Prayer of Hezekiah

Read the Prayer of Hezekiah to see how he faced an impossible challenge where failure was guaranteed.

8 Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Look, he has come out to make war with you.” So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’”

Prayer of Hezekiah

14 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. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: “O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17 Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone.” Kings 19:8-19, NKJV

How do you face impossible challenges where failure is guaranteed; in reading of the answered prayer of Hezekiah, we find that he is in just such a state. Surrounded by enemies almost too numerous to count, God caused warring to occur elsewhere so that his enemies had to leave to face enemies elsewhere. However, before leaving the Assyrians sent the following letter to King Hezekiah:

‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’” Take some time and read the Prayer of Hezekiah in verses 15 - 19 shown above. Hezekiah, one of the good kings of Judah, responded by falling humbly before God and crying out to Him for help.

How would we have responded? Would we have increased the size of our army, or paid another country to come and help us defeat the Assyrians? That would have been the most likely response of the kings of Israel and Judah.

Look at how the beginning of the prayer of Hezekiah: “O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see."

Christ gives us an example of how to pray in the familiar Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13. As the Lord's Prayer begins with praise to God, so does Hezekiah's prayer. We have a tendency to begin all prayers with our needs, viewing God as the quick provider to bale us out of whatever jam we are in.

Prayer is a time of fellowship with God; we acknowledge who God is, then confess our sins, thank Him for His help on our behalf, and then pour out our needs to Him. Christ knows our needs even before we ask. Remember that God is real; we are speaking to a Living God! We are to come to Him humbly as Hezekiah did; God hears and does answer our prayers.

Think about the Prayer of Hezekiah and pray that instead of being overwhelmed by the impossible circumstances of your life, you will come humbly to God and seek His aid.