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 NKJV)

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 of everyday life; finances, job security, health, relationships, all can cause us to react. Do we run? Do we panic? Do we just give up and surrender to it all? Do we take a stand? 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 terrorizing 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 the king’s words:

“Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. He said, ‘Lord, You are the God of Israel. You sit on Your throne between the cherubim. You alone are God over all of the kingdoms on earth. You have made heaven and earth. Listen, Lord Hear us. Open Your eyes, Lord. Look at the trouble we're in. Listen to what Sennacherib is saying. You are the living God. And he dares to make fun of You! Lord, it's true that the kings of Assyria have completely destroyed many nations and their lands. They have thrown the statues of the gods of those nations into the fire. And they have destroyed them. That's because they weren't really gods at all. They were nothing but statues that were made out of wood and stone. They were made by the hands of men. Lord our God, save us from the powerful hand of Sennacherib. Then all of the kingdoms on earth will know that You alone are God.’” (2 Kings 19:15-19 NIrV)


Through the prophet Isaiah, God then reassured the king saying,

Isaiah sent a message to Hezekiah. Isaiah was the son of Amoz. Isaiah said,
“The Lord is the God of Israel. He says,
‘I have heard your prayer about Sennacherib, the king of Assyria’...
‘I will guard this city and save it.
I will do it for myself. And I will do it for my servant David.'”
(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, help us to 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 you son. 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 our DADDY so others may come to know Him as well? When we feel surrounded and pressured by the powerful enemies of this world, take time to envision the army of the saints and angels on our side; all led by the Lord of Hosts! The battle is won!

Sometimes we forget the power we possess when we give up control!