Isaiah Chapter 37 - Do It My Way

“Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’”  (Isaiah 37:6-7)

Hezekiah was in a bad situation - the Assyrian army was camped outside the gates of the city, and their commander was sending threatening letters. While it might have seemed like Hezekiah’s options were few, there were many things he could have done in response...

• He could have fought the Assyrians (not a great option, but it was an option!)
• He could have tried to escape the city.
• He could have negotiated with the Assyrians.
• He could have asked Egypt or another kingdom for help.
• He could have hunkered down and hope the Assyrians would give up and leave.
• He could have prayed, and told God how He could help them...

What was that last one? While it might sound silly, how often to we do exactly that? When we’re in a tough spot, we’ll pray, but in our prayers we sort of let God know how He could take care of our situation!

"Lord, can't we do it my way?"

And I believe when we do that, we’re essentially tying the hands of God. Sure God could take our advice, but if you think about it, wasn’t it our thinking that probably got us into that situation? If we’re honest, God would be foolish if He took our advice!

I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s better to be like Hezekiah - pray for deliverance, but then let God take care of the situation HIS WAY. After all, He is God! 

Pastor Clay