Desperate Prayer for the Nation
“And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.
Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries,
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 have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.” (Isaiah 37:15-20)
Judah was in deep trouble. The Assyrians had conquered many countries. Now Judah’s turn. Sennacherib the Assyrian king had sent his commander Rabshakeh and an army to tell Judah in so many words, “We’re coming to take over. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Rabshakeh also said, “Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?” (Isaiah 36:20) In other words, “The other nations’ gods couldn’t help them. Your God can’t help you.”
Hezekiah was Judah’s king. He had good reason to be scared. The Assyrians were powerful. Moreover, Judah had become entrenched with sin on many levels, and God had let His people be taken captive in the past for this reason. Why shouldn’t He do it again? Yet Hezekiah prayed, acknowledging that God is sovereign. He also asked God to help, not for Judah’s sake, but for God’s name to be glorified: “…that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.” God answered Hezekiah’s prayer wonderfully and delivered Judah.
America was founded on faith in God and reliance on Him. The Declaration of Independence talks of “…appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions,” and of “…a firm reliance on the protection of Divine providence,” Yet America is now very sin-laden and God is largely forgotten on many levels. Is America in trouble? Well, the Taliban ordered us out of Afghanistan by August 31. We obeyed. This is the same Taliban that helped Al-Qaeda attack us on 9/11. If they can push us around, what will we do if a superpower nation gets hostile?
We can–we must–pray. If you’re a leader or a citizen, do what Hezekiah did. Pray. Pray often. Recognize God is sovereign. Ask His forgiveness for America’s sins. Ask for His help, not so America can be great, but so God will be glorified. If you’re a leader, use your position to vote on commonsense steps to remedy problems, but pray first. We must see that we need God’s help. God can answer our prayers as He did Hezekiah’s. Yet we need to pray.
Do you want to see in the Bible how to have your sins forgiven and have a home in heaven? please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links”, then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 9/13/2021
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822