In the moments when your world is crashing down upon you and the outlook for life is bleak how do your reactions and actions portray you? What moments have you faced in life that made your whole world come to a halt? Where did you turn? How did you act? The way we act in the midst of trouble, trial, and tribulation will show who we truly are and what we believe. Do your actions point towards an almighty God who is the wellspring of hope or do your actions lash out against fate and destiny in remorse over your lot in life?
At the end of 2 Kings 18 the Assyrians besiege Judah and Hezekiah the king of Judah found himself in the midst of a moment where he was unsure of the future and hope was dwindling. In the midst of this troubled time Hezekiah seeks out God and He proves himself faithful to Judah by turning away the army of Assyria. Again the Assyrian besiege Judah and again God delivers Judah. Why did God deliver Judah? God remembered His servant David and was faithful to the people of Judah. Is that the only reason that God helped Hezekiah? The people of Assyria were proud of their accomplishments and believed that there was nothing that could stand in their way. The pride and arrogance of the Assyrians to claim that God was powerless before them led to the the kindling of God’s anger against them. The words spoken by the Assyrians are reminiscent of the lies of Satan telling the world that God cannot be trusted. If we give in to the lie that God is impotent we will find ourselves falling away from true worship of God only to find ourselves worshiping upon an altar made by our own strength to worship ourselves.
How do we so easily presume that we have greater power and importance than God? We so easily lay claim that what we are doing is so innovative and that no one else could have accomplished the feat. God is all powerful and we are completely unable to grasp the truth that He is so much greater than our feeble accomplishments. Do you feel insignificant in light of God’s greatness? How do we endure when He is so great? Why does he care about me? How much does God love us?
In 2 Kings 20:1-11 God tells Hezekiah that he will die from his current ailment. How would you feel if God sent word to you that you were going to die? A multitude of emotions flood to mind if I were faced with my death: anger, fear, doubt, worry, and anguish. What was Hezekiah’s response? “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight.” 2 Kings 20:3 Following this prayer Hezekiah bitterly wept. Was Hezekiah a perfect man? Did he live a sinless life? No man is capable of living a life because we are all under the curse of sin. What does it mean that Hezekiah walked before God in truth with a whole heart? Hezekiah kept his eyes focused upon God and desired to follow Him more than anything else. Hezekiah was weeping over His impending death as Isaiah was walking away and before Isaiah left God sent word to Hezekiah, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you…” 2 Kings 20:5 God had compassion upon His servant Hezekiah and heal him. I love how scripture often tells of God sees our tears and acknowledging out pain. Take comfort in the midst of every painful moment knowing that God acknowledge our grief. “You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” Psalm 56:8 God knows your pain.
