Lay It Out Before God

And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.
(2 Kings 19:14)

Have you ever been overwhelmed with things; so overburdened that you feel the walls caving in, squeezing you, and pressing you to do something? The pressure is causing us to react…do we run…do we panic…do we just give up and surrender to it all? Let me suggest trying what King Hezekiah of Judah did when faced with the mounting attack of the enemy. Lay it out before God!
Hezekiah realized that the surrounding armies of Assyria were mighty and strong and had been terrorizes nations all around Judah. The Assyrian king, Sennacherib had boasted against the God of Israel, claiming he had defeated the gods of all the other nations, who was this god? Hezekiah realized what he needed to do. This battle was not his to fight, but it was indeed the Lord’s!
Hezekiah prayed acknowledging God as his Jehovah Nissi, our God who leads us in our battles. Hear his words:

"O Lord God of Israel…You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth,,…incline Your ear…open Your eyes…hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God…save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone."
(2 Kings 19:15-19)

Through the prophet Isaiah, God then reassured the king saying,
"I have heard…for I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake." (2 Kings 19:20 & 34)

Oh if we could all get this! We try so hard to fix things on our own. If we just realize the many major battles we face (even small ones) are plans of the enemy to surround us, threaten us, and break us of our dependency upon God and to smear our witness for the King of kings. If we would only lay it out before God: ask Him to gently incline His ear to our cries, look down upon our weaknesses and frustrations, acknowledge our ineptness, and how others doubt His work in our lives, and to please reach down and rescue us…save us…enable us to be a witness for Him and His name through it all. Imagine hearing within your heart, "I have heard…I got this!" The more we allow God to work in and through us, the more others will see just how great He is! Isn’t that our goal in life, to bring glory and honor to God so others may come to know Him as well? Sometimes we forget the power we have when we give up control!