“If you’re swept off your feet, it is time to get on your knees.” Frederick Beck
“And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD…" Isaiah 37:1
Hezekiah prayed to the LORD saying, “O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth, You have made heaven and earth.” (Isaiah 37:15-16)
A picture is worth a thousand words. One morning during my teenage years, I inadvertently intruded on my mother’s private worship time. I opened her bedroom door without knocking and discovered her on her knees before the Father. That memory is indelibly imprinted in my mind.
Perhaps that’s the reason the story of Hezekiah strikes a chord with me. Around 701 BC, Judah’s king heard distressing news of enemies surrounding his kingdom. He sent emissaries to hear what Assyria field marshal, the Rabshakeh, had to say, instructing his men not to negotiate with the enemy. Threats from without being fierce, the king ran to God’s house, seeking God’s will, God’s protection, God’s guidance.
Have you been swept of your feet in fear?
Not only did Hezekiah run to God’s house, but he sought God’s man of the hour, Isaiah. The prophet consoled King Hezekiah, assuring him of God’s protection and provision and God’s revenge on the enemies of His people. In essence, he told him not to be afraid, He would take care of Assyria. Because of Hezekiah’s faithfulness to seek God, his fear turned to faith.
To whom do you go when surrounded by enemies?
Lessons learned from King Hezekiah (Isaiah 37)
- No matter how Satan attempts to frighten us into surrender ,run to God of the Angel Armies, kneel before Him alone, plead our case
- Never negotiate with Satan
- Seek godly counsel
- Trust God’s Word in faith
I don’t know what test or what enemies surrounded my mother at the time I discovered her kneeling in prayer…perhaps among them was her teenage daughter, or two, or a son serving our country in Germany. Nonetheless, she taught me by her example. She will be ninety-four years old on April 25. The enemies that surround her today include the inability to kneel because her knees won’t allow it. Perhaps she wore them out in prayer. She is confined to her bed almost exclusively. She is unable to read her Bible due to the enemy of macular degeneration, but if you begin to quote a familiar Scripture, she can finish it for you. Does she pray? …oh yes, without ceasing, just as the Word instructs.
Fear not, Mother, God has promised to take care of the enemies that surround you. Happy Birthday!
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