April 4 - II Kings 19-21
Yesterday, we saw that Hezekiah had paid tribute money to Assyria to keep them from attacking Judah. This did not cause the Assyrians to go away. It seemed to have emboldened them to call for the total surrender to Assyria and to call for the people to admit that the Assyrian gods were more powerful than their God. When Hezekiah realized the seriousness of the situation, he turned to Isaiah, the prophet, to pray for Judah. This is what he should have done first, before paying the tribute, but at least, he realized now that he must turn to the Lord for deliverance. God honored his heart, and Isaiah told Hezekiah that God would defend Judah. What a relief that must have been. We could all save ourselves a lot of stress and heartache, if we would turn to the Lord in prayer first, instead of trying to do it our way.
Hezekiah becomes a man of prayer after this, and God answers his prayers in a mighty way. God sends an angel to kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and sends the king home only to be killed. He extends Hezekiah's life by fifteen years. These answers show us that prayer is very effective. God longs to answer the faithful prayers of His children, when we are seeking for His will to be done. What answers to prayer have you received in your life lately? Remember, to thank Him for the answers and to tell others, so they can be encouraged to pray more themselves.
Even with all of Hezekiah's prayers and faith in God's protection, Isaiah foretells the Babylonian captivity at the end of Hezekiah's life. Hezekiah does not pray for God to change His mind, because he realizes Isaiah has spoken God's truth. Then, we see why God said this. Manasseh becomes one of the most evil kings of Judah, and during his fifty-two year reign, he leads the people of God to sin worse than the nations, which God had told them to drive out of the land. God could not overlook this evil. He will not overlook the evil in America, either. Sin has consequences, and we are seeing them all around us today. Will America turn to God before it is too late? I pray that we will. I urge you to join me in praying for a great revival and awakening in America. That is the only hope for our nation to survive the wrath of God.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 22-25.
Hezekiah becomes a man of prayer after this, and God answers his prayers in a mighty way. God sends an angel to kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and sends the king home only to be killed. He extends Hezekiah's life by fifteen years. These answers show us that prayer is very effective. God longs to answer the faithful prayers of His children, when we are seeking for His will to be done. What answers to prayer have you received in your life lately? Remember, to thank Him for the answers and to tell others, so they can be encouraged to pray more themselves.
Even with all of Hezekiah's prayers and faith in God's protection, Isaiah foretells the Babylonian captivity at the end of Hezekiah's life. Hezekiah does not pray for God to change His mind, because he realizes Isaiah has spoken God's truth. Then, we see why God said this. Manasseh becomes one of the most evil kings of Judah, and during his fifty-two year reign, he leads the people of God to sin worse than the nations, which God had told them to drive out of the land. God could not overlook this evil. He will not overlook the evil in America, either. Sin has consequences, and we are seeing them all around us today. Will America turn to God before it is too late? I pray that we will. I urge you to join me in praying for a great revival and awakening in America. That is the only hope for our nation to survive the wrath of God.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 22-25.