayer is understanding the need to take things to the Lord and let Him decide how to respond. There would come a day when an army surrounds Jerusalem, and there is no deliverance. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and burned the Temple of Solomon to the ground. Righteous men and women were praying and taking it to the Lord, but the will of God determined that the answer was captivity.

Hezekiah shows the lesson of trusting in the Lord. He believed God could deliver them and was assured by the prophet Isaiah. Not all the kings believed the prophets of God. Jeremiah was treated with contempt, but his words were true because they were the words of the Lord. Prayer is learning to take matters to the house of God and spreading forth the petitions and supplications to a merciful and righteous God. It must begin with trust. If there is no trust or faith, there is no prayer. Hezekiah had faith, and God answered his prayer. Take it to the Lord in prayer.