A prayer of Hezekiah

A prayer of Hezekiah

Scripture:- And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only. Isaiah 37:15-20

Observation & Application:- The Scripture today is focused on the prayer of Hezekiah, one of the few godly kings of Judah, who in a time of great distress when surrounded by the great armies of Assyria cried out the Lord for help and was miraculously delivered. Studying Hezekiah’s prayer also gives us a pattern of prayer that we too can use to pray to our great Lord.

1. PRAISE

“O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth”

Hezekiah’s prayer starts with praise, It is always good to begin every prayer with praise, acknowledging God for the great and wonderful God He is. We need not pray lengthy and flamboyantly worded prayers, but it is the attitude of our heart that is important at the beginning, with a desire to praise God. “Praise you, Father, for You are so good to Me.” Or “Praise you, Lord, for the wonderful things You have made”. Just pray whatever praise you feel for God in your heart.

2. CAST YOUR CARES ON GOD – TALK TO GOD ABOUT THE SITUATION

“Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.”

Hezekiah continues, “Oh Lord, please listen to me, look at the problem I have here…..” Peter exhorts all believers “Cast your cares upon the Lord for He cares for you”. Some of us may think, “What is the point of telling God about my problem? He already knows everything” However, there is a release when we talk to God and He is pleased when we pour out our emotions to Him. That is how we cast our cares on Him, by telling God and letting it out. If we just keep everything bottled inside, it will only eat us on the inside. We may pray “Lord, look how my boss is treating me.” “Lord, I’m so frustrated with the children”. Prayer is about honesty, about releasing our feelings, our emotions, our thoughts to God. Sometimes, just by talking about a problem, we can suddenly receive a solution. We need to learn to talk to God more, to thrash out our thoughts and feelings with God. For some of us, writing our feelings down is a very effective way of release while for some, speaking it out finds more relief. The main principle is coming to God and just talking to Him about what is bothering us.

3. ASK GOD FOR HELP

“Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand…..”

After praising, after talking to God about the problem, Hezekiah asks God for help. As the Psalmist says “God is my refuge and my strength, an ever present help in times of trouble!” God is always there to help when we call out to Him. Sometimes He may not remove us from a problem, but He will give us strength and enable us to overcome all difficulties and come out stronger. God did not spare Joseph from being sold as a slave or thrown into prison, but was with Him all the time and gave him strength. Likewise, David too endured many difficult years but always found strength in the Lord. Indeed, God will save us, all in His good timing for He is mighty to save! Our part is to ask – ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened unto you! Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking, the Lord will surely answer and save in His good time but we must never lose our hope in Him!

4 SEEK GOD’S GLORY

“that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only”

As we close our prayer, it is always good to seek God’s glory. In the Lord’s prayer, we end with “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, Amen”. All things at the end of the day discover its true meaning in glorifying God so we too, as we walk with Him, should always remember that our purpose is to glorify Him and to pray that He be glorified always in our lives.

Prayer: Lord, praised be Your name forever and ever. We praise You for Your wonderful works, the beauty of Your creation, Your new mercies every morning! Lord, we thank You for watching over us, for understanding our troubles, for being compassionate on our difficulties. Help us O God and deliver us as we walk with You. In all things, May Your name be glorified in us we pray. In Jesus name, Amen.