Hezekiah's Prayer

Isaiah 37:14-19	Main Points
Hezekiah, King of Judah, received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and... went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. Then he prayed to the Lord, saying:	In response to a life-threatening message from an overwhelming enemy  that mocked God, the king of Judah sought God, showed Him the challenge, and prayed ...
"O Lord of hosts, God of Israel...	God reigns as King over all the armies of heaven. His covenant promises guarantee a spiritual shelter for  those who trust and follow Him.
"You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.	Other nations worship gods made of wood and stone, but only God reigns as the sovereign Creator and King of the universe.
"Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.	Hezekiah's main appeal is to God's honor -- not his own safety.
"Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone."	Since the enemy mocked God's name, Hezekiah prays that God would demonstrate His divine power through a mighty victory that will prove His surpassing power.

See also 1 Corinthians 10-1-13

We need to learn from history. God's people had lost their land and freedom because they disobeyed God and participated in the spreading corruption. Similar conditions have corrupted nations and devastated people whenever and wherever God's people chose to conform to the world, rejecting -- willingly or in ignorance -- the wisdom of the only King who can bring genuine peace and triumph.

Ponder this excerpt from America's Spiritual Slide

End time events fit the same Biblical patterns demonstrated in Old Testament history. Then as now, those who turned from truth to “other gods,” faced devastating consequences. The book of Judges shows the oft-repeated cycle:  

1. Peace and prosperity: God's gifts to the people He loved.

2. Apathy and compromise: They took His gifts for granted and forgot to thank Him.

3. Rebellion (humanism) and paganism: They traded God for other sources of strength. "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft." (1 Samuel 15:23)

4. Famine, war, plagues and slaver: Showing the people the inadequacy of their own resources, God would bring them back to Himself.

5. Confession and repentance: The people recognized their need for God.

6. God hears, saves and restores: He blesses His people with peace -- as long as they follow Him. When they turn to other gods, He stands back and waits.

This cycle applies not only to Old Testament times. God warned us that we could face similar destruction:

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.” (1 Cor. 10:6-10)

Yet, our times are different. The vast communication network for occult indoctrination, the proliferation of spiritual counterfeits, the acceleration of demonic activity, and today’s ignorance of occult dangers have set the stage for potential unprecedented evils. In light of Biblical prophecy, the above cycle could soon become a downward spiral leading to persecution and the cruel reign of the antichrist.

But those who know God need not be afraid. While we await His coming, our King offers spiritual protection and ultimate victory to all who trust and follow Him. So let us wear the whole Armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18), stand firm in Jesus Christ together, and “run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus.…” (Hebrews 12:2-3) He has promised us,

"If God is for us, who can be against us? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

"... in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:31-9