When was the last time you prayed like that?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “God’s power for you and in you”

Our Bible verse for today: “When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple.” Isaiah 37:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “When was the last time you prayed like that?”

Hezekiah and Isaiah were contemporaries. I mean that during the years Hezekiah was King, Isaiah was the most important prophet and religious leader in the land, and they were close. Hezekiah relied on Isaiah’s wisdom and insight.

In Isaiah 37:1 the prophet wrote about an incident in Hezekiah’s kingship that became legendary and which went on to be an important part of the history of Israel. It was also an important spiritual lesson for all of us who would one day read about it. We find the details of the story in 2 Kings chapters 18 and 19. The armies of Assyria laid siege to the city of Jerusalem. Hezekiah and the people were trapped within the walls and they were losing the war. Finally, the commander of the armies of Assyria sent Hezekiah an ultimatum, “Surrender or die.” At that, Hezekiah went into the temple of the Lord and humbled himself by kneeling at the altar and praying. He appealed to God for help and deliverance.

That was good, but it got even better. Shortly after the verbal ultimatum, the commander followed it up with a written letter which was delivered to Hezekiah. The King took the letter back into the temple. He knelt at the altar, spread the letter out before the Lord, and prayed over it. Long story short, the Lord intervened. He used His great power on behalf of His besieged people, the city was delivered, and Hezekiah’s great act of faith was honored and his prayers were answered.

What a great example for us! What if we were to do the same with the problems we are faced with? What if we took them into the temple (church), knelt at the altar, spread the issue out before the Lord, and then prayed a fervent prayer over it? How powerful! How effective! God loves the faith, sincerity, and passion demonstrated in such instances and without question, doing so lends power to our prayers.

If you are like most of us you do pray about your problems. You do bring them before God and you do ask for His help. But do you do it like this? Do you do it like Hezekiah did? There’s power in passionate prayer. There’s a lot to be said for kneeling at the altar and spreading it out before the Lord. When was the last time you prayed like that?

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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