The Humble Prayer Of King Hezekiah
2 Kings 19:15 says, “And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.”
God will answer “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man” (Jms 5:16), or one who is obedient to Him (Jn 15:7). He does not simply grant the petition, but to fulfill it “according to His will” (1 Jn 5:14). When king Hezekiah prayed for deliverance from the Assyrian invasion (v. 20), the Lord answered him. His main reason was not only to spare Jerusalem, but so that “the earth may know” (v. 19), that He is the Lord God! When we call upon Him in the day of trouble and He delivers us, He wants to make sure that we glorify Him (Ps 50:15).
God “saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria” (2 Chr 32:22), for His “own sake” (v. 34). He could have just as easily allowed them to be destroyed. But He gave favor to Hezekiah’s faith, giving him the assurance of their deliverance. The Lord did this strictly for His own glory (Ps 22:23)! Satan does not want us to get involved in fervent and serious prayer. He knows that the power of God is manifested through the prayers of the saints (Mt 21:22); when we pray “in the Spirit” (Eph 6:18).
Hezekiah had to humble “himself for the pride of his heart” (2 Chr 32:26). Sometimes, we have a tendency to take the Lord’s blessings for granted. We must remember to always magnify the Lord and “exalt His name together” (Ps 34:3), whenever we receive answers to our prayers. We need to pray like Hezekiah did. God knows the motives and intents of our hearts (Prov 21:2). The effectiveness of our prayer lives would mean that we must get serious in making the prayer “closet” (Mt 6:6), our top priority every day. Because answered prayers are not about us, but it is all about the Lord! God bless you!
- Pastor Melito Barrera
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