Nothing is impossible with God.

Judah is saved.  Hezekiah is safe.  The LORD honored their faithfulness by beating back the big bad Assyrian king.  Praise God!  They could experience a time of peace.

About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: "This is what the LORD says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness." (2 Kings 20:1 NLT)

What a blow to Hezekiah and to Judah.  Since the split, no king has lived or led his people as faithfully as Hezekiah.  Now, the true prophet Isaiah tells him that the LORD says he will die.

When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to You and have served You single-mindedly, always doing what pleases You." Then he broke down and wept bitterly. (2 Kings 20:2-3 NLT)

Just when things were starting to pick up.  Just when it looked things were going to get right.  Just when they were all going to experience the benefits and blessings that were the result of their faithfulness, Judah was going to lose their king.

But before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from the LORD: "Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of My people. Tell him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My own honor and for the sake of My servant David.'" (2 Kings 20:4-6 NLT)

Praise God!  Hezekiah will get fifteen more years of life!  Judah will still have their faithful king to lead them.  The LORD even offered some extra reassurance to Hezekiah, just like He did with the previous message.  He offered to show him a sign.

Meanwhile, Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, "What sign will the LORD give to prove that He will heal me and that I will go to the Temple of the LORD three days from now?" Isaiah replied, "This is the sign from the LORD to prove that He will do as He promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps? " "The shadow always moves forward," Hezekiah replied, "so that would be easy. Make it go ten steps backward instead." So Isaiah the prophet asked the LORD to do this, and He caused the shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz! (2 Kings 20:8-11 NLT)

God moved the sun backwards just to give Hezekiah reassurance and peace that he would have fifteen more years to lead Judah as their king.  Nothing is impossible with God.

How about you?  Have you lived faithfully like Hezekiah? Have you cried out to the LORD with the desires of your heart?  Has the LORD answered you?  Did God give you peace?  Did it help you see that nothing is impossible with God?

Repeat.

Hezekiah, the king of Judah, is facing a battle, destruction, and deportation from Assyria.  Rather than prepare for battle, he prayed to the LORD.  God blessed that decision by telling Hezekiah not to worry – the Assyrian king will retreat and then be killed in his own country.  So everything is good, right?

"This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don't let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different? (2 Kings 19:10-11 NLT)

No, everything is not good.  Yesterday, we saw the result of Hezekiah’s trust in God’s Word.  What we are seeing today is the process Hezekiah had to go through to get to that point.  Eventually, the LORD did everything just as God said.  But, it didn’t happen immediately.  The Assyrian king made more threats first.  Hezekiah’s faith in the LORD was tested.  What did he do?

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: "O LORD, God of Israel, You are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O LORD, and listen! Open Your eyes, O LORD, and see! Listen to Sennacherib's words of defiance against the living God. "It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all--only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that You alone, O LORD, are God." (2 Kgs 19:14-19 NLT)

Hezekiah prayed…again.  He didn’t need to pray to change God’s mind.  The LORD’s plan was revealed to the prophet Isaiah and delivered to Hezekiah.  But Hezekiah didn’t see the plan coming to pass right away.  So Hezekiah prayed.  He didn’t need to pray for God.  He needed to pray for himself, so that he would remind himself to trust God.  So, God responded again.

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer about King Sennacherib of Assyria. And the LORD has spoken this word against him: "The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs at you. The daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head in derision as you flee. "Whom have you been defying and ridiculing? Against whom did you raise your voice? At whom did you look with such haughty eyes? It was the Holy One of Israel! "But I know you well--where you stay and when you come and go. I know the way you have raged against Me. And because of your raging against Me and your arrogance, which I have heard for Myself, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the same road on which you came." Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Here is the proof that what I say is true: "This year you will eat only what grows up by itself, and next year you will eat what springs up from that. But in the third year you will plant crops and harvest them; you will tend vineyards and eat their fruit. And you who are left in Judah, who have escaped the ravages of the siege, will put roots down in your own soil and will grow up and flourish. (2 Kings 19:20-22, 27-30 NLT)

Not only did the LORD repeat his plan to Hezekiah.  He also gave Hezekiah more evidence to look at to trust God’s Word.  Now, Hezekiah knew to look forward to at least three years of peace culminating in a year that they would be able to plant and harvest crops again.  Hezekiah turned to God and the LORD encouraged Hezekiah.  He took another step in his walk together with God.  It is at this point of the story that the LORD followed through on his promise and the Assyrian king retreated to his own demise.  Hezekiah needed to pray, trust, and then repeat.

How about you?  Have you ever turned to God in prayer and through His word and received peace about God’s plan?  Have you ever gotten nervous again, even after receiving peace once before?  Did you return to God in prayer again?  Did you trust God’s Word again?  Did it help you to repeat the process.

Trust God’s Word.

Hezekiah is facing battle, destruction, and deportation just like the northern tribes of Israel experienced.  The king of Assyria is sending out threats and Hezekiah prepares for the next steps by turning to the LORD in prayer.  He also asks the prophet, Isaiah, to reach out to the LORD for direction.  Isaiah does.

After King Hezekiah's officials delivered the king's message to Isaiah, the prophet replied, "Say to your master, 'This is what the LORD says:” (2 Kings 19:5-6a NLT)

When a true prophet of the LORD speaks, people listen.  That’s because the message they have to say is not their own.  They are speaking the very words of God.  They knew it, whether the people of their time period recognized it or not.  Their writings made it to the pages of Scripture because their track record has proven that they passed the tests of a true prophet of God.  Isaiah was one such prophet.  His words were sent as a message to king Hezekiah.

"'Do not be disturbed by this blasphemous speech against Me from the Assyrian king's messengers. Listen! I Myself will move against him, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword.'" (2 Kings 19:6-7 NLT)

The LORD is telling Hezekiah that he will be saved.  He is telling him how he, and all of Judah, will be saved.  Now, Hezekiah has a choice to make.  Will he try to come up with his own plan, or will he trust God at His Word?  Hezekiah chose to trust the LORD.

That night the angel of the LORD went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there. One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria. (2 Kings 19:35-37 NLT)

How about you?  When you face problems that are bigger than you can handle, do you turn to God in prayer?  Do you read God’s Word in Scripture?  When you do, has the LORD given you answers through either or both?  How do you respond?  Do you trust God at His Word?

Turn to God in prayer.

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. (2 Kings 19:14 NLT)

Hezekiah is having a bad day.  Actually, he is having a string of bad days.  Assyria is attacking the kingdom of Judah.  They are mocking the LORD, his God.  Now, they are saying his tribute of gold and silver is not enough.  They are going to take over the capital city of Jerusalem.  So, what does Hezekiah do?  Does he prepare to surrender?  Does he prepare for war?  No.  He prepares a place to meet with God in prayer.

And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the LORD: "O LORD, God of Israel, You are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O LORD, and listen! Open Your eyes, O LORD, and see! Listen to Sennacherib's words of defiance against the living God. (2 Kings 19:15-16 NLT)

His prayer starts where all of our prayers should begin: entering into the presence of God.  God is much bigger than we often think about.  The LORD is involved in much more than we realize.  Only God has detailed knowledge of every aspect of the topic we want to talk to Him about AND the power to do something about it as well.  My temptation, in prayer, is to approach God with what I want.  My prayers are much better when I approach God remembering Who it is I am approaching.

"It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all--only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. (2 Kings 19:17-18 NLT)

Hezekiah also verbalizes another critical piece to remember: everything and everyone else is not God.  The people who are against me are not God.  The problem that I am facing is not God.  Even the temptations I am thinking and feeling are not God.  Only God is God.  Everything and everyone else is not.  When I say this out loud in prayer, it helps me paint a picture to myself that accurately depicts what I am facing.

Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that You alone, O LORD, are God." (2 Kings 19:19 NLT)

Hezekiah finishes with his request.  He doesn’t begin with the request.  I often wonder, with prayers in Scripture like this, if the request would have been different had it been brought up at the beginning of the prayer.  I know that in my life, requests at the end of the prayer are significantly different from the request I had in mind when I started praying.  My priorities change when I take time to be aware of the presence of God in prayer.

How about you?  When you have a bad day (week, month, or year), do you prepare for retreat, battle, or prayer?  When you pray, do you approach God with your agenda right away?  Do you take the time to simply be aware of the presence of God?  Do you change when you turn to God in prayer?

Choose carefully…

Judah has been attacked.  Assyria is already the victor with some of the cities.  Now they want to take the capitol city of Jerusalem.

Then the Assyrian king's chief of staff told them to give this message to Hezekiah: "This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident? Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Who are you counting on, that you have rebelled against me? On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is completely unreliable! "But perhaps you will say to me, 'We are trusting in the LORD our God!' But isn't He the One who was insulted by Hezekiah? Didn't Hezekiah tear down His shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem? What's more, do you think we have invaded your land without the LORD's direction? The LORD Himself told us, 'Attack this land and destroy it!'" (2 Kings 18:19-22, 25 NLT)

It’s bad enough that they they Assyrians are winning in battle.  Now, they are taunting king Hezekiah before attacking Jerusalem.  To make things worse, they are telling Hezekiah that the LORD sent them to do this!  The problem, however, is that their earlier statement definitely did not come from the LORD.  Hezekiah did not tear down the shrines and altars of the LORD.  He tore down shrines and altars that pulled people away from the LORD.  The Assyrian king doesn’t know what he’s talking about.  He doesn’t have a message from the LORD.

This is what the king says: Don't let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you from my power. Don't let him fool you into trusting in the LORD by saying, 'The LORD will surely rescue us. This city will never fall into the hands of the Assyrian king!' But the people were silent and did not utter a word because Hezekiah had commanded them, "Do not answer him." (2 Kings 18:29-30, 36 NLT)

How about you?  Have you ever had someone bring you a message from the LORD?  What’s their track record?  Do they always get it right when they receive and bring a message from the LORD?  Choose carefully who you trust in battle.

…battles continue

Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea's reign in Israel. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. (2 Kings 18:1-2 NLT)

Israel is now no more.  They have been defeated in battle, taken into captivity, and deported to other parts of the empire by the Assyrians.  All that remains is Judah: the south.  King Ahaz, in the south, did not walk with God in his lifetime.  But now his son, Hezekiah, has taken over as king.  Hezekiah does not follow in his father’s footsteps.

He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan. Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. (2 Kings 18:4-5 NLT)

What a great testimony to his life and leadership,  No king in Judah was like him either before or after his lifetime.

He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. He revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute. He also conquered the Philistines as far distant as Gaza and its territory, from their smallest outpost to their largest walled city. (2 Kings 18:6-8 NLT)

Hezekiah was walking together with God.  This is what we all dream about.  We come home to the Father through the Son and receive the Holy Spirit.  Then, we can experience peace!  Hezekiah should be able to experience peace, right?

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria came to attack the fortified towns of Judah and conquered them. King Hezekiah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. I will pay whatever tribute money you demand if you will only withdraw." The king of Assyria then demanded a settlement of more than eleven tons of silver and one ton of gold. (2 Kg 18:13-14 NLT)

How about you?  Have you ever faced struggles in life AFTER coming home to the Father through the Son, receiving the Holy Spirit?  Even after walking together with God, does the battle continue?