Gospel Reading Plan: Mark 13-14
Confidence in Prayer
Read: Isaiah 36-37
In today’s passage we again see King Hezekiah of Judah as an
intercessor. Even though he had
faithfully restore temple worship, he was not immune to invasion as King
Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah.
Hezekiah was a man of faith and he encouraged the people to trust in the
Lord. This brought ridicule from King
Sennacherib who sent a message to King Hezekiah questioning the confidence they
had in the Lord. He told the people not
to trust in God, that God couldn’t save them.
Hezekiah’s response was to tear his clothes (a symbol of mourning and
fasting) and then he sent a request to Isaiah the prophet, to pray for the
people. The ridicule continued so
Hezekiah went up to the temple and prayed earnestly before the Lord. His prayer demonstrated the confidence he had
in the Lord. His defense against the
mighty army of Assyria was prayer. His
enemies were destroyed by his prayers when his own armies were powerless. When trouble came, Hezekiah prayed and called
on others to pray. In emergencies, God
must not be left out of the equation; God must be appealed to for
deliverance. Insult after insult came,
prayers went up to the Lord and God gave His
answer. Isaiah prophesied that God had
heard the prayer and would give a great deliverance. Then the angel of the Lord put to death
185,000 Assyrians (Isaiah 37:36). The prayers
of the King and the Prophet were mighty forces in bringing deliverance and
destroying God’s enemies. Even the
smallest prayer is an act of faith, an act of putting your confidence in the
Lord. Don’t worry about having the right
words and conjuring up all sorts of fancy words and emotion – just pray. Earnestly tell Him what the trouble is and ask
Him to work in the situation.
PRAYER AND MEDITATION
- What is your natural response when trouble comes, when a crisis occurs or when there is an emergency?
- Ask the Lord to grow your confidence in Him through taking these things to Him. Ask Him to show you one thing that is going on in your life today and how to pray for it more effectively.
- Thank God for hearing your prayers, for the connection that you have to Him through prayer.
