February 26, 2016
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

How to Pray Confidently

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Mighty God, help me to experience Your power today. And when I see Your power at work, remind me to be grateful for it.

Read 2 KINGS 19:1-19

[1] When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD. [2] He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. [3] They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. [4] It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule the living God, and that he will rebuke him for the words the LORD your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant that still survives.” [5] When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, [6] Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard-those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. [7] Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.'” [8] When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah. [9] Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: [10] “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ [11] Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? [12] Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver them-the gods of Gozan, Harran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? [13] Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?” [14] Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. [15] And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. [16] Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. [17] “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. [18] 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. [19] Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, LORD, are God.”

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (Jas. 5:16).

The clever speech of Sennacherib’s officials (2 Kings 18:28-35) goes too far in ridiculing and blaspheming Judah’s living God (19:22) and so the battle lines are clearly drawn. The result is the Assyrian king’s untimely death (36,37). In the meantime Hezekiah has every reason to worry. Does his worry show a lack of trust? No, because of what he does with it, spreading it out before the Lord (14), seeking his reply through the prophet (2). Unlike most previous kings, Hezekiah is choosing to rely on the Lord and he gets a response (20). God always delights in hearing his people pray.

At its simplest, prayer is the cry of children to their father. As maturing disciples there is much we can learn about how to pray. Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer to teach us (Matt. 6:9-13). Hezekiah’s prayer is another instructive example. First, the way he addresses God (15)–we do not presume to enter lightly into God’s holy presence. Next, the request (16-19a)–we should be specific but leave it to God to give us what is for our good. We need not be afraid about the outcome. Our trust is in his goodness, not in getting what we ask for. Finally, the result (19b)–“so that” is an additional clarifying step. We are not trying to persuade a reluctant judge, but making sure in our own heart that we are asking for the right reasons. God hears us whether or not we have all the arguments right, but examination of our motives in his presence is part of our relationship. Thankfully, “…the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Rom. 8:26).

Just as Hezekiah didn’t know in advance how God would answer his prayer and fulfill the prophecy, neither do we–but until he does we can rest in his love.

Apply

Use Hezekiah’s pattern for prayer–be specific and confident as you pray today.

Closing prayer

Lord, I resonate with the disciples who needed and desired to be taught to pray. Lord, teach me.

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