Don’t fall into that trap of self-defeat.
How do you respond when trouble comes to your door? Where do you turn when you’re facing an attack of the Enemy that’s intended to shake your confidence in God and destroy you? What do you do when you feel there’s no hope for healing, restoration, or deliverance in your life?
Scripture tells us that Hezekiah, the king of Judah, “did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done” (2 Kings 18:3). As king, he removed the idol worship, making Jerusalem the central place to worship God in his day. “He trusted in the Lord God of Israel … The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went” (2 Kings 18:5, 7).
Sennacherib was the king of Assyria and leader of a mighty army that had conquered many powerful foes. He had already defeated neighboring Samaria, Israel, and all the fortified cities of Judah. Sennacherib then set his sights on Jerusalem. He sent his men to the people of Jerusalem with loud, intimidating threats and even sent a letter directly to 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.” Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? (Isaiah 37:10-11)”
Sennacherib tried to manipulate Hezekiah into believing that even though God had been with him in the past to achieve great victories, this time would be different. But Hezekiah opened the letter and read it. And as soon as he read the threatening words he said, “This letter doesn’t belong to me! This belongs to my God! Devil you’ve got the WRONG ADDRESS!”
“Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying:
“O Lord of hosts, 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. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 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. Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.” (Isaiah 37:14-20
Notice that Hezekiah didn’t sit around becoming anxious about the letter. We get bad news and want to sit around and think about it and let it worry us to death. To be anxious means to be overly preoccupied with something. We’re not supposed to be anxious. Don’t fall into that trap of self-defeat. Like Hezekiah — get up! And never forget that your God “shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
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