2 Kings 19:14,15 &19 King Hezekiah went to the Lord’s temple and … prayed, “Lord God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubs. Rescue us from the power of this mighty king so that all the world may know that You alone are God!”
2 Kings 18 tell us that in the 4th year of Hezekiah’s reign, the king of Assyria began a campaign of conquest. His army destroyed every nation they faced. In the 14th year of Hezekiah’s reign, the Assyrian king marched against all of the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. Then the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem and delivered a letter to Hezekiah and his people saying: “What is your source of confidence? Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you. Do not let him say, ‘Trust in the Lord. The Lord will rescue us.’ Because nothing will save you. In fact, the Lord God told me to conquer you.” Fear engulfed the people. Total surrender seemed the only reasonable option to any rational mind. Yet, Hezekiah trusted in different strategy.
Hezekiah went to the temple, physically spread the letter before the Lord, and cried out for divine intervention. God responded through Isaiah: The Lord says to the King of Assyria, “At whom are you hurling insults? At whom do you shout with arrogance? It is my holy one. In fact, you are shouting at Me, the Sovereign Master of all. You will not enter this city. You will not shoot one arrow here, nor will any siege work be built. You will go back the way you came.” The next day fear entered the camp of the Assyrians. That day, they packed up and departed. The final note on this aggressive king in 2 Kings 19 states that while worshipping his god in the temple, he was struck down by his own sons.
From an early age, the scene of Hezekiah spreading that letter before God had a big impact on me. As I faced difficulties in life, I placed those situations before God and He sustained me. He even rescued me. Recently as my family faced another attack in Kenya through a corrupt official demanding a bribe, the image of Hezekiah came to mind. We cried out to God! We asked friends to stand with us in prayer. The next day the official, who had been telephoning with threats, called to say, “Keep your money. Forget about the whole thing.” It was like the arrogant enemy that surrounded Hezekiah packing up and leaving. God heard our cries and delivered us. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Hezekiah is our God. He gives us courage in the midst of assaults. He rescues us from impossible situations so the world may know that He alone is God! Amen!