Hezekiah's prayer-------
by: Rev. David Thompson, Pastor Colquitt United Methodist Church

When Sennacherib the king of Assyria invaded Judea (2 Kings 18 & 19), he sent a letter to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, boasting that the Assyrian army was invincible and asserting that the God of Israel was no god at all. Hezekiah took the threatening letter into the temple, "spread it out before the Lord" and prayed: "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 . . . Now, O Lord our God, deliver us . . . so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God.' (2 Kings 19:15-19 NIV).

The Lord answered Hezekiah's prayer through the prophet Isaiah, assuring Hezekiah he knew of Sennacherib's belligerence, boastings and blasphemies and reminding him that God is sovereign, righteous, just and faithful. Finally God promised to defend and save the city for his own sake and the sake of his servant David.

Today there are many 'Sennacheribs' in the world - people who rage against, repress, persecute, terrorize and threaten God's people. They are bold for the same reasons as Sennacherib: they wrongly believe they are invincible and that our God is no god at all.

Today multitudes of Christians are persecuted, besieged, terrorized and threatened. This may be due to external forces (like Sennacherib) or else by repressive dictatorship or religious intolerance or racism at a state or local level.

Please remember that we in Miller County are only a small part of the entire Body of Christ around the world - many parts which suffer great persecution for their faith. Christians and Christian workers need your prayers in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church was Sunday, November 11, when 300,000 people worldwide united as the Church. United as one body with Christ as our Head, we came before the Almighty God to intercede as Hezekiah did for the persecuted, besieged, terrorized and threatened Church and for the honor, glory and praise of the Lord our God.

Please take a moment to look at the web-site www. opendoors.org, so you can pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer daily for their faith. You will find resources and news bulletins of persecuted Christians in need of prayer. Reach out from Miller County all the way around the world and make a very real difference with your prayers.