When Israel was threatened with destruction by the
commander of the Assyrian army, King Hezekiah took the matter straight to the
Lord. (Isaiah 37) He went to the temple to pray and he talked to God’s man, the
prophet.
The Lord’s first words, spoken through the prophet
Isaiah, were “Do not be afraid”. He went on to tell Hezekiah how the Lord would
take care of the problem and protect Jerusalem from destruction.
The enemy told Hezekiah he could not trust God because he
was not sufficiently powerful to defeat the Assyrian army. But Hezekiah did
trust and the Lord did defeat the Assyrians.
Many of us have, or will, face adversities to powerful
for us to fight. Sometimes it seems that temptation to sin is so great we
cannot possibly prevail. Illness may scare us. Politics and government seem out
of control or under the control of the evil one.
There are two questions you must answer. First, does God
care about me? Second, does God have the power to deliver me?
One reason we have all the stories of the Bible are to
show his people he cared. God protected Noah and his family from the
destruction of the world by water. You likely will not face an issue that
overwhelming. God delivered Israel repeatedly. All of these stories tell us of
a God who cares. And, in case you did not get the point, Peter tells us
specifically, to cast our anxieties on the Lord because he cares for us. (1
Peter 5:7)
The Bible also resonates with demonstrations of God’s
mighty power. He created all things. He delivered the Israelites from Egypt. He
defeated the Assyrian army. Knowledge of God’s word is knowledge of God and his
mighty power
.
I can never say “I know what you are going through” even
when I sympathize with your struggles. But I can say I know God. He cares. He
is powerful. You can trust him.
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