“Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. Now, O LORD our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.””
2 Kings 19:14-19 NASBTrouble
Often I sit and remember the times of blessing. The moments when the Lord has delivered me from a trial, or the darkest of moments. I also make it a point to remember the dark times, that preceded that blessing, that moment when I found myself wondering if I would survive. My view in those times was of the insurmountable, the high mountain I could not climb or the enemy I could not defeat. Today’s passage reminds me of such a moment for Hezekiah and his people. A great enemy was waiting to invade, this enemy, like the evil one was telling them not to have faith in their Great God.
I have been in that moment so many times and the enemy has always been there to whisper in my ear, telling that my faithful God would not be there. In those dark moments, I take the issue to the altar, like Hezekiah taking the threatening letter and laying it before be Lord.
Ours is a God of victory.
I think back to the early church, small, but mighty with the power of the Holy Spirit, on the mission from Jesus. They were threatened, much like Hezekiah, yet they forged on. They lifted their voices.
“When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘WHY DID THE G ENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS?”
Acts 4:23-25 NASBThe enemy’s best efforts were futility in the face of the glory of God. Those new believers knew that their God was for them.
Our nation is in that moment, right now. We have so many things facing us, that have radically transformed how we live. We are being hit by a new virus, and an old sin, both capable of destroying our nation. And through those things that we have had to endure, the day to day lives of the people have been affected. People have lost jobs, homes, freedom, and the general sense of security. As we look forward, the path ahead seems uphill, as we face terrain that appears insurmountable.
The evil one, the great enemy is whispering in the ears of each one, sowing seeds of discord, seeking to divide us. He has agents with ulterior motives, more political than moral, stirring the cauldron of superheated passions. In my flesh, I am troubled just as Hezekiah was as he received the letter. I am taking it to the Lord. I am specifically sitting before the altar of my heart, calling upon Jehovah Shalom, God our peace, to step in and break down the walls that divide and makes us one.
The situation is calling on men and women of faith to stand in the gap, to be about intercession on behalf of this nation, and those who do not call upon the name of the Lord.
Believers, join with me. Go to the altar and seek God to defeat the evil one, who seeks to sow those seeds of division. Now is the time. We will receive no respite, as the election season is upon us, and it promises to be particularly ugly.
It is time to surrender hearts, break barriers, and know that the Lord is for us.
“Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard you. ’”
2 Kings 19:20 NASBHe will hear us!
THE PRAYER CHAIR IS OPEN! Send me your requests!

Trouble
Published
Musings from an idle mind 
Love it! He will definitely hear us. Our God is so faithful!!
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