| Notes
From A Prayer Journey
- November
3, 2009
By:
Shirley Goodwin
Why Do I Pray?
2 Chr 32:20
And for this cause Hezekiah
the king, and the prophet
Isaiah the son of Amoz,
prayed and cried to heaven.
(KJV)
In II Chronicles 30:11-16,
we read of a mighty revival
in the nation of Israel.
The Bible tells us:
(1) In Judah, the
hand of God gave the
people one heart.
(2) They took away the
idolatry.
(3) The Levites fulfilled
their places according
to the law.
As one reads about this
revival, one wonders why
two chapters later, the
Bible tells us that King
Hezekiah and Prophet Isaiah
prayed and cried to heaven.
Why did Hezekiah and
Isaiah pray? II Chronicles
32:1-2
(1) Sennacherib, king
of Assyria invaded Judah.
(2) He entered Judah
immediately after the
re-establishment of
religion in it.
(3) He encamped against
the fenced cities.
(4) He thought He would
win the cities for himself.
(5) He purposed to fight
against Jerusalem.
(6) He planned an infinite
monarchy at the expense
of his neighbors.
In II Kings 18:13-37,
we read of one of Hezekiah’s
plan of attack against
his enemy, Sennacherib.
Apparently, in his fourteenth
year of reigning as king,
Hezekiah thought he could
purchase the approval
of his enemy. He sent
Sennacherib the following
gifts:
(1) 300 talents of
silver
(2) 30 talents of gold
(3) All of the silver
found in the house of
God
(4) All of the treasures
in the king’s
house
(5) Hezekiah cut off
the gold from the doors
of the temple of the
Lord and the gold from
the pillars of the temple
and sent it.
Hezekiah soon learned
a great truth: We cannot
compromise our walk with
God or appease the enemy
to prevent trials in our
lives.
Hezekiah recognized that
he had a colossal complication
in his life and began
a different approach to
determining a solution
to the problem with Sennacherib.
Hezekiah took counsel
with his princes and mighty
men. Then, he made sure
that the enemy found no
water. He strengthened
himself, repaired walls,
raised towers, made weapons
in abundance, and appointed
captains of war over the
people of Israel. Israel
prepared against the threatening
storm of war.
At that point, Hezekiah
did what all great leaders
do: he gathered his people
together and spoke to
them these assurances:
(II Chronicles 32:2-8)
(1) He spoke to his
people’s hearts
and kept down their
fears.
(2) He encouraged the
people to depend on
God in times of distress.
(3) He told them to
be strong and courageous;
be not afraid or dismayed
of the enemy. DO NOT
THINK OF SURRENDER!
(4) Sennacherib has
a multitude with him;
yet, there are more
with us than with him.
(5) The arm of flesh
is with the enemy.
(6) The Lord our God
is with us, to help
us, and to fight our
battles
The children of Israel
had a strong inner peace
because they trusted the
words of their leader,
Hezekiah, king of Judah.
Sennacherib’s answer
to Israel’s confidence
in God was rage. Verses
9-19 of II Chronicles
32 explains his behavior:
1. He sent his servants
to Jerusalem because he
was busy besieging Lachish
and had all of his power
with him.
2. He sent this message
to Israel:
Hezekiah persuades you
to give yourself to die
from famine and thirst
by telling you that the
Lord your God shall deliver
you out of the hand of
the king of Assyria.
Hezekiah has taken away
the high places and altars
and commanded Judah and
Jerusalem to worship before
one altar. In other words,
you have been already
exposed to divine displeasure.
The gods of other nations
were not able to deliver
them, so do not allow
Hezekiah to deceive you.
No god of any nation or
kingdom was able to deliver
his people out of mine
hand. How much less shall
your God deliver you out
of mine hand?
3. He wrote
letters, which spoke against
the Lord God of Israel:
As the gods of the nations
of other lands have not
delivered their people
out of mine hand, so shall
not the God of Hezekiah
deliver His people out
of mine hand.
4. His messengers cried
with loud voices in the
Hebrew language (Jews’
language) to trouble and
bring fear to God’s
people so that the enemy
could overtake the city.
They spoke against the
God of Jerusalem.
2 Chr 32:20 And for
this cause Hezekiah the
king, and the prophet
Isaiah the son of Amoz,
prayed and cried to heaven.
(KJV)
The conclusion of this
assault of Sennacherib,
the enemy was:
2 Chr 32:21 And the
LORD sent an angel, which
cut off all the mighty
men of valour, and the
leaders and captains in
the camp of the king of
Assyria. So he returned
with shame of face to
his own land. And when
he was come into the house
of his god, they that
came forth of his own
bowels slew him there
with the sword. (KJV)
God is always our reservoir
of strength during the
complicated days of our
lives, when those days
are filled with obstacles.
God is never a deviation
from life’s problems
or a way around them.
WE MUST PRAY! Prayer keeps
us in touch with our reservoir
of strength. The power
and goodness of God will
do for us exactly what
it did for Hezekiah, if
we pray. His power will
control every enemy, bless
us, and give relief to
us, when we need it.
Ps 145:17-20
17 The LORD is righteous
in all his ways, and holy
in all his works.
18 The LORD is
nigh unto all them that
call upon him, to all
that call upon him in
truth.
19 He will fulfill
the desire of them that
fear him: he also will
hear their cry, and will
save them.
20 The LORD preserveth
all them that love him:
but all the wicked will
he destroy. (KJV)
We comprehend all of
the reasons why Hezekiah,
the king and Isaiah, the
prophet, prayed. Do we
truly realize the reasons
we pray? Why do we pray?
According to statistics
from Prayer Point Press
eighty percent of all
Christians who pray, pray
because their pastor insists
that they pray.
Put your name in this
blank:
For this cause, I, __________________,
pray and cry to heaven.
Ask yourself these questions:
(1) What do I pray about
in my personal prayer
time? (2) What petitions
do I bring to the Lord?
(3) What are the needs
which concern me enough
to bring me to my knees
in prayer?
WHY DO I PRAY?
Prayer for the day:
My Lord, my God, I thank
you for your mercy, your
love and your forgiveness.
Today, I pray because
you are the one true God.
I worship you because
you are God. I praise
you with my whole heart.
In Jesus’ Name,
I thank you for always
hearing my prayers. Amen.
Email: shirley.prayerjourney.goodwin@gmail.com
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