Hezekiah’s Prayer for Deliverance

“Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.” Isaiah 37:20

Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, sent Rabshakeh, the captain of his army with 185,000 men to surround the city of Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem lacked the military might to repel such a formidable foe. Rabshakeh sent a message to Hezekiah, the king of Israel, demanding that he surrender and turn the city over to Assyrian control. He cautioned Hezekiah and the people not to trust in the Lord. He said that none of the gods of the nations that the Assyrians had conquered had been able to deliver them and that it was pointless for them to hope that God would save them. When Hezekiah received the message, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He then sent messengers to Isaiah the prophet asking him to pray that God would deliver them from their enemies. Hezekiah went up to the temple and spread the letter that he received from Rabshakeh before the Lord. He began to pray that God would show Himself strong on their behalf. Hezekiah acknowledged that the Assyrians had defeated many nations and had burned their gods in the fire, but he prayed that God would deliver them so that the whole world would know that He was the living God. The Lord heard Hezekiah’s prayer and sent an angel to kill the whole Assyrian army! Hezekiah’s prayer demonstrates that God wants His name to be honored and that He will answer us when our petitions are for His name’s sake.