HOW to BE VICTORIOUS when ATTACKED by our ENEMIES?
July 28 Bible Reading: Isaiah Chapters 37-39
HOW to BE VICTORIOUS when ATTACKED by our ENEMIES?
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. 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…that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are
the Lord, You alone." (Isaiah 37:14-20)
When King Hezekiah was confronted with a threatening letter
from King Sennacherib of Assyria, he did not respond directly. Instead, he took
this letter and “spread it out before the
Lord” in a magnificent display of humble trust and utter dependence upon
God as he turned to the Lord in prayer. The idea was not that God must read the
message, but rather that He might consider the matter. Hezekiah used this means
to indicate that he was committing the entire matter to the Lord for His
judgment. His first concern was not for his own safety but for God’s glory and
he attributes deity exclusively to Jehovah (Isaiah 44:8; 45:5, 6, 14, 22;
46:9).
The eminent Bible Scholar, Warren Weirsbe has expounded Isaiah
37 beautifully and listed five simple
steps (through King Hezekiah’s
experience) that we should take when
we are attacked by our enemies:
- Take our burdens to God. It is good to talk things over with
others, but only God can work in our hearts and turn fear into faith. God knows
everything our enemies are saying and writing, and God has a perfect plan for
us. By faith, we should take everything to God in prayer.
- Listen for God’s message. The words of the enemy will
discourage us, but God’s Word will encourage us. In every battle, His word to
us is, “Do not be afraid” (v. 6).
After all, God has everything under control.
- Seek to glorify God alone. More than anything else, Hezekiah
was concerned for the glory of God (vv. 4, 16–20). “Hallowed be Your name” must be our primary prayer (see Matt. 6:8).
- Trust God to work. Sennacherib defied the God of Israel, and yet he died in the
house of his god who could not protect him (v. 38). God can handle our enemies
far better than we can.
- Trust God after the victory. The Assyrians had devastated the
land, but God promised to feed His people and give them a harvest (vv. 30-31).
Let us always remember that our future is in God’s Hands.
Let us always understand that God is willing and waiting for us to go to Him when we are in trouble. Just like He unilaterally destroyed King Hezekiah’s enemy, He will destroy all our enemies as well as He will show Himself strong on our behalf. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." (2 Chron. 16:9)
