Title "Let's Pray Like Hezekiah" (September 7.
Contents
Pray like Hezekiah
(2 Kings 19:1-7)
Most countries on Earth divide their history into BC and AD (…) Individuals also have BC and AD. The ‘I’ before I knew Jesus and the ‘I’ that was changed by confessing Jesus as my Lord can be divided into BC and AD. Also, they compare life to soccer and express BC as the first half and AD as the second half.(…) Even if you play a little wrong in the first half, if you reflect on the first half at half time, you can do better in the second half. ) At what age is halftime? How old is the first half and how old does the second half start? Age doesn't matter. “Who stands at the center of our lives?” and “Who speaks to me?” are more important.(…) The first half and the second half are different depending on who forms the values.(…) God is the second half of 2008 He tells us to start learning the wisdom of Hezekiah. So, what did Hezekiah do in the face of life's problems?
① I repented.
Repentance starts with knowing how to look at yourself. If you do not see yourself, you cannot even repent. Hezekiah was a king who was good at politics.(…) He did not leave God in union with God and kept the commandments. But when trouble came, he did not complain and repented. Repentance is changing the subject of your life. Therefore, when we repent, our spirit is cleansed, and the Holy Spirit of God comes upon us. And He gives grace to solve our problems.(…) Have you encountered a difficult problem? No matter how hard I try, if the problem is beyond my own strength, I need to prepare for God to intervene in this problem. I hope you have the wisdom to look at yourself and repent.
② I went to the temple and prayed.
When Hezekiah encountered a difficult problem, he tore his clothes, put on linen, and repented, and went straight to the temple. And I prayed to God (…) When do I pray? That's what I do when I'm short. That's what I do when I'm weak. When I think I am not enough, I begin to pray. When I am despairing and frustrated, I put my hope in God (…) I hope that you will come to the place of prayer like Hezekiah. The power of prayer lies in making us realize the love and grace of the living God. Prayer is coming to God with faith greater than doubt and faith greater than fear.
③ I asked for help.
After Hezekiah repented and went to the temple to pray to God, he chose Elijah Kim and a representative from among the scribes and priests instead of the palace to put them on sackcloth and send them to Isaiah to ask for help. “I am pregnant with a child, but I do not have the strength to give birth,” she said. He remembered that the king of Assyria had blasphemed God and asked him to pray.(…) Then Isaiah delivered the word that God had answered, and in the end 185,000 people were killed and Sennacherib was assassinated according to the word.(…)
Think of Hezekiah. How can you handle the hundreds of thousands of troops of Assyria, a powerful power that destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel and overthrew the southern kingdom of Judah by driving its momentum? You have no choice but to stand still and give up. But he (…) pleaded with God for help and played in the second half. Assyria retreated. Sennacherib was assassinated. Hezekiah lived 15 more years before he died. God does not leave us alone today. Standing still makes you sick. Take the test and fall. What to do, how to... Please come to the place where God is. Amen.