Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

Heavy steps crunched the dried dirt and gravel on the road to the temple. Burdened steps. Troubled steps. Receipt of the letter had served to underscore what he already knew. Assyria wasn’t backing down. Although they’d been drawn aside by another skirmish for now, it wouldn’t last. They’d be back. They were far too arrogant to stay away. Far too bloodthirsty to retreat. Far too certain of victory. Proof of their intent was clutched in Hezekiah’s hand.  

The letter wouldn’t be read publicly. It would serve no purpose except to cause panic and mayhem. Again. The preceding visit from the Assyrian commanders had done enough damage. The words they’d yelled out over the land had struck terror in every heart. Horrifying threats. Egregious lies. Unfounded claims. Assertions that God had sent the Assyrians to attack and destroy Judah. Most alarmingly, they held that Hezekiah, the king who did right in the eyes of the Lord, removed the offensive high places, trusted God, and refused to stop following Him, was misleading the people. God couldn’t deliver His people. Or He simply wouldn’t. Either way, the words evoked distress throughout the kingdom. (II Kings 18:12-37)

Hezekiah certainly knew the feeling. Upon hearing the report of the field commander’s words, he’d torn his clothes, donned sackcloth, raced to the temple, and fell before the Lord in desperation. Men had urgently been dispatched to God’s prophet Isaiah, searching for words from God. Words they greatly needed to hear. Helpful words of wisdom. Hopeful words of help. Calming words of hope. They needed them. Badly. They’d be lost without direction from above. Crying out to God until the answer arrived, Hezekiah must have breathed a sigh of relief when his men walked back through the door with the answer. Everyone needed to calm down. God isn’t deaf or blind. He’d heard the lies. He’d seen the fear. He was already working. With no effort from Hezekiah, no returning volley of verbal harassment, no militant positioning of troops, the Assyrian envoy retreated. Went off to fight another battle. Focused on a different war. At least for the moment.  (II Kings 19:1-8)

Unfortunately, it seems Sennacherib wasn’t the forgetful type. Finding it necessary to defend his own kingdom from incoming marauders, he put his lust to conquer Judah aside and headed home. In his wake, he sent a messenger bearing the missive Hezekiah now held in his hand. The one reiterating what had been screamed over the walls of the city for all and sundry to hear. Don’t hope to depend on God. He won’t save you. Can’t save you. Nothing in which you hope will stop your defeat. We are coming. Brace yourself. Today, just as before, Hezekiah was on his way to do so.  

On this day, however, his steps toward the temple were slower. His confidence a notch higher. His faith a bit stronger. But his heart was not much lighter. The king of Assyria had clearly stated he wasn’t going to forget his thirst to conquer Judah. He would be back. Sooner or later. Weeks. Months. Years. It didn’t matter how long he had to wait. He would come and wipe them out. Hezekiah and his people could count on it. Plan for it. Prepare for it. No matter what they did, they’d never stop it. Even in writing, Sennacharib’s arrogance was palpable. Believable. Reprehensible. 

The letter had shaken Hezekiah, but not moved him. Still resting in the previous promise and rescue of God for His people, he made the walk up the path to the temple. He needed to talk to God. Show Him the letter. Ask for guidance. Look for assurance. Remind himself Who his God was. Encourage himself to believe, to spread the word, that the same God who delivered them before was ready and willing to do it again. Not just to bring deliverance to Judah, but to let all the kingdoms over the entire earth then, and every generation to come, know that He is God. Alone. 

Entering the temple, Hezekiah dropped to his knees and unfolded the letter. He carefully smoothed the creases. Pressed out a bent corner. Wiped away a dirty smudge collected in its travels. Arranging his thoughts as well as the paper, Hezekiah leaned down and spread the missive out before the Lord. Not because God didn’t know what it said. Not because God needed a reference. Not because Hezekiah thought God needed to see it to believe it. No. Hezekiah spread that letter before the Lord as a symbol to himself that he was surrendering both the problem and the outcome to Almighty God. Then Hezekiah prayed. 

It is arguably one of the most beautiful prayers of the Old Testament. Artistically crafted words painting a fantastic reminder of who Hezekiah’s God is. Sovereign God. Reigning king. Creator. Sustainer. The One who sees all things, knows all things, and acts on behalf of His people. Triumphant Commander. Valiant Warrior. God. Alone. And although there was truth in the Assyrian king’s boasting about past victories over other nations and their hand-crafted gods of wood and stone, one absolute truth remained. They hadn’t seen anything like Hezekiah’s God. Not yet. (II Kings 19:9-19)

They would, though. At the right time, in the right way, God would move. That was the message Hezekiah received from Isaiah as he knelt there with the letter spread before the Lord. God had heard Hezekiah’s prayer just as loudly as He’d heard the ridiculing words of the Assyrian commanders. And God. Had. Spoken. Sennacherib wouldn’t be coming. Not now. Not ever. There was no need to prepare the army. No reason to stockpile supplies. No cause for fear or concern. Not even one Assyrian arrow would fly into their city. It wouldn’t happen. God wouldn’t allow it. He was coming to save them. To leave a legacy for posterity. To prove to people far and wide, for centuries to come that He is God. Alone. And that He answers the prayers of His people who spread their concerns, their needs, their hearts before Him. (II Kings 19:20, 23, 32-34; Isaiah 37:33-35)

You see, friend, you don’t have to be facing annihilation to bring your cares before God. He wants you to come to Him. First. Skip the social media post, the phone call to a friend, the counsel of your neighbor, and go to God first. Lay your issue out before Him. Physically, if necessary. Spread out every page. Straighten every corner. Leave no edge unturned. Give it to God and get His answer first. Even if you have to wait for it. Surrender your problem, your need, your concern to God and leave it there for Him to handle. Why? So everyone looking on and generations to come will see through your life and understand through your actions that He is God. Alone. And He is trustworthy. (I Timothy 2:1-8; James 5:13; Psalm 55:22; Psalm 56:3; Psalm 86:10; Deuteronomy 7:9)

It’s so much easier said than done. I know. I’m not great at it. Maybe you aren’t either. Surrender isn’t exactly comfortable. Especially for self-sufficient doers like us. We are much happier muddling through our own list of fix-its and repairs. Perhaps what continually spurs me on in this endeavor will inspire you, too. When we surrender our problems, leave them with Him and allow God to be God, the outcome preaches a message our words can never properly convey. God is God. Alone. He needs no help from human hands. He doesn’t require our ideas to clog up a suggestion box. He already has the answer to all our needs and worries, concerns and problems. And He loves us too much to ignore the things we spread out before Him in prayer. So bring your worries, bring your needs, bring your cares. Bring the daunting bill that came in the mail. Bring the reduction in force letter you received at work. Bring the nasty comments from a neighbor, the ugly accusations of a spouse, the discouraging diagnosis, the disastrous evaluation. Whatever it is. Bring it to Him. Lay it down. Spread it out. Pray about it. Weep if you want. But don’t pick it back up. Surrender it. Before you have an answer. Before you know what to do. Before you see the end result. Spread it out before the Lord and leave it there. Let Him work. Trust God to be God. Alone. (Philippians 4:6-7; Romans 12:12; I Peter 5:6-7; Matthew 6:25-26; Psalm 18:31-41; Isaiah 46:9-11; Deuteronomy 32:4)