A Man That Knew How To Pray

II Kings 19: 14-19 gives us a description of King Hezekiah of Judah praying to God. The circumstances surrounding this event are pretty bleak. Judah is under military and political threat from Assyria. Assyria at this time has the greatest military in the world and they are telling Hezekiah to either become a servant to them or risk being attacked.

Hezekiah has been a good king. He's been loyal to God and led his kingdom away from the idol worship they'd long been a part of. True worship has been restored in the nation. II Kings 18:5-6 tell us just how loyal to God Hezekiah was.

Here in the 19th chapter he now faces what is probably his biggest spiritual and political challenge. It's the type of situation that can either make or break a person. 19:14 shows us where Hezekiah's priorities were at this time. Once he'd received the written threat from Assyria's leaders he immediately took it to God. He didn't try to find a solution by himself then go to God as a last resort. Praying to God was his first choice of action.

Verse 19 is the powerful verse in this passage. It's one thing to pray for a certain outcome to a situation. Let's face it, we probably do that all the time. It's the reason Hezekiah wants God's help that is so different from our thinking. "Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone."

Hezekiah's thinking goes far beyond his immediate need for help. His desired outcome is for God to be glorified and respected. He didn't ask for deliverance for his own sake or for the sake of his kingdom. He asked for deliverence so that God would be recognized. Have you ever done that?

I wonder if we ever consider this when we pray; when we ask God for something. No matter how good or noble our motives may seem to us do we have the same motive as this man? Is it our hope and our goal that God, His power and His message is magnified by answering our prayer in the way we desire? Or are we just too focused on ourselves and whatever situation or problem we find ourselves facing?

Hezekiah was a man who truly knew the whole purpose of man is to serve God. That's why when he prayed he asked for nothing less than for God to be glorified. He was not too self-focused to see that true service and obedience extends to prayer. Let's hope we can all learn to pray like Hezekiah.