“And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it, and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord…”
– Isaiah 37:14-15
The first time Assyria was attacking Judah, Hezekiah had a lapse in judgment. He attempted to bribe Assyria, so they would no longer be a threat. Hezekiah trusted in his plan and did not ask God for help. The second time this happened, however, Hezekiah had learned his lesson and approached the problem differently. He came at it the right way.
The field commander of the Assyrian army sent a letter to Hezekiah with threats. His army had conquered many lands around Judah, and he reminded Hezekiah of that. In his pride, the Assyrian commander even challenges God. He told Hezekiah that the gods of the other lands did not save them, so why would the true God save Judah?
Hezekiah was now a man of experience who worked through challenges and made mistakes. His immediate response is not to answer. He even told his military leaders to remain quiet. Hezekiah did not hurl any insults or threats toward the enemy. Instead, he humbled himself. He went to church, spread the letter before God, and prayed. This is the best thing he could have ever done! Faithful to His promises, God did answer, and He did save.
Our adversary constantly barrages us with threats. Satan reminds us of our past sins and current mistakes. We should not respond and take matters into our own hands, though. This was Hezekiah’s original error. We should learn from him, lay the accusations before the Lord, and wait for God to answer.
“Some of your graces would never be discovered if it were not for your trials.”
– C. H. Spurgeon
surrendered devotions 