Monday Meditation

“Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.

And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: ‘O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.

‘It is true, O Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men’s hands.

‘Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God.'” 2 Kings 19:14-19 (NIV)

When my husband was deployed, this story in the life of Hezekiah was one that I returned to again and again.

Hezekiah was facing a very real fear. The Assyrians, a vicious army known for their cruelty and domination, were camped on his doorstep. The Assyrian king was waging an intimidating psychological battle on Hezekiah and his leaders and in this passage had written a letter meant to scare them into abandoning their belief that God would save them.

Instead of panicking (at least Scripture doesn’t say he panicked) Hezekiah took the letter to the temple, opened it up, and said, (paraphrasing, of course) “God, do you see what this king is saying about you?! Yes, his army is nasty and has decimated all the countries around us, but I know that you are the true God and you’re the only one who can do anything about this!”

In the midst of my very real fears for my husband’s safety, I had to remind myself many times that though I had no power or ability to do anything about the situation, God did.

He still does. 

In the midst of all my fears, I can take the words of the enemy to the God of the universe and ask Him to make Himself known in whatever situation I face.