OUR FATHER WHO HEARS OUR PRAYERS  WHEN WE EARNESTLY SEEK HIM

Hezekiah, the king of Judah, received a letter from Sennacherib, the King of the Assyrians telling him that he shouSennacheribld not be deceived by the God of Israel because there was no one who was going to deliver Judah out of the hands of the Assyrian army.

In the letter, Sennacherib told Hezekiah the names of all the kingdoms that he had conquered and he pointed out that the gods of those kingdoms were not able to save their kingdoms from him.

Hezekiah was dismayed by the letter and he  tore his clothes in distress.

Preparing to inquire of the Lord about the situation the kingdom of Judah was in, Hezekiah put on sackcloth and went up to the temple and spread the letter he had recieved before the lord.

Then the pivotal verse of Isaiah chapter 37 verse 15  says this;

And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 

A verse that starts like this should immediately catch our attention.

Hezekiah, a man who was committed to the Lord with all his heart and had followed the Lord's instruction throughout his life, was about to pray to God and how such a man prays is likely to be very instructive. The prayer, recorded in verse 16 - 20, said this;

“Lord Almighty, the 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, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

“It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples 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 human hands. Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God.”

Hezekiah spread out the threatening letter before the Lord and he first acknowledged the supremacy of the Lord as the God over heaven and earth.

He then asked the Lord to look at the letter and see the words of ridicule that were used by Senacherib.

Hezekiah acknowledged that Sennacherib and the Assyrians were a formidable force who had laid waste other kingdoms and destroyed their gods.

Hezekiah highlighted the fact the gods of these other kingdoms were made of wood and stone by human hands and unable to deliver their kingdoms from Assyria and in fact were themselves thrown into fire by Sennacherib and destroyed and so Hezekiah presented an opportunity to the Lord.

Whereas Sennacherib was able to tear down other kingdoms who followed false gods who were powerless to save any one, Hezekiah asked the Lord to deliver them from Sennacherib and the whole world would know that the God of Judah was the only true God.

The Lord sent Isaiah the prophet to Hezekiah to inform him that because he had prayed to God regarding Sennacherib,  the Lord had marked the Assyrians for destruction.

When people arose the next morning, the Assyrian army of 185,000 soldiers had been completely destroyed and Sennacherib, aghast at what had befallen him, quietly withdrew and met his end at the hands of his own sons.

The God of the kingdom of Judah supersedes all earthly powers and has the might to crush any force that moves against His people.

Amen.