Yet when you learn to trust God with the small things, you will be prepared to trust Him during your own times of crisis. You may not feel like you are facing anything in your life right now like Hezekiah battled. Spend some time considering anywhere your trust feels threatened. In between our problem and God’s rescue, we can trust more and strive less through prayer. We can trust God in our seasons of waiting, knowing that He is working even when we don’t feel it. Isaiah prophesied against Assyria for the remainder of the chapter. Hezekiah also prayed, holding trouble in one hand but acknowledging God’s blessing in another. She got to a place where she believed God was good and powerful even if she never had hair. Other times they acknowledged God’s character and sovereignty in her life. Sometimes her prayers were raw and full of anguish. ![]() During that time, she worked through her questions and doubts. My daughter was bald for more than five years. I long to believe God’s promises, but I struggle in between the promise and the rescue-especially if that season is prolonged. He could trust the word of God spoken by Isaiah or strive in human strength to fix the problem. He prophesied that the king of Assyria would return to his land and be killed. Isaiah told Hezekiah not to be disturbed by a very disturbing situation. Hezekiah’s example reminds us that trusting God doesn’t mean an absence of grief. His faith in God led him to mourn, ask for prayer, and seek God’s word through the prophet Isaiah. Hezekiah didn’t put on a happy face and pretend everything was fine. Instead, he put on scratchy clothes and embraced the gravity of the situation. So, what should we do during the time between the threat of trouble and God’s rescue? In Isaiah 37:1-4 Hezekiah didn’t blame others, negotiate alliances, or seek creature comforts. When our circumstances feel urgent, waiting on the Lord doesn’t always seem like the most prudent posture. Lies of the enemy evidence themselves in a variety of ways. ![]() I doubt your attackers have come in the form of physical armies shouting threats, but perhaps your inner dialogue has included some version of these same lies. Like the field commander, Satan often uses one argument after another hoping to leave his victims feeling hopeless and helpless. These tactics remind us of those used by another enemy of the Lord. 10) and that God was no match for their power ( vv. Some of these arguments made by the commander defy logic. Look around you at the other nations we’ve defeated for evidence that there is no way out ( vv.Slavery is the best option for you ( vv.Your leaders can’t be trusted because Hezekiah is deceiving you to trust in a God who can’t rescue ( vv.God called our nation to punish you ( v.God is mad at you for getting rid of His altars ( v.Words won’t help you against military might ( vv. ![]() He referenced trusting in the Lord seven times ( vv. The commander spoke threatening words to incite fear and undermine trust in Yahweh-the God of Israel. The Assyrian army sent by Sennacherib was “huge” ( v. This is the historical backdrop as we enter the scene of Isaiah 36. In spite of Hezekiah’s payoff, the commander of the Assyrian army came to threaten Judah during the days of Isaiah. King Hezekiah’s story shows us one example of what it looks like to trust God’s plan even when we face circumstances that threaten our security. For me that often looks like freaking out (worry, fear) or excessive planning. When God doesn’t act as quickly as we’d like, we can revert to striving in our human strength to gain our desired result rather than seeking postures that position us for trust. Our focus in Isaiah centers around trusting God’s calendar, which means surrendering to His timing over ours. She wondered if the Lord was unable or unwilling. But her real-life circumstances caused her to question why a God who loved her and had the power to heal her didn’t do so. She knew all the Sunday School answers about God’s love and power. ![]() Despite years of prayers, though, she remained completely bald with no eyelashes or eyebrows. She had begged Him to make her hair grow back after her alopecia diagnosis. My daughter told me she was tired of people telling her to trust God. View a free sample at /isaiah or order your copy here! Today we’re sharing an excerpt from Melissa Spoelstra’s new study, Isaiah.
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