The Lord, ever worthy of our trust

As I was reading of the story of King Hezekiah in Isaiah 36-38 a couple weeks ago, I was amazed by the way God has ordained prayer to be a means of glorifying himself. I encourage you to consider whether your prayer life reflects the truths that can be gleaned about God in this story. 

A messenger from the king of Assyria appears to tell Israel they cannot trust in God to save them from his destruction of their land. According to this message, Hezekiah would be misleading them if he called them to trust in the Lord. The tone of his speech is boastful and mocking; they crushed the gods of the other nations, they say, and Israel's God would be no different. Hezekiah's immediate response is to go before the Lord and to ask the prophet Isaiah to "lift up [his] prayer" because God may choose to rebuke this nation for their pride. Isaiah then assures Hezekiah that God will protect Israel and the king of Assyria will turn back, actually perishing by the sword in his own land.

Yet the king of Assyria sends another message to plant seeds of doubt, saying, "Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." Hezekiah again immediately goes before God, and this is his prayer:

Isaiah 37:16–20

“O LORD of hosts, 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 all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.”

What is his object? Why does he plead for rescue? Because he knows that the Lord alone is God, and wants his name to be glorified among the nations. ("Your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul," Is. 26:8-9) And God's response is this: "Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him..." The Lord condemns Assyrica for mocking and reviling him, the Holy One of Israel, who alone is King. He even says that Assyria is like a horse with a bit in its mouth, turning at every command of God. And as the story continues, the army of the Assyrians is decimated by "the angel of the Lord" during the night, Sennacherib returns home, and as he is worshiping his god, his sons strike him down with the sword. The Lord is exalted in victory as he answers Hezekiah's prayer, and Assyria is humbled.

Some truths to be taken from this passage:

1. 1. The Lord is God alone, of all the kingdoms on the earth. Nothing is outside his control, and he will always have the final say.
2. 2. The devil, the world, and the flesh try to convince God's people that he is not worthy of obedience and trust. The proper response to this is fleeing to our rock and refuge in desperate prayer.
   
3. 3. Exalting oneself above the Lord is sinful and brings destruction and judgment. God will not be mocked, and his name will alone be glorified.
   
4. 4. God uses the prayers of his people to accomplish his will and display his glory.
   

Some questions for personal application of these truths:

• - Do I really trust God to make his name glorious? Is his glory my main motivation in prayer, or is it my own comfort?
• - Does my prayer life make it evident that I am relying on God's power and wisdom rather than my own when I face temptation or suffering?