"...Thus says Hezekiah, 'This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. It may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.'"
2 Kings 19:3-4
Hezekiah was a good king of Judah, one of the best. As a young man he had seen the Northern Kingdom of Israel destroyed and carried off into exile by the Assyrians, never to return because of their idolatry and wickedness.
Hezekiah led His people back to God. He destroyed the worship of idols and other sinful practices among the people and assured them that if they would turn to the Lord, He would deliver them.
Then the Assyrians came to Judah. They tore through the land, destroying every fortress until they came to Jerusalem. They surrounded the city and demanded unconditional surrender.
Hezekiah sent this message to Isaiah, who had been working with him and was his prayer-partner. “Children have come to the point of birth and there is no strength to bring them forth.” All their efforts to bring Judah back to God were lost, unless God Himself intervened in a miraculous way, because there was no human strength to stand against the invading Assyrians. “Pray for the remnant that is left.”
And the Lord answered that prayer. That night 185,000 Assyrian soldiers died in their sleep. The rest couldn’t wait to get out of there; God had delivered His people.
Lest we get cocky and start to think that we can handle life ourselves, God will often bring us to the point of having no hope but in Him. We need to see from where our salvation comes and know that He is our only real hope.
In those moments the most important thing is to cling to Him and trust in His Word, because then He will act. Our choice will be unconditional surrender to “Assyria,” or unconditional trust in the Lord.
If you will trust Him unconditionally, determine to approach it His way, He will deliver you. He will do it in His own way. The answer has to be something that only God can do so that you will know it came from Him. But He will come to you in ways that You did not expect.
Lord, I trust You to bring about Your good purpose in me. Be magnified in my life. I believe that as You have promised, You are working in all things for good, for those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles
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