Through the Bible: 2 KingsSample

God Protects His People and Condemns the Proud

Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD…

And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.

Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD.

 2 Kings 20:5, 13, 17 (ESV)

In these few chapters, we read about how King Hezekiah of the Southern Kingdom asked the Lord diligently and wholeheartedly for the Lord’s protection. God helped, out of His love, compassion, and promises to His faithful servant. God protects those who humbly worship and follow Him.

In contrast, we also see how Hezekiah’s ‘pride’ failed him in the end, despite the strong faith he displayed and the good deeds he made in the eyes of the Lord since he became king.

We can see here how the rise and fall of a man, a family, a company, or even a nation, is connected to our faithfulness to the Lord. If we are overwhelmed by worldly success, chances are we would lose favor in the Lord because pride or sin has taken over us.

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for protecting our church from the pandemic, like how You protected the Southern Kingdom in the old days. As we cry out for help, You always hear us and heal us.  Let our hearts worship and glorify You. Whatever achievement and hardship we toil through, we dedicate to You Father, for You sustain us. Thank You, Jesus, Amen.