Day 25: Spreading Out

King Hezekiah was one of the truly good kings of Judah who trusted in the Lord (2 Kings 18:5) and kept his commandments (2 Kings 18:6). During his reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah and conquered all of the cities of the land until he reached Jerusalem and surrounded it. Sennacherib, arrogant and confident of victory, sent Hezekiah a letter taunting him and defying God, saying “Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you…” (2 Kings 19:10). Hezekiah took the letter and spread it out before the Lord and began to pray:

“O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.” (2 Kings 19:15-19)

God answered his prayer by sending the angel of the Lord to destroy the Assyrians. Later, we read that Hezekiah became gravely ill, and he was told by the Lord through Isaiah to set his house in order because he would die from this illness. Again, Hezekiah, weeping, poured out his heart to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to remember “how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” (2 Kings 20:3). Before Isaiah had left the courtyard, the Lord told him to return to Hezekiah and say, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you…I will add 15 years to your life…” (2 Kings 20:4-6).

What can we learn from these prayers? First, God hears and answers the prayers of His people if we are living a faithful life. We should “spread out” our concerns to the Lord, just as Hezekiah did. By doing so, we show God we are placing it all in His hands, with faith that He will do what is best. By Hezekiah’s example, we should exalt our God in prayer, followed by specific petitions, asking in a spirit of humility. Note the unselfish reason above for deliverance: so that all the kingdoms shall know that God is the one and true living God. Finally, in Hezekiah’s prayer for healing, God not only heard the prayer, but saw his tears. Our Lord knows when we are suffering; He sees our tears, He cares.

Written by Hoyt Smith, an elder at Mt. Juliet

# posted by JP @ 12:01 AM on Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Comments:

What a challenge - "we should spread out our concerns to the Lord." That really helps me to evaluate my prayers lately. I need to do some more spreading out! Thanks for the challenge Hoyt.

# posted by

David R. Shannon : December 8, 2010 at 9:09 AM

Well done Hoyt...

# posted by

David : December 8, 2010 at 2:19 PM



Day 25: Spreading Out King Hezekiah was one of the truly good kings of Judah who trusted in the Lord (2 Kings 18:5) and kept his commandments (2 Kings 18:6). During his reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah and conquered all of the cities of the land until he reached Jerusalem and surrounded it. Sennacherib, arrogant and confident of victory, sent Hezekiah a letter taunting him and defying God, saying “Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you…” (2 Kings 19:10). Hezekiah took the letter and spread it out before the Lord and began to pray: “O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone.” (2 Kings 19:15-19) God answered his prayer by sending the angel of the Lord to destroy the Assyrians. Later, we read that Hezekiah became gravely ill, and he was told by the Lord through Isaiah to set his house in order because he would die from this illness. Again, Hezekiah, weeping, poured out his heart to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to remember “how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” (2 Kings 20:3). Before Isaiah had left the courtyard, the Lord told him to return to Hezekiah and say, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you…I will add 15 years to your life…” (2 Kings 20:4-6). What can we learn from these prayers? First, God hears and answers the prayers of His people if we are living a faithful life. We should “spread out” our concerns to the Lord, just as Hezekiah did. By doing so, we show God we are placing it all in His hands, with faith that He will do what is best. By Hezekiah’s example, we should exalt our God in prayer, followed by specific petitions, asking in a spirit of humility. Note the unselfish reason above for deliverance: so that all the kingdoms shall know that God is the one and true living God. Finally, in Hezekiah’s prayer for healing, God not only heard the prayer, but saw his tears. Our Lord knows when we are suffering; He sees our tears, He cares. Written by Hoyt Smith, an elder at Mt. Juliet # posted by JP @ 12:01 AM on Wednesday, December 8, 2010 Comments: What a challenge - "we should spread out our concerns to the Lord." That really helps me to evaluate my prayers lately. I need to do some more spreading out! Thanks for the challenge Hoyt. # posted by David R. Shannon : December 8, 2010 at 9:09 AM Well done Hoyt... # posted by David : December 8, 2010 at 2:19 PM Post a Comment << Home	Mt. Juliet Church of Christ 1940 N. Mt. Juliet Road P.O.Box 248 Mt.Juliet, TN 37122-0248 (615)758-2274 Fax:615-754-2351 Email Worship Services: Sunday Early Worship: 8AM Sunday Bible Study: 9:15AM Sunday Late Worship: 10:15AM Night Worship: 6PM Wednesday Bible Study: 7PM Past Archives: November 2010 December 2010

Day 25: Spreading Out

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