Dear Friends and Family,

READ 2 KINGS 19:1 THROUGH 21:26

After capturing and deporting Israel, Assyria challenged King Hezekiah of Judah. The Assyrian king claimed the gods of other nations had failed to stop him, and so would the God of Israel.

The Assyrian field commander noted the weakness of Judah to resist publicly. He said if Jerusalem surrendered it would avoid siege and defeat, and that it was vain to trust the Lord to deliver them. Hearing this, Hezekiah tore his clothes and put on sackcloth.

Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord (2 Kings 19:14).

Hezekiah depended on the Lord to deliver His people. That night, the angel of the Lord put to death 185,000 of the Assyrian troops. When Jerusalem got up the next morning, the soldiers who opposed them were dead.

Hezekiah recognized it was God’s reputation being challenged, and he responded by taking the issue to God for His response. When God’s people take their issues to God for Him to address, it creates opportunities for miracles.

Cheryl and I love this story, because it reveals that trusting in God and going to Him in prayer is key in overcoming obstacles in this life. The king of Assyria had assumed that Judah would be easy to defeat since he had already defeated Israel, but Hezekiah prayed and God intervened. There are times when all we can do it trust in God, Hezekiah had already tried to his best to prevent the destruction of Judah, and so he realized that only God could help.

Prayer Suggestion: Lord, I spread these issues out before You. Perform Your will.