When God Fights For Us

In 2 Chronicles 32 Judah is under siege. The king of Assyria, Sennacherib has all of the fortified cities in Judah under siege. Hezekiah is king at this time and he is trying to encourage his people. In verses 7-8 he says, "'Be strong and courageous! Don't be afraid or discouraged before the king of Assyria or before all the multitude with him, for there are more with us than with him. He has only human strength, but we have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.' So the people relied on the words of King Hezekiah of Judah." (emphasis mine)

Sennacherib gets wind of this and tries to discourage the Israelites. In verses 10-15 he basically says, "Why are you letting Hezekiah trick you? Haven't you heard about all of the other people I and my father's have conquered? Don't you realize that none of their gods saved them and yours won't either?" Not very nice right? No.

Now read what verses 20-22 say. "King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven, and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every brave warrior, leader, and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned with shame to his land. He went to the temple of his god, and there some of his own children cut him down with the sword. So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the power of King Sennacherib of Assyria and from the power of all others. He gave them rest on every side." How cool is that? Sennacherib thought that he was going to win because the gods of the other lands that he had fought against hadn't saved their people. Little did he know that those gods were made by human hands and that he was now facing YAHWEH the ALMIGHTY AND ONLY GOD OF THE UNIVERSE. Poor guy...he didn't know what was coming! And then Hezekiah and Isaiah, two righteous men who trusted God, pleaded with Him to save them and did you see what God did? He didn't just save them. He ANNIHILATED the enemy and gave His people rest on every side. How amazing is that? God takes such good care of His people!

So the main point that I'm trying to make here is that when you are discouraged and up against something big, don't be afraid! You can have the Lord Your God on your side and He will fight your battle for you if only you'll let Him. And, don't be surprised when He goes above and beyond your expectations...He is the God of the amazing and spectacular, as well as the quiet and humble. You never know how God is going to answer your prayers...so don't put Him in a box. And don't forget to pray! Nothing is too small or too big for God. He cares and He responds to the prayers of His people. See what He did when Hezekiah and Isaiah prayed? He annihilated the enemy. James 5:16b says, "The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful." Remember that next time you feel like you are getting nowhere. Persevere...pray...trust.