“Spreading out” your problems before God
One of the great kings of Judah in the Old Testament was King Hezekiah. I did a series of devos on him a few years back. Recently I read his story again in 2 Kings 19, and I paid careful attention to the way Hezekiah dealt with a difficult situation in his life. I think we can learn from him as we face our problems – because let’s be honest, each one of us listening is facing some sort of a challenge, whatever it might be.
Trusting God Amidst Assyrian Threats
Hezekiah’s problem was that he had received a letter from the King of Assyria, saying that he and his army were coming to destroy Jerusalem. And the Assyrian king said in the letter that Hezekiah would be foolish to trust in God for deliverance, because the Assyrians were just too strong and not even God could stop them. Proof of this, he said, was the way Assyria had just flattened all the other nations.
I wonder if you too are facing an army? An enemy of some sorts, threatening to come and cause havoc in your life? In the New Testament, Paul said that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV). I suspect that each of us reading is facing a spiritual challenge of sorts – our spiritual enemies are always coming after us to try and defeat our spirits, to hold us captive, to tempt us into sins, to knock us down.
But notice what Hezekiah does when he sees this army coming against him! We read this in 2 Kings 19:14: “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.” I love this. He took his problem, his issue, and he spread it out before God and prayed.
The Transformative Power of Prayer: Unlocking Peace and Relief
How often we forget to do this. We just keep our struggles and problems inside, buried away. We think about it all the time, but we never really take the time to bring it to God in prayer, and “spread it out” as it were.
I think there is a power in taking things to God in prayer. Do you remember that old hymn that says:
Oh what peace we often forfeit,
Oh what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer
Today friends, take what you are facing, and carry it to God in prayer. Spread it out before Him and tell God in great detail what you are thinking and what you need as you face it.
As we shall see throughout the week, God is faithful and will answer… but we’ve got to take it to him first and spread it out before him, enabling him to do what he does best.
