Friday
Hezekiah holds strong in the face of such a terrible force because he knows that God has rescued His people in the past and this is no different. We hear from the prophet Isaiah that God has told them He will be on their side. And when Hezekiah hears it, he immediately turns to God in prayer and praise. And God puts Sennacherib in his place. It was God’s plan all along that Sennacherib would be as powerful as he is, and that God was just using the Assyrian king for His own benefit.
At the end of our reading, Hezekiah is addressed and promised a sign. It will take some time for the land to return to its full potential. The people will have to eat what grows naturally, but by the third year, there will be food growing again. As for Sennacherib, his attack on Jerusalem will not be successful and he will return to Nineveh, where he is assassinated by his own sons while worshiping an idol.
When we trust in God, as Hezekiah did, we may find that situations can still be difficult. Not all of life is a happy ending this side of heaven. For many of the faithful, allegiance to God can result in execution, look at all the martyrs. As our bodies grow older, sickness and disease cripple us, we seem to spend more time at the funeral home than at the fun house. Trust in God will not hold off the ravages of time, but trust in God will bring a peace that goes beyond our ability to understand. A peace that Jesus has prepared a place for us, to be with us. If God created the world in all its magnificent glory in just six days, can you imagine what Jesus has prepared for us over the last 2000 years? Something to think about.
Shalom
Pastor Kathy