2 KINGS 19 UNLEASH GODS POWER THROUGH PRAYER2018 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 2 Kings 19 Unleash Gods Power Through Prayer

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2018. Well, this morning as we look at this account here in 2 Kings chapter 19, the account of Hezekiah and this impending attack from the nation of Assyria, I've titled the message, Unleash God's Power Through Prayer.

unleash the power of God through prayer. We see in the passage we just read, the prayer of Hezekiah.

But as he prays, we're actually not going to study that portion that we just read, but what happens afterwards and the response that God gives. And the response is specifically because Hezekiah prayed. Check out verse 20 here in 2 Kings chapter 19. It says, Then Isaiah, the son of Amos, sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says the Lord God,

The Lord God of Israel, because you have prayed to me against the Necrob king of Assyria, I have heard. As the king of Assyria has come against the nation of Judah and has threatened Hezekiah and the people there of Jerusalem, Hezekiah spreads out the letter before the Lord in the temple and he prays. He says, God, look at what they're saying. Look at what they're intending. Look at the threats that they're making.

God, I pray that you would intervene and do a mighty work. And God responds through the prophet Isaiah. And he says specifically, because you have prayed to me. And God is going to go on to deliver them and announce the deliverance that he plans to bring. But it's attached to, it's tied to this declaration because Hezekiah, you have prayed. I am going to work in this way. It's an important thing for us to consider because

The example of Hezekiah and the importance of prayer in our lives. I like what David Guzik says about this. He says, Hezekiah's prayer really mattered.

What we see here take place in this chapter is the prayer of Hezekiah that makes a big difference in the events that unfold. You know, sometimes when we pray, it really doesn't feel like it matters that much. We don't necessarily see a big difference. We don't perceive a big difference. And sometimes we can begin to have a lesser view of prayer as a result.

This morning, God wants to remind us of the power of prayer.

Now, it is important to take note of Hezekiah's position in the midst of this and that Hezekiah was seeking the will of God. And one of the reasons why his prayer unleashed the power of God was his objective was for God to be glorified. That's what he was seeking after. That's what he was desiring. And as a result, God was in agreement with Hezekiah's prayer and God is going to work in a mighty way.

Prayer is not a tool to get my will done on earth. Prayer is a tool to participate with God in accomplishing his will here on earth. It's not about convincing God to do something he doesn't want to do, but it's about joining with him in the work that he does desire to do. And in that way, we can pray and join with God in that work and see the mighty work of God.

Prayer does matter. It does change things. Maybe not always in the way that we would want and that God is not our genie and he just gives us our wishes, whatever we say, as long as we have the magic words or say it the magic way. No, it's not about that. It's about pursuing the heart of God, desiring to know God, and then joining with him in prayer regarding the things that are going on.

The Apostle James says it this way in James chapter 4. He says,

James there is challenging the believers in the church. He's saying, look, you guys are fighting amongst each other. You're all upset with each other. And it's because you're not getting what you want. And he's dealing with the issues of the heart. And he says, you're not receiving because you're not praying.

You do not have because you do not ask. There is an opportunity for you to ask of God and receive, but you're trying to accomplish those things in the flesh and going about it in the completely wrong way. But he goes on to explain a little bit further. Sometimes you do ask, you are praying, but you're not receiving because, well, again, your heart's in the wrong place. You're not seeking after the will of God and the plan of God and the glory of God. You're seeking after your own selfish desires.

And so those prayer requests, you know, they're not going to be answered. But when your heart is after the things of God and you pray, well, there's power in that. And the thing that always amazes me about this passage is that it indicates there are some things that you do not have, not because God doesn't want to give it to you,

There are some miracles that you have not experienced, not because God doesn't want to perform them, not because God's unable to perform them. It's not that God is, you know, his arms are too short to be able to save or to answer that prayer request. But sometimes we don't have for the simple reason that we have not asked. We've not prayed. We've not asked God. There are some things in your life that you will never experience without prayer, right?

Even though God wants you to experience those things, even though God wants to do those things, there are some things that just will not take place unless you invite God to work in that way. And so there's an important reminder for us to unleash God's power through prayer. God's power is there. It's kind of like an outlet in the wall, right? The power is there, but if you don't plug in, you don't get to participate in the power. You don't get to experience that power in a similar way.

God's power is there and he desires to work in our lives. And there's a lot of things he's not going to do just because we were wanting things that are bad for us for selfish reasons. But there's also those things that God desires to do that are good for us, that we need, that would benefit us and others around us. But he doesn't just do everything that he wants to do. Some things he waits for you to invite him to.

to work in that way, unleash God's power through prayer. There's four things we'll look at as we look at the example of Hezekiah and God's response here to help us and remind us of the power of prayer and why we need to be men and women of prayer. We're gonna jump now into verses 21 and 22 for point number one, and that is that God has power to change terror into laughter. Verse 21 and 22 says this,

This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him. The virgin, the daughter of Zion, has despised you, laughed you to scorn. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind your back. Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted up your eyes on high against the Holy One of Israel? Here is God now begins to address the king of Assyria. He begins to declare...

The change that will take place within the people of Judah. The people of Judah at this time, they are hidden behind the walls of Jerusalem, terrified. They're completely freaked out for good reason. They face a severe threat. The nation of Assyria has rose to be the dominating power in the world. There's been a great...

deal of victories and battles that Assyria has accomplished.

And so you can look there just kind of for an idea. There's the city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. You might remember the prophet Jonah was sent to Nineveh and they turned to the Lord for a little bit, but then they went back to their ways and they rose to power. They've become a world dominating power and they've conquered the known world. And Israel and Judah have watched Assyria take more and more territory.

And the nation of Judah, the smaller nation of the two nations of Israel, the smaller nation there with Jerusalem as the capital, have watched them conquer all of the nations around them, including their very close brothers and sisters, the nation of Israel, the northern kingdom. In 2 Kings 17, we see Assyria conquer Israel and take it away captive. And so now all that's left is Israel.

That small little pocket there around Jerusalem called the nation of Judah. And even the nation of Judah itself has received much damage from the king of Assyria. And many of the strongholds and other cities in Judah have been conquered by Assyria. And the people have fled to Jerusalem. And now they're holed up in Jerusalem. It's like the last big stronghold for the nation. And

And now the king of Assyria has threatened them and saying, I'm coming now for Jerusalem. And I'm going to conquer you guys and I'm going to take you away captive. And so you can imagine, you can understand the people are there in Jerusalem, terrified. They are freaked out. But God here announces there's going to be a transformation of their hearts.

And they're not going to be freaked out any longer. In verse 21, he says, the virgin, the daughter of Zion has despised you, talking about the king of Assyria, laughed you to scorn. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind your back.

Now here the author, and actually that's the Lord speaking, but what we're seeing here is this mockery of the king of Assyria that will take place with this image, this picture of a virgin daughter. A young girl is going to be able to laugh.

At the king of Assyria. Here they are in terror. Watching so many of their friends. And family and people they've known. And nations around them. Be conquered and defeated. And taken away captive. They're terrified. But now. Oh yes. Even a young girl. On the walls of Jerusalem. Will be able to laugh. And scorn. The king of Assyria. There's going to be a radical transformation. God is able. He is powerful enough. To change this terror. Into laughter. Laughter.

It reminds me of what the psalmist wrote, David wrote this in Psalm 23, that famous psalm, we know it well, but verse four says, "'Yea, though I walk through the valley "'of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, "'for you are with me. "'Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.' "'You prepare a table before me "'in the presence of my enemies. "'You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over.'"

Here the psalmist describes walking through, well, situations that bring terror. The valley of the shadow of death. And yet the psalmist says, I won't fear because I know you're with me. In your presence it comforts me. He goes on to say, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. I always like this concept here, this picture that is painted. You know, here's your enemy all lined up to destroy you. And God says, hey, let's have a picnic together.

You know, just set up a table and put down a tablecloth and let's put out some, here, you know, why don't you put out the plates and the placemats and the silverware and let's just enjoy a good meal. And you're like, but look at the enemies, you know, and their faces and the threats and the shouts and all the danger that is there. And God says, you don't got to worry about that. Let's have a good meal together. In the presence of my enemies, he says, you prepare a table.

We can have in the presence of God, in our walk with God, this peace and this enjoyment, this joy, this laughter, even in the face of great enemies. God has the power to change terror into laughter. And why is that? Well, verse 22 tells us, Whom have you reproached and blasphemed?

Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. The reason why there can be this change and this transformation from terror to laughter is because, well, Assyria, you have not threatened this small group of people. You have threatened the creator of the heavens and the earth. They're his people.

It's important to take in mind or to take into consideration the context here with Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a good king. The nation of Judah did not always have good kings. It's kind of like every other one was a good king. After David, it was really the nation was on a downhill trend after that. The people were walking away from God and chasing after idols. But Hezekiah comes on the scene and he was a good king. He brought repentance to Judah.

And where the house of God had fallen apart and not been used for its proper purposes, God, well, Hezekiah through, by the power of the Lord, restored the worship of God, reopened the temple doors and brought people back to the worship of God. He went through, he cleaned out the high places of idolatry and broke down the altars and he was instrumental in bringing people to seek after God, to walk in the will of God.

And so now because of the reforms and the repentance that has taken place, here is Hezekiah with the people of Judah and they are walking in the will of God. And when an enemy threatens them, it's a threat against God because they are right where God wants them to be. They are God's people walking in God's will, seeking the glory of God. And there is great safety in that.

Because any threat to them now is a threat not against them personally, but it's a threat against God. If Hezekiah had not brought the people to repentance in that way, the situation would have been different. The reality was the people of Judah were deserving the judgment of God because they were involved in all kinds of idolatry. But there was a turning. There was a turning away from sin to seek after, to pursue the things of God.

And so now when he prays, he's praying from the context of we are desiring to walk with God. We are desiring to walk in God's will and for him to be glorified. And so when he prays, God is able to respond with great power. He's able to change terror into laughter because Hezekiah prays from that position.

It's a good encouragement for us, a reminder. You might face some terrifying things, and there might be some enemies that line up, and maybe it looks like, wow, defeat is certain, and here I am, just freaked out, terrified. But God can give peace in the presence of enemies. When we come to the place where we are seeking Him and desiring His will and asking Him to work for His namesake,

Again, God told Hezekiah in verse 20, because you have prayed to me. This is all happening because you prayed, Hezekiah. I'm going to work and transform terror into laughter. Moving on into verses 23 through 26, we get the second point this morning, and that is that God has power to use enemies as instruments. The power of God is incredible because he is the creator of the heavens and the earth.

He is able to even use unwilling instruments and those who hate him and rage against him, he's able to use to accomplish his own purposes and his own desires. Verse 23 says,

God, still speaking to the king of Assyria, says,

And with the soles of my feet, I have dried up all the brooks of defense. Here God is speaking about Assyria in some poetic language, but he's describing and illustrating the pride of Assyria. And Assyria's pride was great. Because all of this victory that they've had, all of this accomplishments that they've achieved, Assyria thought,

This was all because of my strength. The king, Sennacherib, thought, this is my doing. It's because I am so strong. It is because I am so smart. It is because I am so amazing that we've been able to accomplish so much. In verse 23, he says, by the multitude of my chariots, I've come to the height of the mountains. I've reached the top. I've accomplished so much. I've had so much victory today.

by the multitude of my chariots, by the great strength that I have, because I am so strong and my army is so, you know, there's a multitude there. I was able to accomplish these things. And he goes on to say, I will cut down the

It's tall cedars. I've come to Lebanon and here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take down the tall cedars. Now, he's not just talking about, you know, being a good lumberjack. He's talking about, it's picturing the great people of Lebanon. And he's saying, I'm going to take them out. The great warriors, all those who think they're strong, all those who think they're tall, I'm going to cut them down. I'm going to go to the extremity of the borders, all the way to the fruitful forest. Okay?

I'm going to take all that is beautiful, all that is valuable. I'm going to take the whole fruitful forest. Then notice at the end of verse 24, he says, with the soles of my feet, I have dried up all the brooks of defense. All the armies that Assyria has fought against. He describes their defenses like a brook. And he says, all their brooks have dried up. They tried to put up a defense, but

They tried to, you know, stand against this, and I've dried up those brooks of defense. I've wiped out their defenses. I have destroyed them completely with the soles of my feet. I have done this, Assyria says. It's my strength, my army, my multitude, my chariots. But God goes on to explain, that's what you think. That's your pride speaking, but you're just an instrument in my hands. Verse 25 says,

Did you not hear long ago how I made it from ancient times that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass that you should be for crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins. Therefore, their inhabitants had a little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were as the grass of the field and the green herb, as the grass on the housetops and grain blighted before it is grown."

God responds to this condition of the heart of Assyria and their pride and says, look, you have forgotten. I am the creator. I made all of this. I formed all of this. And it is I who have brought this to pass that you have become my instrument for crushing fortified cities. The reason why you had victory over those fortified cities is not because of your chariots. It's not because you're so great. It's not because you're powerful. It's because you're

I chose to use you as my instrument. In a similar way, the nation of Israel was used by God when they first came into the promised land. Remember when they came into the land of Canaan and there was the inhabitants of the land and God said, because of their sin against me, their great sin against me that has mounted up for hundreds of years,

They need to experience the judgment of God. And Israel, you're going to be my instruments of judgment. And they came into the promised land and they were to drive out the inhabitants of the land because they were God's instruments to bring that discipline, that judgment against the people of the land. Well, it's not just Israel with whom, you know, God works in that way, but the nation of Assyria also used by God to bring judgment on peoples that were deserving of judgment. And so Israel,

They were victorious and they conquered nations and they brought fortified cities to ruin. But the king of Assyria was in his pride thinking it was his strength, thinking it was his accomplishments. And God here is explaining it was so easy for you because I brought it to pass. That's why the inhabitants had little power. It's not because you are so powerful, but I orchestrated these things.

This is something really important for us to remember because we can easily get really excited about and proud of our accomplishments. And like the king of Assyria, begin to think it's my strength. It's my intelligence. It's my, you know, smart moves and the things that I did or my good looks or whatever it is that we might attribute it to. We can begin to think that we are the reason for certain victories or successes or accomplishments in our lives.

But all that we experience, all victories, all things, we need to understand everything that we have, the energy that you have, the intellect that you have, the whatever you might be celebrating in your mind, it's from God. It's never from us. It's always from God. And God uses even those who are unwilling and fighting against him to be his instruments in accomplishing his purposes.

I want to give a couple examples just to illustrate this. We can look at after the nation of Assyria came the nation of Babylon. And the nation of Babylon led by King Nebuchadnezzar, God says this about him in Jeremiah 27.6. He says, I've given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant. He calls Nebuchadnezzar my servant. Now, Nebuchadnezzar did not know God.

He did not walk with God. He did not seek after the will of God or the plan of God or the purposes of God. And yet God calls him my servant because, well, he is God's instrument. Unwillingly, unwittingly, he did come to know about God through the prophet Daniel and, you know, those who ministered to him. But still he was rebelling against God, even under the ministry and influence of the prophet Daniel. There was not a willingness on Nebuchadnezzar's part to walk with God.

But he was God's servant because God was orchestrating things and using Nebuchadnezzar to accomplish his purposes. After Babylon came the Medo-Persian Empire, an even bigger empire than before, led by a man named Cyrus. Cyrus.

And in Isaiah chapter 45 verse 1, God says this, Here God delivers a message to King Cyrus and he calls him, my anointed. Cyrus, you are my anointed. Now, the word Messiah means,

is this idea of my anointed or the anointed one. And of course, you know, the Messiah, that's Jesus, right? The anointed one. But this idea of being anointed, it means chosen, selected, anointed with oil as the symbol of this is the one that God has chosen. And in a similar way as Jesus is the chosen one to be the savior for all humanity, Cyrus was God's chosen one,

Well, to accomplish certain things like the conquering of Babylon, but also the releasing of the Jews who were in captivity to go back and return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. And so God chose Cyrus, even though he didn't know God, he didn't walk with God. He had no desire to pursue the will of God or the heart of God or worship God or anything. But God is able in his power to use even enemies against God to accomplish his own purposes.

You might remember when Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate and Pilate was telling him, look, I have the power to let you go or to put you to death. And Jesus responded in John chapter 19 verse 11. He says, you could have no power at all against me unless it had been given you from above. You would have no power except for the God has given you this power. He's using you as an instrument to

Even though you don't know him, you don't walk with him, you don't seek after him, Pilate, you are an instrument of God. And the power that you have has been given to you by the Father. One last example, you might remember Joseph speaking to his brothers at the end of the book of Genesis as they were fearful that Joseph would try to bring revenge and pay them back for how they treated him.

He tells them in Genesis chapter 50 verse 20, he says, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about as it is this day to save many people alive. Joseph's brothers, they were wicked in their treatment of Joseph and the way that they handled him and the way that they threw him in the pit and sold him into slavery. They meant evil. They were trying to do evil, but God accomplished it for good.

They were his instruments, unwittingly, unknowingly, even rebelling against God and fighting against the revealed purposes of God. And yet God has the power to use enemies as instruments. He says to Assyria, you think you've done all this, but it was so easy because I brought it to pass. But now God says, I'm going to put a stop to it. Why? Because Hezekiah prayed. Again, it doesn't always feel like our prayers matter.

But because Hezekiah prayed, all of the victories that they've had, all of the success that they've had thus far, it is coming to an end because Hezekiah prayed. Moving on to verse 27 and 28, we get point number three, and that is God has power to turn things around. Verse 27 says, but I know your dwelling place. You're going out and you're coming in and your rage against me.

Because your rage against me and your tumult have come up to my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came. God has the power to turn things around. He tells the king of Assyria, look, you've had all this success and all this victory, but that's been my doing. And listen, I know everything about you. I know where you live.

I know when you leave and when you come back. I know everything about you. Most importantly, I know what's happening within you. Your rage against me. I know what's really happening in your heart. And internally, you are raging against me, the creator of the heavens and the earth. You're fighting against me. You're struggling against me. You are refusing to submit to me and to my plan. God can see into the depths of their soul.

their motivations, the heart. You're my instrument, but you're fighting against me with everything you have. You don't want to submit. So God says, I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips. You're refusing to submit. So guess what? I'm going to force it. I'm going to make you do what you don't want to do.

And he uses this picture of a hook in the nose and a bridle in the lips, which they were very familiar with. This was a common practice for Assyria. When Assyria conquered a people, they would not just kill all the people. Of course, some people would die in battle in the siege and, you know, there would be casualties. But the survivors, what they would do with them is they would transplant them. That is, they would take them out of the land which was their home and

And move them to a new territory, a new land far away from their home. So that they would be established in a new place. And well, now be servants of Assyria. Because their power has been broken. Their unity has been broken. Their pride has been broken.

Assyria could just wipe them out, but then they would lose the benefit of the work that they could provide and the taxes that they would pay and all of that. So what they would do is they would conquer people and then just kind of shuffle them around, musical chairs, you know, musical nations, and move people all over the place so they would still get the benefit of those people and the resources that they would provide without the threat of them trying to mount up an attack against Assyria or to rebel against Assyria.

And so the way that they would do that, though, they would take these captives out of their land, and it was a common practice for them to do that by putting hooks in the nose of the people that they've conquered, or rings in the lips of the people that they've conquered, and then they would chain these people together. And so they'd all be hooked up, attached, you know, it would be a very painful thing, but they would be marched hundreds of miles to their new home in this way, being humiliated and shamed along the way.

As they led them to their new home. And God says, look, you've been doing that to peoples all over the place. But now I'm going to do that to you. And I'm going to turn you back and take you back the way which you came back to your home. It's not what you want to do. You don't want to turn around. But I will make you. No matter how dark things get. No matter how bleak the outlook may be. Always remember this.

that God has the power to turn things around. I mean, you imagine the people of Judah, right? They're hiding behind the walls of Jerusalem and Assyria is coming. Assyria has threatened. They're a massive army. Judah is no match for them. It looks like certain doom. It's impossible for this to be turned around, but God's going to do it.

And you and I, when we face situations, sometimes we can feel like that. Like we're just this small group of people. We're just, you know, that virgin daughter in Jerusalem hiding behind the wall with no hope, with no possibility of escape. It's not possible to imagine that things could even change. It's just too far gone. But no matter how far gone you think it is, God has the power to turn things around.

It was a few weeks ago back in 2 Kings chapter 7. We read the account of the prophet Elisha. And there was a time of famine as a result of a siege at that time in the land of Israel. And the siege was severe. And so they were out of food and they were desperate for food. And they sought to inquire of the Lord through the prophet Elisha. And Elisha responds with the word from the Lord saying, Tomorrow a sea of flour shall be sold for a shekel. That is hardly anything.

Tomorrow there's going to be enough bread for everybody. It's going to be back to normal prices. It's not going to be rare to find bread or hard to find food. There's going to be an abundance of food tomorrow. Now there is an assistant, an officer of the king who is there when Elisha gives this prophecy and he says, that just seems impossible.

It's found in 2 Kings 7, verse 2. It says, He just couldn't see it. There's like, look at the famine that is taking place. It is severe. There's just, I mean, if God opened up windows in heaven and just, you know, buckets of bread were just dropping down.

This couldn't be fulfilled. It just seems too impossible. We're too far gone for that to take place. God has the power to turn things around. And that prophecy of Elisha did come to pass. There was an abundance of food. God provided a great victory in that way. And this victory that God promises now to Hezekiah, it's going to happen. Assyria is going to turn around.

God's power is going to be manifested and revealed in that the king of Assyria returns to his homeland. Why? Not because he wanted to, but because Hezekiah prayed. His prayer mattered. It made a difference, made a huge impact. And the king of Assyria now is going to be turned around by the hand and the power of God.

Well, finishing it up in verses 29 through 34, we get point number four, and that is God has power to preserve his people. Verse 29 says, this shall be assigned to you. You shall eat this year such as grows of itself. And in the second year, what springs from the same. Also in the third year, sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.

And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant and those who escape from Mount Zion, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Here God now addresses King Hezekiah and the people of Judah and he gives them a sign. And think about the power of God here. He gives them a specific timeframe. This is all gonna unfold over the next three years.

For the first year, you're just going to eat of what the land produces because, well, they haven't been working the fields. They've all run into the city of Jerusalem and been holed up behind the walls of Jerusalem. So they haven't worked the fields. They haven't tended the crops. They haven't worked the vineyards. So it's not going to produce normal crops, but they'll produce enough for them to be able to manage. They'll have enough from what is just naturally produced without them maintaining it. And the second year,

God says it's going to be the same. You're still not going to be able to do the work that you would normally do, but it's going to produce just what it naturally produces, and you'll be able to survive off of that. But then the third year, you'll be able to plant vineyards.

You'll be able to go back to normal behavior, normal life, and go back to work and begin to work and plow the fields and plant the corn and do the things that you need to do. And then you'll be able to receive of the crops. It's not going to come and be stolen by the king of Assyria or the Syrians or some enemy. You're going to get to partake. You're going to do the labor. You're going to partake of the rewards of it in the third year. God is able to declare ahead of time that

this specific timeframe, here's what's going to happen over the next three years. God goes on to say, there's going to be a remnant that is maintained, that survives this. A remnant, it's a small group of people who have survived this attack of the people of Assyria. Judah has been reduced severely by Assyria, but God says, I'm going to preserve you.

And that remnant is going to be established. The roots are going to go down. They're going to be not just, you know, on the fear, on the run, you know, always moving about to about, place to place. No, no, no. They're going to be established. You're going to build homes and plant vineyards and plow fields. And you're going to be established in the land once again. And then you're going to bear fruit. You're going to be fruitful. There's going to be a good life for you as a result of this deliverance.

In verse 32, Think about the power of God here. God declares ahead of time, How much effort does it take to shoot an arrow? It's not much.

And it's to that degree that God is going to give them victory and preserve them. Not even one arrow is going to be shot. They're not even going to start to lay siege to the city. They're not even going to bring a shield to Jerusalem. They're not going to start the attack. It's not going to happen. God is going to lead them away before any of that could begin.

In verse 33, he says, by the way that he came, by the same he shall return and he shall not come into this city, says the Lord. Think about the power of God here. He declares the exact timeframe.

He declares they will not shoot even one arrow. And when they go back, they're going to go the same route by which they came. God is able to declare ahead of time all of the details exactly about how this is going to go down and how Assyria is going to be led away in shame. God says in verse 34, for I will defend this city to save it for my own sake and for my servant David's sake. For my sake, God says, I'm going to do all of this.

Because Hezekiah prayed. Again, it's important to understand Hezekiah has aligned himself with God. He's pursuing God's will. He's seeking God's glory. He's brought the people to repentance, to turn back, to follow the Lord. They had not been walking with God.

And even though they deserved judgment as a result, they have repented. There has been a turning. They've aligned themselves with God. And so now God says, I will defend this city for my own sake, for my name's sake, for my servant David's sake, I will do this. Because they were aligned with the will of God, the glory of God, the purposes of God. God is going to do this mighty work because Hezekiah did.

It reminds me of the words of Jesus in John chapter 14. Talking to his disciples, he says, Whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. Sometimes people read this verse and go, All right, I can finally get that BMW that I've always wanted. Anything I ask in Jesus' name.

Jesus is not saying that. He's not declaring himself to be the divine genie to just give us whatever we want because we say the magic words in the name of Jesus. But Jesus here talking to his disciples says, look, whatever you ask in my name, I will do so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. There's a lot of things that we ask that have nothing to do with the glory of God.

That's what James was saying. The things that you do ask for, you don't receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your own pleasures. You have selfish motivations. You haven't aligned yourself with the will of God and the plan of God. You're not interested in the glory of God. And so there's not a promise that those prayer requests will be answered. There's not a promise that God will do those things, but you align yourself with the will of God. You seek after the glory of God. And then whatever you ask in the name of the Lord will be done.

Because the Father desires to glorify the name of Jesus. That we would look to him. That others around us would see the work of God, the power of God. That the Father would be glorified by the name of Jesus as we walk with him, as we are his people. If we ask anything in his name, which is not just anything that we come up with, but anything that is consistent with his character and for his glory, the Lord says, I will do it.

God has power to preserve his people. And because Hezekiah prayed, because he prayed from a position of repentance and aligned himself with the will of God as he prayed, God says, because you've prayed, I'm going to do this work. I'm going to preserve you. And I'm going to bring about this great victory. It's a really good reminder for us. Sometimes it feels like our prayers don't matter. And you know, frankly, sometimes they don't matter.

Because we ask amiss. We're asking for selfish reasons. But listen, if we will come to a place of repentance, if we will seek after the heart of God, the will of God, if we will pursue the glory of God, when we pray, it makes a big difference. The power of God is at work and able to work some things he's not going to do unless we invite him to do it. Unless we ask him to do it. We can unleash the power of God through prayer.

It's not that it's not his will. It's not that it's not his desire, but some things he's just giving you the opportunity to participate in his plan. He's waiting for you to ask. And so I want to encourage you. Let's all be men and women of prayer who come from a place of repentance, not pride, but seeking after the will of God and seeking to glorify God and walk in his ways. And let's pray.

for the situations that are at hand. Let's pray for the battles that we face. Let's pray for the things that are going on in our lives, in our marriages, in our workplace, in the world around us. Let's pray and allow God to be at work in us and through us as a result. I'll close with this quote from Pastor Warren Wiersbe. He says, "'God knows the battles you fight "'and he will give you the help you need. "'Spread the matter before him in faith.'"

and seek to glorify his name. Let's spread it out, just like Hezekiah laid out those letters before the Lord. Let's spread out, casting our cares upon him because he cares for us with the intent, with the desire that his name would be glorified and watch God work through prayer. Let's do that now. Lord, we come before you this morning with these great reminders of the importance and the power of prayer.

Lord, also with the important understanding of the purpose and the objective, Lord, it's not to get my will accomplished here on earth, but Lord, in that example that you set, it's may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Lord, we want to be those who seek your will, who seek your glory, and for you to be honored above all. And so, Lord, we come before you as your people, and we ask that you would help us to be men and women of prayer.

Lord, that we would allow you to be at work powerfully in our lives and through our lives as we seek to walk with you and bring honor to your name. And God, I pray for each one of us. There's battles that we face. There's situations that are happening in our lives and happening in the lives of people around us. And Lord, we just take this moment to lift them up before you, to spread them out before you. Lord, would you do a work for your name's sake.

that you might be glorified. Would you work mightily, not because we're worthy, not because we've earned it or deserve it, but because of your grace and your mercy and your desire to do good. We pray that you would do the works that need to be done, that your power would be known, that people might understand and see and be reminded of who you are, your love, your mercy, your compassion, and your power. Pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.