Hezekiah

 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, not before all the multitude that is with him, for there are more with us than with them. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.      2 Chronicles 32.7-8 

Second only to King David, Hezekiah would become known as the greatest king in the history of God’s people. 

There would be no “like father like son” in Hezekiah’s story. His father, King Ahaz, did what was wrong in the Lord’s sight, provoking the anger of God, plundering, and shutting the doors of the house of the Lord. Unlike his father, Hezekiah did what was right in the Lord’s sight. He immediately opened and repaired the doors of the house of the Lord, ushering in worship and consecrating a nation to serve the one true and living God. 

Hezekiah’s life would be marked by two particularly insurmountable battles, threats of a fierce clash with the mighty Assyrian empire and a personal struggle against an illness that threatened to claim his life. Two vastly different battles, yet one common thread. 

Hezekiah prayed. God heard. God answered. 

The first battle found the evil king of Assyria sending messengers to taunt the people of Jerusalem and deliver a warning letter to Hezekiah to surrender, or else! After reading the letter, Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, spread out the letter before the Lord, and prayed. (2 Kings 19.14-15)

Picture Hezekiah taking that letter and laying it out before the Lord. If you read his prayer in verses 15–19, you’ll observe a man acknowledging who God is and then pouring out his need to the only one He knew who could save and deliver them.

Father, I confess that I cannot fight these battles alone. I desperately need You. Help me to trust You with my insurmountable needs. In Jesus' name, Amen

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.    Philippians 4.6