“...Then Hezekiah encouraged them by saying: “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people.” 2 Chronicles 32:6-8 NLT
Life is full of struggles, difficulties, and problems. Some are bigger than others. But whether the Christian’s trials in life are of the garden variety, or more along the lines of major tragedy, there is but one thing that will overcome them—faith in God.
We must also keep in mind that our enemy, Satan, is always seeking opportunities to defeat us.
We must never forget that there is a spiritual battle going on. Satan seeks to destroy us with our trials, while God seeks to develop us with them. The child of God cannot avoid trials. They can however, face those trials in faith toward God, and thwart Satan’s plan to defeat them.
In this passage we see how one man approached his problems. Hezekiah, King of Judah and the people of Judah were being attacked by Sennacherib from Assyria. Rather than letting the enemy put him in fear and frustration, chose to face his dilemma by faith in God.
The problem Hezekiah and Judah faced was so enormous that only God could deliver them. And that is where faith comes in. When the problems are bigger than our ability to handle them, that’s our cue to just rely on God.
V. 5 tells us that he began to strengthen the walls of the city. In the same way, when we're under attack we must fortify our walls by putting on the whole armor of God.
Hezekiah did everything he could do to fight the looming battle that was before him and the people of Judah. He sat captains over the people and told them to be strong and courageous, to not be afraid nor dismayed because God was with them.
Hezekiah wanted them to be prepared for when the enemy came against them. He reminds them in v.8 that they had the Lord God on their side to fight their battles.
Trust Him
Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee,
Trust Him when thy strength is small,
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Seems the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him, He is ever faithful,
Trust Him, for his will is best,
Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus
Is the only place of rest.
Author Unknown
If you read v. 20 you will notice that when Hezekiah heard the initial threat - he sought God in prayer.
“Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven.”
2 Chronicles 32:20 NLT
Over and over we see Hezekiah in different predicaments and each time he came to God with his request. (Read 2 Chronicles 32:1-16)
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all God’s children would learn to respond to all their difficulties with humbleness before God, rather than horror and hardness?
The result - Hezekiah's enemies were miraculously slain.
“And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword.” 2 Chronicles 32:21 NLT
According to Isa.37: 36, prior to the death of Sennacherib, his armies suffered a severe decimation to the tune of 185,000. All of these were killed in one night, by the death angel that God sent through their camp.
It is also noteworthy that the god that Sennacherib boasted to be so powerful as to give him the victory over all the other gods of the lands, wasn’t powerful enough to protect him from his own murderous sons.
There is always victory in Christ. He cannot lose. He will always win. Trust Him today with all your problem and He will lead you into a great victory that only He can bring.
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