Writing letters has become a lost art.  With email, Facebook, texting, etc. we rarely write anything anymore.  It’s probably evident that I love to write.  In fact, if something is bothering me or weighing heavily on my mind the best thing for me to do is to write it all out.  It helps me to gain perspective on the situation.

One of the most significant lessons I learned this year as I studied the book of Isaiah had to do with a letter.  Before I give the scripture passage some background information might be helpful.  King Hezekiah was reigning in Judah when they were invaded by the Assyrians.  At that time Assyria was the biggest threat around.  King Hezekiah had his faults but basically sought the Lord’s counsel through the prophet Isaiah.  Threats were brought to the king verbally but then Hezekiah received a threatening letter.  The following passage is referred to as Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance:

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.  And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD:  “LORD Almighty, 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.  Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

“It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. 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.  Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are the only God.”  Isaiah 37:14-20 NIV

At the time I studied this passage I was overwhelmed with tasks almost to the point of panic.  Based on what Hezekiah had done, I wrote a letter to the Lord telling him all that was on my plate.  Then I laid the letter before the Lord and prayed that He would handle all the details.  He then enabled me in ways that I could not have imagined!  I don’t want to give the impression that it was somehow “magical” but what it demonstrated is my willingness to let go of my control and will and submit it to the Lord. 

Hezekiah’s prayer was that the result of Judah’s deliverance would be that all nations would see the power of Judah’s God.  That, too, is my prayer.  Certainly the Lord has given me abilities but I could accomplish nothing of value without His guidance and strength.

By the way, while my prayers were indeed answered, the results were nowhere near as dramatic as Hezekiah’s answer. 

Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!  So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisrok, his sons Adrammelek and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as king.  Isaiah 37:36-38 NIV

To put it simply, when the King of Assyria saw all those dead bodies, he high-tailed it out of there only to be killed by his own sons soon thereafter.  I’m guessing that the surrounding nations DID take notice of Judah’s God. 

When God answers your prayers, do others take notice of the Lord or do you keep the glory all to yourself?  How could you use Hezekiah’s prayer as a model for your prayers to God?  I recommend pen and paper but that’s just me (oh, and Hezekiah!).

Have a great day!