Following the Rabshakeh’s (king of Assyria’s) mocking of God, King Hezekiah sends messengers to Isaiah to ask for help. While waiting for a response, Hezekiah goes to the temple to pray.
” ‘O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of [Assyria’s king], which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.’ ” (v16-20)
When we pray, it’s important to remember that God, the Lord of all Creation, doesn’t owe us anything – not even His attention. We are a sinful people, and deserving of death / consequences. Yet, God promises to hear all who call upon His name in alignment with His will (1 Jn 5:14). He also promises grace and mercy to those who humble themselves and acknowledge who He truly is (Rm 3:21-31).
King Hezekiah models several key concepts in his prayer that I suggest we consider:
– he acknowledges who God is and His sovereignty
– he asks for God to hear (God does not even owe us His attention)
– he explains the situation (God knows everything already, however, God still wants us to pray specifically for our own benefit of understanding)
– he requests that God save them so that God would be glorified
The first and last points are probably the most important: ideally, God is to be acknowledged and glorified in all words and actions (both ours and His). No, God is not a narcissist, that’s a sinful fallacy / attitude. He is God, He is Lord, He is the Sovereign One, so we need to acknowledge, praise, and glorify Him. In doing so we are properly humbled and can be redeemed in alignment with God’s will and promises.
Father God, our Sovereign Lord and Creator, You are the one and only true God. Please hear our plea for forgiveness, for we have sinned greatly. Please deliver us from temptation, so we may display a Christlike obedience in our words and actions. Please cleanse our hearts and tongues, guiding our words through Your Spirit, so that all may see Your glory through us. We praise Your holy and magnificent name, both now and forever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training