A Faith Like Hezekiah

Hezekiah’s Prayer:

¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. ¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁶ Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. ¹⁷ “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. ¹⁸ They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. ¹⁹ Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”  2 Kings 19:14-19

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I recently heard a sermon on this passage.  I find it amazing and refreshing to see a king who was neither insulted nor challenged to war by the message sent him.  He was obviously concerned, but he just took it to the Lord and asked what the Lord was going to do about it.  Wow.  I would love to live out that kind of faith.  Wouldn't you?

We as Christian parents are being sent a message from the world.  A message that says that our children will rebel if we......you fill in the blank.  A message that our sons and daughters will embrace the world and turn their backs on God.  That they will not continue to follow hard after God.

How do we as parents handle that message?

I recently found myself at a blog specifically for adult homeschoolers of the 80s and 90s.  These individuals are angry at their parents and bitter because of their upbringing.  Keep in mind, that I myself was homeschooled (as was my husband).  As I read through these posts and found the names of some of my childhood friends among the comments, my heart sank.  I heard the world's message loud and clear.  If you teach your children to be different from the world, they will rise up and blog about you.  Well, that wasn't quite the message, but close:)  As I read through story after story, the message became louder and louder.  I had to take this message, lay it before the Lord, and say "Father, what are you going to do about this?".  I am confident that I am loving and raising my kids in the Lord.  I'm not perfect but I am striving to follow what the Lord has called me to do.  So, I have to give the rest to him.

Here it is Lord.  Take my anxieties and fears about my kids.  I lay them before you.  I also spread the world's message here before you.  What are you going to do with it?  Just as King Hezekiah did so many years ago, I am calling on you to deliver us from this threat.

 

While nations all around were falling prey to Sennacherib's message and being conquered, this nation was spared for many years because of the faithfulness of their leader.

Parents, take your concerns to the Lord.  Take the messages that the world would like you to believe about your children to the Lord and ask Him what He intends to do about it.