I.
FIRST DESTINATION (2 KINGS 18-19)
You are standing on the city wall. You came
there because you heard word that a foreign
army is gathering outside the city. And your
curiosity is sadly satisfied when you look
and see that the rumor is true.
And
what's more the supreme commander of the besieging
army, along with his chief officer and field
commander, are at the very city gate itself,
calling for your king by name as if he were
a pup trained to voice command.
Hezekiah
had decided that he had paid enough in bribes
to keep this invader away. Hezekiah had emptied
the national treasury to protect his nation
and capital city. And to everyone's shame,
Hezekiah saw need to strip off the gold from
the very doors of the national temple to pay
off this Assyrian horde. And here they were
demanding more and threatening greater harm.
To
Hezekiah's credit, he was running a good bluff
against the Assyrians. He did not answer the
command, but his lesser staff members listened
to the demands.
The
field commander said to them, "Tell
Hezekiah:
"'This is what the great king, the
king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing
this confidence of yours? You say you have
strategy and military strength—but
you speak only empty words. On whom are
you depending, that you rebel against me?
Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that
splintered reed of a staff, which pierces
a man's hand and wounds him if he leans
on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to
all who depend on him. And if you say to
me, "We are depending on the LORD our
God"-isn't he the one whose high places
and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah
and Jerusalem, "You must worship before
this altar in Jerusalem"?
"'Come now, make a bargain with my
master, the king of Assyria: I will give
you two thousand horses—if you can
put riders on them! How can you repulse
one officer of the least of my master's
officials, even though you are depending
on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? Furthermore,
have I come to attack and destroy this place
without word from the LORD? The LORD himself
told me to march against this country and
destroy it.'"
(2 Kings 18:19-25)
On
the wall you heard everything said and understood
it too because it was not in diplomatic language
but Hebrew, you native tongue.
Then
the commander stood and called out in Hebrew:
"Hear the word of the great king, the
king of Assyria! This is what the king says:
Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot
deliver you from my hand. Do not let Hezekiah
persuade you to trust in the LORD when he
says, 'The LORD will surely deliver us;
this city will not be given into the hand
of the king of Assyria.'
"Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is
what the king of Assyria says: Make peace
with me and come out to me. Then every one
of you will eat from his own vine and fig
tree and drink water from his own cistern,
until I come and take you to a land like
your own, a land of grain and new wine,
a land of bread and vineyards, a land of
olive trees and honey. Choose life and not
death!
"Do not listen to Hezekiah, for he
is misleading you when he says, 'The LORD
will deliver us.' Has the god of any nation
ever delivered his land from the hand of
the king of Assyria? Where are the gods
of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods
of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they
rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all
the gods of these countries has been able
to save his land from me? How then can the
LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?"
(2 Kings 18:28-35)
Wisely,
you and the others along the wall remain silent.
This is your war but it is not your battle.
This is a battle of words so let the word
warriors fight it. Seems soon enough you will
be swinging a sword, or hiding your children,
or bandaging a sliced husband, or worse.
Hezekiah
wisely calls in the prophet; when you are
in trouble, you always want someone with a
direct line to God!
Well,
for a time it seems the stand-off ends. Isaiah
tells Hezekiah that Assyria is going to get
diverted by another war. And it happens as
Isaiah says.
Then
a letter arrives.
(Let's
switch places now. Imagine you are Hezekiah.)
You
sighed relief until a messenger calls with
this word:
"Say
to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the
god you depend on deceive you when he says,
'Jerusalem will not be handed over to the
king of Assyria.' 11 Surely you have heard
what the kings of Assyria have done to all
the countries, destroying them completely.
And will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods
of the nations that were destroyed by my
forefathers deliver them: the gods of Gozan,
Haran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who
were in Tel Assar?
(2 Kings 19:10-12a)
What
do you do? The bully left for a day, but promised
to come back. You have no resources to change
this situation. Or do you?
You
go out of the palace. You walk across the
city, seeing men and women of all ages trying
to maintain something near normal for their
lives. You see the children holding their
father's hands, or clutching the hem of their
mother's robe. You know what Assyrians do.
You know their bloodlust and cruelty. They
do not club children to death. They use the
children as the club, flailing others until
the child is dead.
You
arrive at the end of your walk. Stepping through
the Temple doors that in your memories is
still gilded with gold. You now rush to the
altar. Falling on your knees, you pull from
your royal robe the letter, spreading it across
the altar.
You
push aside the doubts caused by the letter.
You press pass the uncertainty caused by the
accusation that the God to whom you are praying
is deceiving you. You set aside the thoughts
that maybe your God is nothing more than the
false gods that failed to come through for
the other nations against Assyria. And you
pray; you pray like you have never prayed.
And
Hezekiah prayed to the LORD : "O LORD,
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; listen to the words Sennacherib
has sent to insult the living God.
"It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian
kings have laid waste these nations and
their lands. They have thrown their gods
into the fire and destroyed them, for they
were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned
by men's hands. Now, O LORD our God, deliver
us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on
earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are
God."
(2 Kings 19:15-19)
And
a prophet of God is moved by the Holy Spirit
and pronounces the word of God.
"Therefore
this is what the LORD says concerning the
king of Assyria:
"He
will not enter this city
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield
or build a siege ramp against it.
By the way that he came he will return;
he will not enter this city,
declares the LORD.
I will defend this city and save it,
for my sake and for the sake of David
my servant."
(2
Kings 19:32-34)
And
almost as if it were no big deal, your court
scribe records the outcome:
That
night the angel of the LORD went out and
put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand
men in the Assyrian camp. When the people
got up the next morning—there were
all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king
of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned
to Nineveh and stayed there.
One day, while he was worshiping in the
temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech
and Sharezer cut him down with the sword,
and they escaped to the land of Ararat.
And Esarhaddon his son succeeded him as
king.
(2 Kings 19:-35-37a)
Prayer
is the means through which we change from
victim to victor!
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II.
SECOND DESTINATION (2 KINGS 6:8-16)
Let's
just read another story together.
Now
the king of Aram was at war with Israel.
After conferring with his officers, he
said, "I will set up my camp in such
and such a place."
The
man of God sent word to the king of Israel:
"Beware of passing that place, because
the Arameans are going down there."
So the king of Israel checked on the place
indicated by the man of God. Time and
again Elisha warned the king, so that
he was on his guard in such places.
This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned
his officers and demanded of them, "Will
you not tell me which of us is on the
side of the king of Israel?"
"None of us, my lord the king,"
said one of his officers, "but Elisha,
the prophet who is in Israel, tells the
king of Israel the very words you speak
in your bedroom."
"Go, find out where he is,"
the king ordered, "so I can send
men and capture him." The report
came back: "He is in Dothan."
Then he sent horses and chariots and a
strong force there. They went by night
and surrounded the city.
When the servant of the man of God got
up and went out early the next morning,
an army with horses and chariots had surrounded
the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall
we do?" the servant asked.
"Don't be afraid," the prophet
answered. "Those who are with us
are more than those who are with them."
(2 Kings 6:8-16a)
Don't
be afraid! Why should I not be afraid? Why
should I not pick this time to panic? This
seems as good of a time and place to have
a melt down as any other. "Give me one
good reason why I should not be afraid?"
"Don't
be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those
who are with us are more than those who
are with them."
(2 Kings 6:16B)
What?
Did you not understand? That is not our army
or our chariots surrounding the city. These
are bad guys all following the same orders
- "Get that prophet man!"
And
Elisha prays nine words.
And
Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes
so he may see." Then the LORD opened
the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw
the hills full of horses and chariots of
fire all around Elisha.
(2 Kings 6:17)
Do you see this? The enemy had the city surrounded.
God had Elisha surrounded! And the servant
- well, pray was the means of his seeing the
unseen.
Prayer
increases our awareness and acuity of the
unseen world.
We
must hear one more story.
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III.
THIRD DESTINATION (MARK 9:14-29)
Become
one of the twelve disciples for a moment.
You can be any one you want except Peter,
James, or John. They aren't on the scene yet.
They have been with Jesus having a mountain-top
experience. Seems that Peter, James and John
get to have all the fun.
All
you want to do is help. You have been pretty
much convinced that Jesus is the Messiah,
the Deliverer whom you and your people have
waited for generations. You would do anything
to bring in His Kingdom. But right now you
are a complete failure as far as the public
is concerned. And your enemies have chosen
the perfect moment to really push your buttons
in front of everybody. It's enough that you
have failed; its enough that your weakness
is flaunted in your own eyes, but with these
lawyers buzzing around arguing with you, its
just too much.
Over
the heads of the crowd, you see the cavalry
riding up! It's good to see Peter, James,
and John but its Jesus who really excites
you and it does so to the crowd!
As
soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were
overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet
him.
"What are you arguing with them about?"
he asked.
(Mark
9:14-16)
Phew,
the attention is not directly on you! You
can recover for a moment. Jesus is turning
the crowd's attention to Himself, not His
disciples.
A
man in the crowd answers Jesus' question.
A
man in the crowd answered, "Teacher,
I brought you my son, who is possessed by
a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to
the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes
his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your
disciples to drive out the spirit, but they
could not."
(Mark 9:17-18)
Oh,
thanks a lot! Tell Jesus how useless I am!
What a failure I've been while He was away!
I guess really that is the summary of it.
I could not deliver this boy no matter what
I did. I had no power or too little power.
Well,
Jesus does keep the attention on the crowd
for now.
"O
unbelieving generation," Jesus replied,
"how long shall I stay with you? How
long shall I put up with you? Bring the
boy to me."
So they brought him. When the spirit saw
Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into
a convulsion. He fell to the ground and
rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked the boy's father, "How
long has he been like this?"
"From
childhood," he answered. "It has
often thrown him into fire or water to kill
him. But if you can do anything, take pity
on us and help us."
" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything
is possible for him who believes."
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed,
"I do believe; help me overcome my
unbelief!"
When Jesus saw that a crowd was running
to the scene, he rebuked the evil[a] spirit.
"You deaf and mute spirit," he
said, "I command you, come out of him
and never enter him again."
The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently
and came out. The boy looked so much like
a corpse that many said, "He's dead."
But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted
him to his feet, and he stood up.
(Mark 9:19-27)
Thankfully,
the boy is delivered. Jesus continues to amaze
you both for who He is and what He does. But,
you feel like a whipped pup. How does this
come so easily for Jesus? Does He have a secret?
Is He just "special" and I'm not.
Well, of course He's special - He's the Son
of God - but had He not just months ago authorized
me to preach, to heal and cure diseases, AND
to drive out evil spirits? (Mark 6:7, Luke
9:1-2).
Inside,
away from the crowd that remembers your shameful
inadequacies, you ask Jesus.
After
Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked
him privately, "Why couldn't we drive
it out?"
(Mark 9:28)
But
Jesus didn't pray when He commanded the evil
spirit and delivered the boy. And you rehearse
all the time that Jesus is praying. He prays
almost continually. And when He isn't praying
you still get this idea that He and God are
pretty much in touch. So, it isn't a formula
that I must pray when confronting spiritual
opposition, but I can overcome spiritual opposition
with a sound prayer life!
Prayer
increase spiritual authority and ability.
Jesus
is saying that prayer is not just praying,
but it is the lifestyle of praying. Jesus
is not speaking of prayer as a petition but
prayer as a "palling around with God",
fellowshipping with God. That is the means
of living spiritually powerful lives.
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CONCLUSION:
We have three principles of prayer whereby
we are equipped to see the unseen world, and
we are overcomers in the unseen world.
-
Prayer is the means through which we
change from victim to victor!
Hezekiah's story with the Assyrians gives
us motivation to not accept living as victims
to despondency, despair, spiritual depression,
discouragement, the devil's attempts to
deduct from our lives, and his deceptions.
Spiritual opposition or oppression cannot
gain the upper hand of one who regularly
spends time with God. You will still have
opposition and face threats and attempts
as did Hezekiah. But victory is assured
every single time as we are people of prayer.
Your regular prayer for others is key to
their victory.
For
instance, Steve Saint's story of his mother
dying and deep trouble coming upon the Auca
Indians and Rachel Saint. "Could it
be that Mother's continual intercessory
prayers had held back the forces of darkness
thousands of miles away? Mother had plastered
the walls of her little apartment with a
hundred photos, among them many of the Auca
Indians. She knew them by name, and followed
events at the Tiwaeno village with deep
concern." She wrote, "I cry aloud,
with all the strength of my soul, that the
will of the Lord may be done in the life
of my daughter and the Auca Indians ...
and then I sing the doxology. I ask myself
if Nate's martyrdom and that of the other
missionaries who died with him may suffice
for our 'lesser Calvaries,' but of course,
I have no way of knowing.'"
Grandparents, your prayer is among those
that enable your grandchildren to be victors
over the temptations of the world. Parents,
your prayers for that future wife or husband
of your child is among the means through
which God is shaping their godly character.
Students, crucial to your living as more
than a cultural Christian with worldly standards
is your habit of prayer. Critical to whether
one is overwhelmed with the heaviness of
dark days or deep bitterness or anguish
of soul is a life of regular prayer. It
is a means through which God changes us
from victims to victors.
-
Prayer increases our awareness and acuity
of the unseen world.
In Hezekiah's situation, what appeared as
an affront to his own kingdom, he understood
as an affront to God. Elisha's servant could
only see the iron chariots and armed soldiers.
Elisha saw the armies of God. What was different?
Prayer. The tool of prayer causes us to
see what God is doing in the midst of our
battles. It sharpens our acuity to see what
others do not see. With this awareness and
acuity that comes in prayer, fear is replaced
with faith; cowering in our problems is
replaced with courage; worry is replaced
with rest. As you develop a regular prayer
life, you will increase in your awareness
of what God is doing, when satan is attacking,
and how you will be victorious!
-
Prayer increase spiritual authority and
ability.
Jesus overpowered and commanded the evil
spirit whereas the disciples could not.
It was not because He is the Son of God,
for He had earlier given them the authority
and ability. They could not utilize what
Jesus had given them because of their own
prayerlessness. A prayer life - not a prayer
time - is the means that God increases our
ability to believe and trust; our ability
to resist temptation; our ability to deliver
people from evil influence. A prayer life
is the means that God increases our authority
to rebuke the devil, to resist him and see
him flee; it increases our authority to
discipline sin; it increases our authority
and ability in standing during the day of
spiritual battle.
The
prayer this is about is not that of petitioning
(most only understand praying as asking).
This is prayer as practiced intimacy. Stay
close to God in conversation. It is prayer
that is focused on God's character as was
Hezekiah.
You
can pray like that and can be effective in
the Kingdom of God.
Students,
begin now in your youth to learn the practice
of prayer. As we grow in prayer, we grow in
faith, and we grow in answers. One should
expect over time to see more answered prayer;
to know more how to pray in any given situation.
All
of us - be motivated by the Word of God as
the Spirit works upon your heart today. Key
to your being fruitful as a Christian is prayer.
The key to your being victorious over the
sin that keeps tripping you up. The key to
your satisfaction with Jesus and what God
is doing in your life and around you is prayer.
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