2 Kings 19:11-13 “Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?”
In what or whom are you placing your trust? How do you see your future? Will it all work out for you in the end? How do you know? Who told you?
In the passage above we have the threatening words of a messenger of King Sennacherib of Assyria to Hezekiah, king of Judah. He’s telling him to take stock of his situation, and look around him at others who have gone before. He’s reminding him that terrible things have happened to many other nations. What’s to stop the same thing from happening to them? What god had delivered all the other nations and peoples who had fallen? What earthly king had delivered them?
Such dire words meant to cause anxiety. Have you ever been there? Have thoughts of doom ever entered your mind? If not, you’re in the minority, for we live in a world of anxious and depressed people, and it seems to be getting worse all the time. So what should a person do when threatening words or thoughts come? Is there any remedy?
Well, for one, we should ask ourselves some hard questions. If we’re trusting in such things as the king of Assyria mentioned, why would we expect our fate to be any different than the examples he gave. The truth is, if there are many gods and many great leaders who failed those who trusted in them in the past, why do we think the gods or people in our lives won’t fail us? What’s the difference?
Well, the Scriptures would have us to know that if we’re trusting in the same things that Sennacherib taunted, our fate will be the same as those Sennacherib mentioned. There are many gods that are false gods. They’re nothing but idols and they have no real strength. Money is one such god that Jesus mentioned. He told us that we can’t worship the true God and money. While we might take comfort in a healthy bank account, what good will it be to us when a doctor tells us we have cancer and we only have two months to live. And there are absolutely no guarantees something like this won’t happen to us. It’s happened to many in my life, and the same is likely true for you. So when such a diagnosis comes, who or what will help us? What doctor, what world leader, what movie star, musician, or sports star, what money, or what philosophy is the answer? If it’s as inept as the gods and kings Sennacherib mentioned, how will your fate be any better than those who had relied on them?
But there IS an answer to the “Sennacherib’s” taunts. It’s the same answer Hezekiah received, for when the chips were down he knew the one place of hope to look. And what was that place? Where did Hezekiah turn? Well, he prayed. He laid the taunts of Sennacherib out before God and prayed these hope filled words: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone” (2 Kings 19:15-19).
And then Hezekiah received God’s answer. He spoke to Hezekiah through His prophet Isaiah and gave him hope filled promises which included this: “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” (2 Kings 19:32-34).
And God did exactly what He had said. He sent an angel that routed Sennacherib’s army, and then He took Sennacherib’s life. Thus the God Who is so different from the gods and kings Sennacherib had mentioned put a permanent end to Sennacherib’s taunts.
So again, what about you and me when the threatening thoughts that tempt us to worry raise their ugly heads in our life? Well the answer is the same as Hezekiah found. Whenever fear, anxiety, depression and every other negative emotion threaten to overwhelm and undo us, the only true God has given us His answer. And what is it? Well, for one, we should pray. We should confess the threats and thoughts before God and seek His help, for hasn’t he told us to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” And hasn’t He then promised that if we do this, then “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
But we must believe this! For God has also told us that “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). And God has filled His Word with such examples. There’s the example of Hezekiah, but there are many more. So we should turn to God’s powerful promises as did Hezekiah, for it’s only there that we have not just the words of Isaiah, but of all the prophets and apostles through whom God spoke.
As the wonderful words of the refrain of the old Stuart Hamblin song, “It Is No Secret” confess:
“It is no secret what God can do What he has done for others He’ll do for you With arms wide open He’ll pardon you It is no secret what God can do”
Yes, it IS no secret. God has provided His eternal promises to us in black and white in His Word. He’s not like other gods. He’s not like other kings. “For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods” (Psalm 95:3). He’s not at all like anyone else!
To Encourage You 
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