Pastor Cheryl Koop

2 Chronicles 29-31

Our Father God – is the One who always provides, always shows up, will always spend time with us and is always for justice.  His great promises fill us with great promise.

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Background:

• Hezekiah became king at age 25 - reigned for 29 years
• Lived the last 15 due to a prayer asking for his life to be extended after being told he would die.
• Father wasn’t a godly leader, yet he was one of the few godly kings of Israel.
  

2 Chronicles 31:20-21
... thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was GOOD, and RIGHT and TRUE  before the Lord his God. And in EVERY work he began in the service of the house of God, he did it with ALL his heart. So he prospered.

When you faithfully serve God and continue to do what is good and right and true, don’t be surprised from a ‘Sennacherib’ visit. What did Hezekiah do?

1. RECOGNIZED HIS ENEMY
   Verse 2 – Hezekiah SAW he had come – Satan wants to bring us to a place of no longer trusting in the faithfulness of God, EVEN after we’ve seen and experienced His provision.
2. SOUGHT COUNSEL
   Verse 3 – Hezekiah consulted with his leaders and commanders and they helped him.
   
3. STARVED HIS ENEMY
   Verse 4 – stopped the springs from flowing where his enemy is.  Stop feeding him fuel through our words and actions that are the opposite of God’s promises
4. HE STRENGTHENED HIMSELF
   Hezekiah put his ‘hand to the plow’. Without a vision, My people perish. Proverbs 29:18. He found strength in purpose.
5. STRATEGIZED
   Thought ahead – didn’t just take life as it came.
6. SPEAK GOD’S WORD
   Speak God’s encouragement to you and your situation and to those around you - it generates purpose and faith in others.

Be strong and courageous: do not be afraid or dismayed. Joshua 1:9

2 Chronicles 32:8 'With him is an arm of the flesh: but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles'. And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.

Recognize Satan’s attack.  He will:

1. Undermine the trust you have IN PEOPLE. (Verse 11)
2. Undermine the trust you have IN GOD. (Verse 14)
3. Instill Fear IN YOU. (Verse 18)
4. Ultimately INSULT God. (Verse 17, 19)

Hezekiah’s response? PRAYER! He cried out to heaven. (Verse 20)

Our response is to be the same. As we recognize the attacks against our lives when we live to serve and honour God, prayer is the what transfers the battle to the Lord.

1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.

James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other, so that you may be healed.  The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.