An enormous army swarmed around Jerusalem, preparing to sack the city and carry off its inhabitants as slaves. No way could they survive this force decimating nation after nation. Desperate, King Hezekiah led his people in prayer, begging the Lord to intercede:

O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made the heavens and the earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God…O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.

Sennacherib, the invading king of Assyria, mocked God—always a bad move. Judah’s king prayed for the Lord to save, and in so doing reveal his power to the ends of the earth. That evening an angel of the Lord went out and massacred 185,000 Assyrian soldiers (I wonder what that looked like, and who did the body count?). The survivors melted away, and Sennacherib returned home only to be assassinated by his sons.

What to learn from this story? No matter how bleak my circumstances, or how huge the obstacle, the Lord can intervene and make things right. He may not, but he can do whatever he wishes with whomever he pleases. Ask for help from the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim. Cause it ain’t over til it’s over.

2 Kings 19

Photo by Ray Shrewsberry