WE CAN NEVER RUN OUT OF HOPE

During the reign of King Hezekiah, the southern kingdom of Judah faced a dire challenge: it was under siege by the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrian Empire had already defeated and conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and surrounded the capital city of Judah, Jerusalem. The only thing that protected Jerusalem was its wall. King Hezekiah was outnumbered and too weak to fight the Assyrians. The only hope that He had was His faith in God. King Hezekiah went to the Temple of the LORD and prayed to God and called the prophet Isaiah, and said to him, "Today is a day of trouble, insults, and disgrace. It is like when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to deliver the baby. But perhaps the Lord your God has heard the Assyrian chief of staff, sent by the king to defy the living God, and will punish him for his words. Oh, pray for those of us who are left! (Isaiah 37:3-4)." The Assyrians might have had the most powerful army and the greatest weapons, but King Hezekiah had faith in God. In the end, God destroyed the Assyrians by sending an angel and killing 185,000 soldiers in one night (Isaiah 37:36). 

King Hezekiah and the southern kingdom of Judah were spared because of God's intervention. When we face an impossible situation like King Hezekiah did, we need to pray to God. It seems prayer is a passive approach in dealing with our situation, but it is the most powerful thing that we can do when facing impossibilities because there is nothing impossible for God. Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." As believers, we have access to God's throne or presence because of His grace towards us. When we seek Him with all of our hearts, He listens to our prayers and answers them according to His will in our lives. Every time we face impossible situations, we have the opportunity to pray and trust in our God. 

God demonstrates His power in our impossible situations when we fully depend on Him. We may be helpless in our situations, but we can never run out of hope because God listens and answers our prayers according to His perfect will. 

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) What should I do when I face an impossible situation? What does God do when I pray and trust Him? Do I completely trust God in my impossible situations?

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them up to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, I humbly come before your throne today to thank you for being my hope in all of my helpless situations. I may not fully understand my situation, but you do, and you know what is best for me. Please help me completely trust in you and give me the strength and wisdom to do what is best. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.