Based on 2 Kings 19:1-20, 32-37 (New King James Version)
“And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. And they said to him, ‘Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’’ So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said to them, ‘Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.’’’ Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, ‘Look, he has come out to make war with you.’ So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, ‘Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, ‘Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’’ 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. Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: ‘O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.’ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard.’”
“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor build a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return; and he shall not come into this city,’ says the Lord. ‘For I will defend this city, to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’ And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.”
Life is full of challenges. And even if we trust and follow the Lord with all of our hearts, challenges will still come. Sometimes, the challenges may even get more difficult, especially when trying to do those things that please God. When we choose for Christ, we are going against the prince of this world (Satan) and the influence he has over the different people that do not belong to God (when people are not born again in Christ, by surrendering their lives completely to Him. They are still under Satan’s influence and completely susceptible to the lusts of their own sinful flesh. And sometimes, if we are not carefully following the Lord as believers, Satan may even be able to influence and temp those that do try to follow Christ. That’s why we have to stay close to Him. For even Jesus had to rebuke Peter at some point because he was listening more to Satan’s desire than to what God’s plan was).
The world teaches you that you need to develop ways on how to handle stress and challenges. Society has different ways of approaching day-to-day difficulty. And in all actuality, those that view themselves as “intellectuals” will tell you that you are strong enough to face anything on your own, and that believing in God is a sign of weakness and of lack of education. It’s like putting your faith in God makes you less of a person or superstitious. People can find ways on how to deal with difficult circumstances, but up to a certain point. At the end of the day, there are different solutions to different problems, but that doesn’t mean that they are the best solution. But how do you deal with a challenge that is out of your control? Very wealthy and affluent people die every day because money can only do so much for them. People with a great deal of human and military power find themselves helpless in different circumstances. Science, though it has advanced a great deal, still has its limitations. And where can technology find the answer for eternal life? I actually like computers and smartphones, but circuits and wireless connectivity can only take you so far. If we are realistic, we need to understand that we are truly limited. Human life is very fragile. We only know very insignificant details of the universe. There can be a mathematical equation that attempts to explain how the planets maintain their position, or an algorithm that gives an inanimate object the semblance of life and intelligence; but we are truly powerless.
King Hezekiah gives us a pattern to follow on how to deal with great challenges. He was faced with the threat of being completely annihilated by a military power that had conquered much of the known world. But instead of trusting on his own knowledge, his army, his riches as king, other gods or kings, or just surrendering; he made the decision to humble himself and seek the Lord God Almighty; the Creator of Heaven and Earth. And through the decision of seeking the Lord, and honoring Him above all things, King Hezekiah witnessed a miracle. And he didn’t even need to move a finger. God will never let you down when you submit to Him; follow Him; obey Him; and trust in Him.
So, are you living in a way that you are letting God handle your challenges? Lord bless! John