Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

Never before had they been tasked to bring this type of message to the king. Reeking of arrogance, it played more like a dirge than an offer for peaceful surrender. Every sentence was laced with defiance. The message Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah carried to Hezekiah was clear.  They were coming to conquer Jerusalem. They had conquered every other nearby nation. Samaria had been captured. Israel led away into exile. Assyria had recently captured Judah’s fortified cities. Jerusalem was the last stronghold. There was no reason to believe they couldn’t win this war as well, the damage would be irreparable, the death toll would be astronomical, the end result would be typical. The Assyrians felt certain they would be triumphant.  

Success had made them an arrogant lot. Boasting and bragging was part of their battle strategy. When it worked, they never had to lift a sword or aim an arrow. This likely wasn’t the first time they had come against an enemy flaunting their track record and spouting their filth. It is, however, possibly the first time they so astonishingly exaggerated their endorsements. Hollering out across the land, they claimed God, the very One to whom King Hezekiah so closely clung, had sent Assyria on a mission to destroy Jerusalem. Swore they had His full approval. Vowed that nothing and no one could or would stop their destructive destiny. And in the hearts of men across Jerusalem, their verbal arrows sowed seeds of doubt and fear. Doubt that God was planning to rescue them. Fear of what would happen if He didn’t. 

As the disconcerting words and reports fell on Hezekiah’s ears, his heart seized with pain for his people. The mantle of kingly responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders. They needed a rescue. He didn’t have one. He had no idea how to defeat the Assyrian army.  But he knew Someone who did. 

In a move that must have puzzled every soul in royal employ, Hezekiah didn’t send Eliakim to call for a round table with his heads of national security. He didn’t send Shebna sprinting about with messages for generals to rally the troops. He didn’t have Asaph quietly request the presence of his most trusted advisors for a clandestine meeting to sort out the coming chaos. No. He had a more important meeting to attend. Throwing off his robe of majesty, Hezekiah donned his sackcloth of humility, entered the house of the Lord, and sent out only one message. A simple prayer request to the prophet Isaiah. 

“We stand under threat of capture and oppression at the hand of the Assyrians. They say God is behind it. He isn’t. I know better. I know God heard every blasphemous word that came from Rabshakeh’s mouth. And I am asking you, prophet of the living God, to offer a prayer of deliverance on our behalf.” 

No prayer by Isaiah is recorded. Perhaps none was necessary. Perhaps God’s anger was already so incited by the ridiculous words of Assyria that He answered before a prayer could be uttered. It doesn’t matter. Only His answer does. In words clear and concise, leaving nothing to interpretation, God’s answer came, “Don’t worry about that putrid spew of verbal vomit you just heard. You will be fine. I’ve got this.” (II Kings 19:6)

Returning to his ranks, awaiting a reply, Rabshakeh found a different situation. Instead of lying in wait for the signal to capture Jerusalem, the king of Assyria engaged in a different war. Not to be deterred, Rabshakeh dashed off a second round of reckless sputum to Hezekiah, even more blasphemous than the first. “Don’t relax. We will be back for you. You can’t trust your God to save you, no matter what He said. Here is a list of the kings we’ve defeated. Do the math. Does it really seem likely you will be spared?” (II Kings 19:8-13)

 Upon receiving the letter, Hezekiah does what we know from experience he will do. Pray. Once again, Hezekiah makes the trek to the house of the Lord. Unrolling the scroll, he meticulously smooths out the curls and wrinkles. Turning the words toward heaven, he lays that horrific letter before the Lord. Then, in calm, measured, unhurried sentences, Hezekiah begins to pray. His words are a bit surprising. They are not the expected words of a man holding a death threat. They are words of exaltation to the God who has never let Him down. Words that remind Hezekiah himself that he is talking to the One Being who is in charge of it all. Every king. Every kingdom. All of Heaven. Every inch of earth. The One who sits enthroned above the cherubim watching, acting, working on behalf of His people. 

Because Hezekiah needed to hear those words. He needed to remind himself that his requests were not falling on deaf ears. They were not knocking against brass heavens. His desperate need to salvage his people might be above his pay grade, but nothing is above God’s. In this moment of frustration, concern, consternation, and cluelessness, the God who handles the affairs of the entire universe was still Sovereign, He had not relinquished the reins, He had not abdicated His throne, and He would never, will never turn a blind eye to the discouragement and despair of His people.

Basing his words on the truth he knew about God and rooting his prayer in the depths of his faith, Hezekiah boldly brings his request to the God he has trusted, followed, clung to from the beginning of his reign. A prayer for God to hear the things Assyria was saying. Things that rained fear and worry upon the people of Jerusalem. Much of their boasting was true. The Assyrians had devastated many lands. They had a reputation for ruining and pillaging and capturing nation after nation. On the outside, their reign of terror appeared limitless. Maybe it had been. Until now. They hadn’t come up against Hezekiah’s God yet. 

Assyria’s experience with the majestic, sovereign God of the universe is clearly lacking. They have no idea what they are up against. Hezekiah does. That’s why he’s kneeling there in the Lord’s house, parchment spread before him, fervently entreating God to deliver Judah from Assyria. Not because the people deserve a break. Not even because Hezekiah has now twice sought the Lord concerning the matter. No. Hezekiah is praying that God will deliver them so that He alone will be lifted up, so every kingdom on earth, upon hearing of the salvation of Judah, will know that He is God alone. There is no one before or beside Him. The Lord is God–the only God–in Heaven and on earth, and He is alive and working on behalf of His people. 

In words that speak peace to my soul centuries after they were spoken from God to Isaiah to Hezekiah, the answer comes, “Because you prayed to Me…I have heard you.” Because you prayed before you sought human advice. Because you prayed before you tried human machinations. Because you came to God before you approached human conference tables. Those B.C. words echo into my A.D. mind as a reminder to pray first, talk later. They remind me to hit my knees before I tap the speed dial, send a text, shoot off my mouth. They constantly prod me to pray first, pray often, pray about everything. (II Kings 18-19)

Because I serve the same God Hezekiah served. The God who sits in Heaven and watches every action of every man. The God who knows the hearts and minds of every person on earth. The God who speaks and plans and promises things that no one can thwart or change or negate. The God who promised to be with us, strengthen us, help us, and uphold us. The God who, although the world seems to be spinning out of control at an alarming rate, has never relinquished His sovereign omnipotence. He is still seated on His throne. He is still listening to the cries of His people. And we can trust Him. (Isaiah 14:27, 43:13; Romans 8:28; Job 42:2; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 47:8; Psalm 145:13; Proverbs 15:3) 

In a world where nothing is trustworthy, where sin runs rampant, where the advice of a friend is skewed to their personal opinion, where human plans and machinations fall sadly short of the mark, you can trust God. You can bring Him anything, everything. The nasty rumors someone spread. The evil words spoken against you. The things that make you feel hurt and defeated and tired. Bring them to Him. Bring it all to Him. The questionable test results. The redundancy notice. The bill that’s bigger than your bank balance. Literally lay it in front of Him. He is not surprised by any of it. He’s prepared for all of it. No weapon formed against you can prosper when you pray about it. (Philippians 4:6-7; Isaiah 41:17; Isaiah 54:17; Psalm 66:19; Psalm 102:16-17)

So lay down your cell phone. Don’t phone a friend. Don’t shoot off a text. Turn it off entirely. Lay it all aside. Take your cue from Hezekiah. Pray about it. In humility, fervency, urgency, come boldly to the throne of grace and faithfully make your requests to Almighty God. Don’t be shy. Remember who your God is. Remember His power. Remember His promises. And ask. Ask for that uncrossable river to be forded. Ask for that mountain to be removed. Ask for streams in the desert and paths through your wilderness. Ask and watch God answer. Because He will answer. It might not be the way you think it should be. It might not be the grandiose miracle for which you hoped. It might not be what you think you want. It will be what you need. Right on time. Every time. God will hear. God will answer. Because you prayed. (Jeremiah 32:17; Psalm 91:15; Mark 11:23; I Peter 3:12; I John 5:15; Psalm 32:6)