Sunday, September 25th

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Isaiah 37-38, Romans 5

I'm going back to the Hezekiah story again - for some reason I am just really drawn to this story and Hezekiah's demonstration of faith and the power of prayer.

Sennacherib continues to mock and blaspheme God, threatening King Hezekiah with utter destruction, fully confident in his power to do so.

But Hezekiah takes the very words of Sennacherib and literally lays them before God, giving it all to Him and praying for help for the sake of God's great name.

And this is the phrase that jumped out at me...

"Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word the Lord has spoken against him...He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city," declares the Lord. Isaiah 37:21b, 22a, 33-34 (emphasis mine)

Because one man prayed for the salvation of God's people and for the glory and victory of God, God answered by killing 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night and rescuing His people.

One man prayed, focusing on God's glory being spread throughout all the earth, and history was changed.

The power of prayer is incredible and the victory of God is wonderfully inevitable!

I also found a sermon that had some additional great insights into this passage....

what lesson is there in this story for us? What is it that we can learn about God?

Well, there are a lot of lessons in there.

• For some of us, this story might be a reminder that God is God above all else. No power in heaven or on earth can stand up to him.
• Or we might be reminded that God is trustworthy. He is the only person that we can put our faith in who will never let us down.
• Maybe you’ve seen how God answers prayer. He hears us and acts on our behalf.
• Or perhaps the thing that stuck out to you is that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
• Or maybe God is speaking to you in a way that I haven’t even thought of.

But let me just share one thing with you that stood out to me. Look at verse 34. God says…

34 For my own honor and for the sake of my servant David,
I will defend this city and protect it.” 2 Kings 19:34

God acts for his own honor.

Everything He does, brings him Honor.

He uses the Assyrians to wipe out the ten tribes of Israel that have turned to evil – why? To bring Himself honor.

He wipes out 185,000 Assyrians in order to protect Jerusalem – why? To bring Himself honor.

When God He takes you through some difficult times in your life, He does it to bring Himself honor. When God brings great blessings into your life, He does it to bring Himself honor. When God acts, He does it to bring himself honor.

But that’s not the only thing that verse says. Look at it again… It says “For my own honor AND for the sake of my servant David, I will defend this city and protect it.”

God also acts for sake of his servants. He’s not just some distant God that acts without any thought for His creation. On the contrary, God acts with you in mind. He acts on your behalf.

• When God rescues Jerusalem, He does it for His glory, and also for the sake of his servant David.
• When God brings miraculous healing to someone, He does it for His glory, and also for the sake of his servants.....
• When God sent His Son, Jesus to died on a cross for the sins of the world, He did it for His glory, and also for the sake of you and I.

It is incredible to have the God of the universe – Creator of all things – the Only Living God, to care about you and I and to act on our behalf.

Tomorrow's passage: Isaiah 39-40, Romans 6