Thursday, October 6: Isaiah 37- I choose Almighty God.

Yesterday the text left off with Hezekiah facing a dilemma.  What would he do? Today we learn that he turned to the Lord.

Action #1: Hezekiah went to the Temple and sought the Lord in humbleness.

Action #2: He sought an audience with the famed prophet Isaiah and explained the situation.

Action #3: After receiving another threat from Assyria, Hezekiah immediately goes to the Temple and prays again. His prayer is honest and humble… "It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God" (18-20).

God gives His answer through Isaiah and then the Lord delivers Jerusalem as He promised.

Summarizing Hezekiah’s actions were helpful for me.  Faithfulness and choosing the God-honoring action grew out of his connection and relationship with the Lord. Both times Hezekiah faced his dilemma, he immediately turned to the Lord in prayer. I have the distinct impression that his prayers were not the cries of a desperate man turning to his last resort but rather they grew from his life-ingrained custom of seeking God when he had decisions to make.

Maybe I am overstretching my reading but his utter honesty and the immediacy of his turning to prayer are two prime indicators. Seeking the advice and godly word from a trusted spiritual authority gives me another indicator that Hezekiah was serious about his faith and walk with the Lord.

For me, this morning becomes a reminder that if I want to make God-honoring decisions then my first responsibility is to cultivate an on-going relationship with the Lord, so that seeking Him and His advice and counsel in a situation becomes a normal and natural response for me…

Now there’s a nugget to chew on for today! Happy chewing…

Lord, I pray that these times with You each day form the foundation of my connection and relationship with You. I pray that I will grow in my humbleness before You and my honesty with You. Like David I pray that I grow to be a ‘man after Your own heart’ and like Moses, at life’s end, people will say of my life, he was ‘a friend of God’s’. I so love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.