Because you prayed…
“Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you prayed…’”. [Isaiah 37:21]
Have I mentioned that I’m a recovering addict? Bet you didn’t expect to read that in the first sentence! Well, before your imagination goes too wild, let me clarify my addiction: “Act first, pray later.” It was a bad habit. It was not good for me. It was destructive to my well-being. I knew it, but I couldn’t stop. I blamed others, especially customer service reps from cell phone and cable TV companies! I knew that any time I would have the need to call them, the fight was on, even before I dialed their number! Unfortunately, this vice went on for way too long! It could be measured in years instead of months!
Then one day, a revelation came to me (a God inspired revelation!): Why not try praying first? Wow! Why didn’t I think of that sooner? When I employed that strategy, everything changed! My addiction recovery process began! But bad habits are difficult to break!
King Hezekiah was a good king, but he faced a desperate situation! The bigger, badder, bolder Assyrian army surrounded the city of Jerusalem with 185,000 troops. They had a history of annihilating anyone who stood in their way. For King Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem, defeat was imminent! The king of the Assyrian army made one final attempt to get King Hezekiah to surrender before Jerusalem was destroyed. He sent a letter detailing the terms of surrender. After reading the letter, King Hezekiah implemented a most unique strategy. He prayed first before doing anything else.
God then sends a message to King Hezekiah saying: “Because you prayed…” here’s what will happen.
On that very night, the entire Assyrian army was killed – all 185,000 soldiers! Not a single arrow was shot at Jerusalem! God heard and answered King Hezekiah’s prayer!
I’m still a work in progress and I’ve had a relapse or two, but I’m determined to make a habit of “praying first!”
What about you? What is your default strategy?
