What's Your Response?

Read

2 Kings 19:1-37Isaiah 37:1-382 Chronicles 32:9-23Isaiah 37:14-17, “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.”

Think

How well do you respond to criticism or hostile confrontation? It’s easy to get defensive and fire back with contempt. But such knee-jerk reactions only add fuel to the fire and blind us to the best course of action. Why? Because they’re rooted in pride and a desire to “win.”Hezekiah received a letter with hair-raising news and criticism from a chief commander of an adversarial nation. Did Hezekiah fire back in all caps? No, he went to the temple and laid it all out before God. He humbled himself and acknowledged God’s sovereignty as he asked God to see the words of this frightening message. He asked God to save His people so that all the kingdoms of the world would know that He is Lord. In turn, God answered, saying, “Because you have prayed to Me….” That begs the question: What if he hadn’t prayed? Perhaps Jerusalem would have been conquered. We can only surmise what might’ve happened had he not, but one thing is for sure — prayer has power, and God responds! He wants us to seek His help and trust in Him with the outcome.Follow Hezekiah’s example and come before God with whatever struggles you face today, laying it all out before Him in prayer. You can be certain that “because you prayed,” He will respond and speak into your troubled heart. When we seek first His will and purpose, we can trust that He will faithfully guide our path. It’s a much better alternative than slinging mud and trading insults with others – it leads to victory no matter the outcome!

Act

Pray

Lord, I come before You on bended knee. Please open my eyes to see what You see in my current circumstances. Help me trust that You are working through this for a purpose. Amen.