Have you ever been in a situation where you didn’t know what to do? The situation appeared dark as the enemy taunted incessantly. You needed to know who was on your side. As far as you could tell, those with you seemed far less than those against you.
The Story: 2 Kings 19
This scenario resembles the place where King Hezekiah found himself in 2 Kings 19. The King of Assyria boasted that he would destroy Judah. His claims weren’t far-fetched because his army had a history of capturing territories and Judah was next on his list. The king was confident that Hezekiah and Judah would fall under the weight of his superiority. Anyone would feel threatened by the receipts of the King’s claims. However, Hezekiah trusted God and believed He would provide the next steps.
In Hezekiah’s prayer, he boasted about the Lord. He spoke of God as Creator and King over every kingdom. Then, he described the facts of the situation before him. Hezekiah concluded by asking God for help. True to God’s faithful nature, God responded through Isaiah, the prophet. God informed King Hezekiah that his enemy would face destruction because of his arrogance. In addition to the descriptive destruction of the Assyrian king. God told Hezekiah his plan for feeding Judah. The words spoken by God came to pass and the enemy was no more.
The Lesson
2 Kings 20 displays the importance of prayer. I’ve heard people say that they don’t know how to pray. At a period of my life, I was one of them. I learned that prayer is simply a conversation with God. We have conversations with people daily and can commune with God the same. He longs to talk with us.
Matthew 6:9-13 gives us the model of prayer provided by Jesus. Also, Matthew 7:7-12 tells us to ask and it shall be given, seek and we shall find, knock and the door shall be opened. These verses along with others guide us in our conversation with God. We can combine these resources with the style of prayer performed by Hezekiah.
From Hezekiah, we receive four steps to our conversation with God.
- Acknowledge God – When we start a conversation, we acknowledge the person to whom we’re speaking. No one wants to talk to anyone when the first thing out of their mouth is gimme, gimme, gimme. Basically, that’s rude. Instead, we speak of who God is to us. We remind ourselves of who God has been to us before. By exhorting God, we remind ourselves of His faithfulness.
- Tell God all about it – Like Hezekiah, we tell God the facts of the situation. We give God the facts because He is the TRUTH. Truth always outweighs facts. For example, the fact is we were guilty and deserving of death. BUT the truth is that we’re innocent because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. By the way, our God is all-knowing but desires to hear our cares. Ask 1 Peter 5:7.
- Make our requests known – Philippians 4:6-8 tells us to bring our petitions before the Lord. When we come to God, our stance is one of faith. Our hope is in God to supply our needs (Philippians 4:19) and help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Because of our faith, we come to our Father believing God will respond.
- Await God’s response – Often, we think that prayer is over after we say Amen. Not so. Because we’re having a conversation, we wait for God’s response. In our waiting, we need to ensure that our ears and sight are clear to know He spoke to us. If clutter surrounds us, we may miss God’s communication back to us.
Ultimately, King Hezekiah knew that God would answer because he had a relationship with God. Relationship eases interactions with others. When we know people, we have fewer issues with talking to them. I can ask my husband something because I know him. The same goes for God. He wants a relationship with us. If you don’t know God, invite Him into your heart today. Romans 10:9-10 guides you into a relationship with God.
