September 2023
When The Threat Is Greater Than Your Strength To Fight
2 Kings 19:3-7; 14-15;20
3 And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
4 It may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.
5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
14 And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.
15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
Glory to God. The Holy Spirit is sending this Word against threats that are greater than you, and you don't have the strength to fight. Whatever is threatening You, The Lord is saying-pray what Hezekiah prayed and I'm going to destroy them or it for you. Just pray what Hezekiah prayed and I will deliver you!
Our text says, "That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard." Notice it said,
" prayed against." This tells us we shouldn't just sit and let the enemy say, threaten, and do whatever he wants. We don't just sit and take his methods of making us afraid. No, we pray against anything and everything that is not God! If it doesn't represent light, peace, joy, and our good-we have a blood bought right through Jesus Christ to pray against it!
This enemy boasted to the children of God-who can deliver out of my hand? Can your God deliver out of my hand? That is what this situation is saying to you; this sickness is saying to you; the thing that concerns you; the thing that came to put you in fear.
But God said, "Be not afraid of the words which thou has heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumor, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."
The Lord is saying, "Be not afraid because surely this enemy will be destroyed by Me!" For the fight is personal to God. Whatever is going on it's not against you, but the Lord. The Lord spoke to this enemy just as He's speaking on your behalf today. He said, "Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel." He went on to say they have boasted of their messengers and how they could enter into the lodgings of his border. Basically, they boasted of their power to do whatever, whenever!
But God! The Lord told this enemy:
" I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me." In essence God said,
"Don't forget I know where you live. I know everywhere you go, and when you return. Since you boast in knowing where My People are-I'm telling you, well I KNOW where you live."
Beloveds, what enemy is secure when God tells them He knows where they live? For when God visits what an enemy is able to do today, tomorrow they may not be able to do. Or just because an enemy is breathing today, tomorrow they may be in the net of the Lord.
This one prayer which was prayed by Hezekiah was what God wanted to hear regarding what dares to take your strength to fight. It is the same prayer we're going to pray corporately today. What He did after this prayer for Hezekiah and His people-I believe He will do the exact same for us in Jesus name. Jesus is Lord!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. Lord, in Jesus name. bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.
O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. Lord, in Jesus name. bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of this enemy, which has been sent to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, these enemies have destroyed the nations and their lands; And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, in Jesus name-I beseech thee, we beseech thee-save us out of his hand, save us out of the hand of this enemy-that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
You are blessed! Go in peace!