Recently, while reading through 2 Kings again, I noticed something I must have passed over in the past. Judah had many kings that did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. The kings would break the covenant that God made with His people, and worship false gods. There were some kings, which seemed to be few and far between, that did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet the people were still worshipping false gods, for the high places of false worship were still standing. Hezekiah became king, and he did what was right in God’s eyes, and he tore down those high places where people would worship those false gods, completely destroying them. It was a breath of fresh air reading of a good king who served God, after reading of all the terrible ones.
During Hezekiah’s reign, the king of Assyria wanted to make war and take the people of Judah. He spoke words against Hezekiah to turn the people against him. Hezekiah became overwhelmed, tearing his clothes as a sign of his distress. Isaiah reassures him that God is in control and would protect him, even while his enemies were speaking against him. In the midst of the distress, Hezekiah prays to God. He acknowledges God as God alone, the God who sits above the earth, above creation as the transcendent One. He tells God, who knew already, what Assyria had said. He finishes his prayer by praying…
“So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone” (2 Kgs. 19:19).
I reread that verse a few times. It made me think of my own prayers. There is a lot going on in the world. The world is lost, walking in the dark. They hate what is good, what is right, the Light. They hate Christ, who is the Light. We have brothers and sisters in the faith who are being persecuted, being martyred for their faith. This verse changed the way that I pray for our brothers and sisters. I usually pray for their protection and their boldness to continue to proclaim the Gospel in the midst of persecution. But why do I pray that? Why do I pray that they are strengthened to continue to be bold in the face of adversity, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It is because I want the world to know the Lord is God, and He is God alone. I have a tendency to pray selfishly or with the wrong motives. We are here for a reason, we have been saved by God for a reason, to be a testimony to the world that God is God alone. God is glorified when we live recognizing and when others recognize that God is God, He is Lord of our lives. He is Lord of all. To God alone be the glory!