PRAYER OF HEZEKIAH

Today I listened to a message by Pastor Bill Hybels from Willow Creek Community Church.  It was perfect, just what I needed to hear!  If you want to listen to it yourself, I'd encourage you to give it a listen:

http://media.willowcreek.org/weekend/prayer-together/#content

In short, Bill talked about Hezekiah's prayer in 2 Kings 19: 14-16.  Hezekiah had just received a letter that all of his people including women and children would be killed.  Hezekiah immediately went to the Lord's Temple and spread the letter out to the Lord.  Here is what he prayed:
14 Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

17 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”

Bill reminds us to begin our prayers to the Lord, like Hezekiah did, telling Him how amazing and awesome and powerful The Lord is.  This will help us increase OUR faith and remind ourselves Who it is that we are praying to.  Bill also spent time talking about the last verse: if we are always searching our own hearts and examining our motives for our requests, we can then pray with even greater faith, knowing God will answer us if our motives are to glorify His name and make Him known.

Oh, how this encouraged me today.  I need to remind MYSELF how great MY God is so that I might pray with faith knowing and believing MY God is more powerful than any ruler of any land.  No matter what the outlook is from our human perspective (and believe me, right now it's not good).  He can cause any one in power to do what will bring glory to His name.  I know our little girls (and so many other kids) coming home will bring great glory to our God!  I am full of faith and encouragement this morning, praying for miracles, please continue to pray with us!!