Readings for today: Isaiah 36-37, 2 Kings 18:9-19:37, 2 Chronicles 32:1-23, Psalms 76
”So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.” (Isaiah 37:20)
The southern kingdom of Judah didn’t stand a chance. Assyria was the greatest empire of her day. Sennacherib, her greatest emperor. Her armies blitzed through the Middle East conquering nation after nation. No one could stand against them. They had the only standing professional army of the time outfitted with the best tech human civilization had developed. They were literally undefeated everywhere they went. And now they stand outside the gates of Jerusalem. 185,000 strong. Hezekiah has no army to put in the field. Not even two thousand soldiers to ride a horse. They are helpless. Hopeless. All is lost. Except for God. When things are at their darkest, Hezekiah cries out to God for help. He cries to God for salvation. He cries out to God on behalf of his nation. And God answers him. Delivers him. Saves him. It’s a powerful story and one of the great miracles in human history.
Sadly, what’s often missed is Hezekiah’s motivation. Note that he doesn’t cry for God to make Judah great again. He doesn’t call on God to be faithful to the people He loves. He doesn’t give God a list of reasons as to why Judah deserves to be saved. He doesn’t talk about their righteous worship or righteous deeds or point to their illustrious history. No, at the heart of Hezekiah’s prayer is a desire for God to get all the glory. A passion to see God’s name lifted high. Hezekiah prays for this miracle - not so much so that Judah will be saved - but so all the world will know Judah’s God stands above all other gods. It’s an evangelistic prayer. Hezekiah wants all the nations of the earth to know the Lord and this is what drives him to his knees on behalf of his people.
We are living through a time of great social unrest. Our country is more divided than ever. More at odds than ever. Our national leaders are at each other’s throats. Different groups have taken to the streets to protest for sweeping cultural change. Some of those groups are violent. They burn. They tear down. They destroy. All of it captured on video for the world to see. There are political forces in play vying for influence, power, and control. Each with a different vision for the future of our country. Each claiming God is on their side. Many believers I know are praying for our country. They long to see God work a similar miracle in our day like He did for Hezekiah. But are we praying with the same motivation?
God loves America but He doesn’t need America. America is loved no more and no less than any other nation on earth. She is not exceptional in the eyes of God. She is fallen. She is sinful. She is broken. She is in need of redemption. Insofar as she aligns her laws and her ways with Him, she will find blessing and hope and peace. Insofar as she departs from Him, she will find judgment and violence and a curse. God will not be mocked. Nations rise and fall before Him. He raises them up and brings them down according to His sovereign will. As we grapple with the sins of our past and present, our only hope is to humble ourselves before Him. To repent of our wicked ways and return to Him. To honestly confess our national sins of abortion and racism and classism and obsession with selfishness and greed and ask for His forgiveness. As we publicly humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways, the world will see and know that God alone is Lord.
I pray for our nation every single day. I pray for humility. For repentance. For transformed hearts. I pray for our leaders. I pray they will forsake their wicked, sinful ways. I pray they will lay aside their ambitions and greed and lust for power and instead have a heart to serve the Lord. I pray for an honest reckoning of the sins of our past. I pray for a renewed passion for justice and compassion. I pray grace to replace anger. Mercy to replace vengeance. Love to replace hate. I pray God will do all these things for His glory not our own. I pray He will do these things for the sake of His great name not our own. I pray God will do these things to declare His greatness not our own. In short, I am trying to pray with the same motivation as Hezekiah for it is our only hope as a nation.