"We're in deep. The odds are stacked against us. Defeat is all but certain. But let's be optimistic." These are either the ravings of a mad man or someone of incredible faith.
"Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah." (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)
Call it the audacity of faith and hope. No man and no country had thus far escaped the shock and awe military campaigns of mighty King Sennacharib. And now they stood outside the Jerusalem walls menacingly taunting both the king and the God of Israel and Judah. With "the horde that is with him" in full view, Hezekiah declared that "the one with us is greater than the one with him". Is he nuts? The full military might of the mightiest army of the world is outside the gates and "the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah." Outrageous as his words sounded, they were credible to his listening subjects. His faith and hope was theirs as well.
"King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven. And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword." (2 Chronicles 32:20-21)
Resolute faith and fervent prayer literally saved the day. The One True God fought the battle and secured the victory. The world's mightiest leader returned home in defeat to face death at the hands of his own family.
Such stories seem almost like fiction to many of us today. David and Goliath battles seem rare and relegated to another era of mighty miracles. Or are they? Is the almost-impossible victory over cancer through faith and prayer by a child of God any less a miracle? Is the miraculous provision of daily need for the family devastated by job loss not on par with the defeat of Sennacharib's army?
The One greater than the mightiest army of the day then is the One Who is with us today. The vast might and resources of the realm of the Kingdom of God are as much at our disposal as they were to Hezekiah. It is all for us to resolutely believe and fervently pray for.
There are battles for each of us to face today. A marriage crisis. A parenting impasse. Diminishing finances. Emotional battles. Sharp conflict. They loom as large as a mighty army. But a man of faith and prayer facing a literal battle with a massive army offers us this hope for our battles today: "Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed ... for the one with us is greater than the one with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles."
The victory is ours through Him.
Steve
"Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah." (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)
Call it the audacity of faith and hope. No man and no country had thus far escaped the shock and awe military campaigns of mighty King Sennacharib. And now they stood outside the Jerusalem walls menacingly taunting both the king and the God of Israel and Judah. With "the horde that is with him" in full view, Hezekiah declared that "the one with us is greater than the one with him". Is he nuts? The full military might of the mightiest army of the world is outside the gates and "the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah." Outrageous as his words sounded, they were credible to his listening subjects. His faith and hope was theirs as well.
"King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven. And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword." (2 Chronicles 32:20-21)
Resolute faith and fervent prayer literally saved the day. The One True God fought the battle and secured the victory. The world's mightiest leader returned home in defeat to face death at the hands of his own family.
Such stories seem almost like fiction to many of us today. David and Goliath battles seem rare and relegated to another era of mighty miracles. Or are they? Is the almost-impossible victory over cancer through faith and prayer by a child of God any less a miracle? Is the miraculous provision of daily need for the family devastated by job loss not on par with the defeat of Sennacharib's army?
The One greater than the mightiest army of the day then is the One Who is with us today. The vast might and resources of the realm of the Kingdom of God are as much at our disposal as they were to Hezekiah. It is all for us to resolutely believe and fervently pray for.
There are battles for each of us to face today. A marriage crisis. A parenting impasse. Diminishing finances. Emotional battles. Sharp conflict. They loom as large as a mighty army. But a man of faith and prayer facing a literal battle with a massive army offers us this hope for our battles today: "Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed ... for the one with us is greater than the one with him. With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles."
The victory is ours through Him.
Steve
posted by steve @ 9:31 AM
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