Bible Chapter: II Kings 19 & 20

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    What a person does when there are problems shows the heart of the person.  King Hezekiah was facing utter destruction.  He faced a very powerful foe who threatened their destruction.  He went to the Temple to pray.  He laid it all out before God that they faced ruin.  God stepped in and miraculously delivered them.  The important lesson here is that the king turned to God.  This is encouraging in the light of so many other kings who turned away from God.  God spoke through the prophet Isaiah that the enemy would fall.  God sent an angel in the night and 185,000 of the enemy died.  When King Sennacherib saw all his dead soldiers, he went home.
    Isaiah came to Hezekiah and told him to get things in order, for he would die.  He prayed and God gave him fifteen more years of life.  We see that Hezekiah made some mistakes that eventually cost him and his descendants.  One thought that comes to me is that, while no one wants to die, he and the nation would have been better off if he had not prayed that prayer.  That is just my opinion.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    Be open and honest before God when problems come.  Go to God and rely on Him.  The situation that Hezekiah faced was impossible.  He had no human hope.  He was outnumbered by a more powerful kingdom.  He was in trouble.  It was no problem for God.  The most powerful political kingdom wilted in the face of an angel acting on God’s orders.

3.  How can I help someone?
    Trust God. The enemy cannot stand before God’s almighty power.  God really knows what He is doing and can intervene in any situation.