How to Pray (2)

'Hezekiah received the letter...and spread it out before the Lord.' Isaiah 37:14 NIV




Many of us just don't know how to pray! I know that's a powerful statement and I don't really know who you are. But let me ask you, when push comes to shove and you need something big in your life, do you go to God first or do you rely on yourself?


Look at King Hezekiah, he received a threatening letter from a much more powerful king—the King of Assyria. The Assyrian potentate demanded unconditional surrender, and told Hezekiah not to trust in God. The letter was graphic, warning that resistance meant the Israelites would have to ‘eat their own excrement and drink their own urine’ before they died (2 Kings 18:27 NIV). Heavy words. We probably haven't been in a situation like that, but we may have needed to make a life changing decision a time or two. King Hezekiah was one of the good Kings who trusted God and immediately went to the temple ‘and spread it out before the Lord.’ Then he prayed: ‘…God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made Heaven and earth. Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see…’ (Isaiah 37:16–17 NIV) Hezekiah basically said, ‘Lord, would you read this, then do something about it!’ And God did. Indeed, what He did was spectacular. ‘Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty–five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!’ (Isaiah 37:36 NIV)


So, what piece of paper would you like to spread out before the Lord? A financial statement that’s overwhelming? A divorce decree? A medical diagnosis? An angry email? Any piece of paper that causes you stress can be an invitation to prayer, and a candidate to be spread out before the Lord. If it’s important to you, it’s important to Him. You say, ‘I’ve never done anything like that before.’ Try it. Give it to God, trust Him, and watch how He works things out for you.