“The living God is among you…”
Have you ever had a time when someone one-uped you?
You have the ability, you have diligently put in the effort, and the time has arrived for everything to come together. Instead, another colleague, acquaintance, or stranger steps in and steals your entrance, the job, or says what you were going to say.
Those are singular moments in time, but life is filled with a million moments of should haves, closed doors, or someone else who gets the credit. What we need are solid solutions when facing risks, complete confidence with no regrets, and a dependence on the divine to do what we can not.
I love the bold prayer of Hezekiah from 2 Kings 19. The Assyrian king threatened the Israelites with war. The threats of attack were not the only intimidating accusations made by the Assyrian king. He pridefully enticed King Hezekiah not to rely on their God. “Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria” (2 Kings 19:10, NLT).
Typical enemy tactics will attempt to weaken the opponent with discouragement and intimidation. The Assyrian king tried to one-up Hezekiah, king of Judah before any actions occurred.
The declaration made by the Assyrian King on the futility of relying on their God was not made once but twice. When Hezekiah first heard the accusations, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and sent word for the prophet Isaiah. The second time, Hezekiah went straight to the Lord and told God all about it.
“Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations 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 alone, Lord, are God.” (2 Kings 19:16-19, NLT)
Hezekiah referred to God as the “living” God. The Hebrew word “hay” represents life in contrast to the other lifeless gods made by human hands. “They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk” (Psalm 115:4-7, NRSVUE).
In the Bible, when God was referred to as the Living God, the descriptor reflected the need for God to act, respond, and defend. The label was also given to God in honor and tribute to God when He revealed Himself through acting, responding, and defending.
We, too, need the Living God to come through for us, to speak, see, hear, and move on our behalf. We need Him to rise up and act to show Himself as the Living God working on our behalf. (Romans 8:28) When we need the Living God to intervene as Hezekiah did, we must also pray with bended knees and hearts.
O LORD, bend down Your ear and hear; LORD, open Your eyes and see;
hear the [taunting] words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to taunt and defy the living God. It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have devastated the nations and their lands and have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not [real] gods but [only] the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they [could destroy them and] have destroyed them.
Now, O LORD our God, please, save us from his hand so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know [without any doubt] that You alone, O LORD, are God. (2 Kings 19:15-19, AMP)
What can we learn from Hezekiah’s Prayer?
- We need to call on the Living God who hears our prayers and sees our needs.
- We need to confess everything (all that has happened and been said) to the Living God, who desires honesty and humility.
- We need to ask the Living God to act on our behalf.
- We need to believe the Living God will act for His name’s sake and not for our glory.
- We need to remember that the Living God is the one and only true God.
The bold ask of God by Hezekiah was balanced out with humility. The king appealed to God to act not to make Hezekiah look good, but to show the world that God’s people worship the Living God.
When we call on the Living God, we, too, need the mindset of the global impact, not just our personal gain. Others may seek to one-up us, but we need to point others to the One and only God. Giving credit to God for the movement in our life is our testimony, our witness to those who are watching that our God is not deaf, silent, inactive, or uncaring, but One who hears, speaks, acts, and cares.
Our God is The Living God.
“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but your name give glory” (Psalm 115:1, NRSVUE).
Because I know you are the Living God, in faith, I will…
I pray that you will know the truth in real and tangible ways that God is Living. May your faith be emboldened from following a God who is active in your life. May the Living God bless you as you give Him the credit for all that is good in your life. In Jesus’ name, so be it.
Meditate: God is alive.
Reflect: What does a Living God mean to you? Where in your life do you need God most to act? When God works, how can you give Him the credit? What components of Hezekiah’s prayer need to be incorporated into your prayers?
Deeper: 2 Kings 19:1-20, 34-37; Psalm 42:1-2; Psalm 115:1-9; Daniel 6:25-27; Acts 17:22-25
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(Bible References: NRSVUE – New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, NLT – New Living Translation, AMP – Amplified Version)
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