Word of Encouragement (07/25/2024)
And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, 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 hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste 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. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” (2 Kings 19:15–19)
Rabshakeh returned to attack Judah again. He again sent a letter to King Hezekiah, taunting him that the LORD could not save him. Upon receiving that message, Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the LORD.
Hezekiah starts his prayer by calling upon the name of the LORD and acknowledging who He is: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth” (v. 15). We have said on many occasions how important and beneficial this is when we pray. It is easy for us to make prayer into a monologue, an internal dialogue within ourselves. There is a place for that, of course—for example, Ps. 42:5, 11): “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.” When we feel dejected and distressed spiritually, we should urge ourselves to look to God and hope in Him.
But the kind of damaging monologue I am talking about is when we leave our prayer in the same mental and spiritual state as when we began our prayer. We begin our prayer with a heavy heart, but the weight of our burden does not feel any lighter when we say, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.” We may have a posture of prayer with our eyes closed, our hands clasped, and our knees bent, even. But what good does remaining in that posture for a long time if we do not engage God with intentionality and focus? We can forget about our inner condition changing in a meaningful way. What better way to engage God than to call upon His name (which directs our eyes of faith to Him) and reflect on His being and character by praising Him?
This is exactly what Hezekiah does in this prayer, isn’t it? He starts his prayer by calling upon God: “O Lord, the God of Israel....” He reminds himself that the God he is praying to is YHWH (LORD), the Great I AM (“I AM that I AM”), who is and was and ever shall be. Yet, He is not far away, indifferent to the affairs of Israel. He is “the God of Israel,” who bound Himself to Israel as His covenant people.
Then, Hezekiah praises God as the sovereign Lord of all: He is highly exalted above the angels of heaven (“enthroned above the cherubim”); He is the one and only true God (“you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth”); He is the Creator of all things (“you have made heaven and earth”). How comforting and encouraging it must have been for Hezekiah to remember these things about God! Though the Assyrian army was at the gate in its large number and superior military power, should he be afraid if the LORD was on the side of Israel and defended her? Is this not enough to lift him out of fear and despair?
What are your fears and anxieties? Are you praying to God or are you just talking to yourself? Call upon His wonderful and mighty name. Meditate on His divine attributes. Remind yourself that, in Jesus Christ, the Great I AM is your God and your heavenly Father.