Take It From a Kid

Speaking from experience, you might be getting old if it seems like there are an awful lot of “kids” out there with important responsibilities. My thirty-something “kids” are raising our grandchildren. A dear friend is being treated for a-fib by a 40-year-old “kid.” And the elders at my church sure seem like “kids” to me – although they’re not kids at all.

Today’s story is about a “kid” who knew what to do and Whom to run to when crisis struck. And we can learn a lot from this kid.

Hezekiah became king of the nation of Judah at the ripe young age of 25. After a string of evil, rebellious leaders, Judah finally had in place a king who was known as a young man who trusted in the Lord. He held fast to God, kept His commands, and did right in His eyes. When Hezekiah came to power, he cleaned house. He went throughout the land, destroying the idols and religious sites of his predecessors. Hezekiah’s reputation as a man of God spread, and he enjoyed the favor of the Lord. His confidence in God gave him courage to stand up to Judah’s enemies.

There was a bully out there, and he had his sites set on Judah. Meet Sennacherib – the king of Assyria. In Hezekiah’s fourth year as king, this guy began to ramp up his aggressive tactics. Nation after nation, people after people – his victims were captured, conquered or absolutely destroyed. Sennacherib and his ruthless began to build quite a resume. Now he was headed for Judah.

Sennacherib boldly approached, attacked, and captured Judah’s fortified cities. Then he sent an entourage consisting of his supreme commander, his chief officer, and his field commander – and, oh, yeah - a large army - to the city of Jerusalem. They demanded an audience with Hezekiah, who sent out his own delegation to meet with them.

Then a barrage of insults toward Hezekiah and blasphemies toward the living God began to spew from the field commander’s mouth. In his message to Hezekiah from Sennacherib, he taunted Hezekiah’s confidence in the Lord to deliver Judah from Assyria’s coming attack. He scoffed at the idea that Judah might escape what all of the surrounding nations had already suffered – utter and complete destruction.

Hezekiah’s envoy asked the field commander to speak in a language different than those within earshot to keep from putting the people into a state of panic. But their request only emboldened him to speak directly and loudly to the people. The warning was clear - dire times were ahead for the nation of Judah. He rattled off a list of false gods of countries that had fallen under Sennacherib’s war machine and asked how Judah would be any different with the Lord on their side.

The message got back to Hezekiah loud and clear. He tore his clothes in distress and mourning and went into the Lord’s temple. Then he sent a group of men to Isaiah the prophet to seek God’s counsel and wisdom. He entreated Isaiah to pray that a remnant of God’s people might be spared in the certain attack on Judah – instead of boldly asking God for victory over this bully. Sennacherib’s threats had apparently led Hezekiah to anticipate defeat.

Isaiah responded with a brief but bold, hope-filled message from God: “Do not be afraid of what you have heard.” (2 Kings 19:6) God, through Isaiah, assured Hezekiah that the blasphemy spoken by Sennacherib’s underlings would eventually cost the bully his life.

Sennacherib sent one more round of threats to Hezekiah through his messengers. He repeated the same scare tactics and the list of nations that had fallen to his regime. He ended his diatribe by asking if Hezekiah knew where those people and their kings were now and why Hezekiah might think that Judah would be delivered.

And here is what the “kid” did with that intimidating letter. He headed straight to the temple. He spread the letter out before the Lord. And he prayed.

He praised God for His greatness, His rule over all kingdoms, and His creative power. Then he laid out his “ask” of God – for the Lord to hear, see, and act in response to Sennacherib’s evil intentions toward Judah. Hezekiah didn’t shy away from the evidence. Sennacherib’s brutally successful history was acknowledged, but so was his practice of idol worship and blasphemy. Then Hezekiah appealed to the One True God for the delivery of his nation in such a spectacular way that all the kingdoms would know that He alone was God.

Shortly after that prayer, Isaiah sent God’s answer. God had indeed heard Hezekiah. God dressed down Assyria and its leaders with a scathing response to their blasphemy, pride, and arrogance. He assured Assyria that a mighty humiliation and defeat were soon to come. But to Hezekiah, He assured a preservation of His people and no entrance by Assyria into Jerusalem. God promised to defend and save the city.

And when it was all over, no one doubted that the Lord had acted in Judah’s defense. That night, the angel of the Lord visited the Assyrian battle camp and put to death 185,000 fighting men. Sennacherib got the message. He broke camp and withdrew from the area. Some days later, his idol worship was interrupted by his sons – who conspired against him and killed him by the sword.

Hezekiah turned to the Lord when his back was against the wall. What do you do? I can tell you that when I’ve been in a position of not knowing which way to turn, Hezekiah’s approach has been a great model for me.

Bring your situation before the Lord with humility and faith. Honestly share the facts, the details of your own thoughts and emotions, and the unknowns that keep you up at night. Then remember Who God is. Praise Him for His wisdom, strength, power, protection, and guidance. Finally, ask Him to answer your prayers according to His perfect will and in a way that can only be attributed to His mighty hand. Then wait, trust, and hope.

Take it from a kid – the Lord hears your prayers, and He’s at work in this very moment.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.” – 1 John 5:14-15

(You can get the full story of Hezekiah and his encounter with Sennacherib in 2 Kings 18-19.)