Isaiah 37: 14-18: "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. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: ‘O Lord Almighty, 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; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God."

It is the common experience of Christians, as well as of men and women who do not profess to believe in God, to experience trouble and trial. Perhaps you are passing through a time of great trouble now. If this is so, Hezekiah's prayer may help you to face your trouble and to be victorious in the midst of it, for it tells of the tremendous threat that came to King Hezekiah. It came in the form of a letter. Notice how the trouble came to Hezekiah, what he did when it came, and how he faced this great trouble.

1. NOTICE, TO BEGIN WITH, HOW TROUBLES COME UPON US.

How do they come? From the story before us we learn that:

i. They come suddenly. They come right out of the blue, just as this letter came to Hezekiah. Sometimes the postman arrives, we open the letter that he delivers, and at once we realize we are in trouble! It is not necessarily a letter that announces our trouble; sometimes it is a telephone call, a visit to the doctor, or a misunderstanding that arises between ourselves and someone else; sometimes it is the result of overwork, of strain, or an accident, and sometimes it is the result of our own foolishness and mistakes.

ii. They come with other troubles. Someone has said that "troubles rarely come single", and "troubles comes in pairs" says the proverb. Shakespeare put it more vividly still when he said that sorrows come in battalions! It was something like this in the case of Hezekiah, who was brought under great strain and pressure by the threat that was made by the enemy.

iii. They can be overwhelming. Sennacherib and his servant Rabshaketh were terrible enemies indeed, and their preparations for invasion and the announcement of their intentions nearly overwhelmed Hezekiah. Little wonder that he trembled when he received the letter!

Sooner or later every Christian has these experiences; but the question must be asked, how should we react when trouble comes upon us like this? What should we do when we receive an evil letter or when we are involved in some upsetting experience? How should we act or react? The important thing is not the things that happen to us, for we cannot prevent these, but the important thing is our reaction to the experiences that some to us. What should be our reaction to trouble?

2. WHAT TO DO WHEN TROUBLE COMES UPON US.

i. We must clearly see what the trouble is. This is important, We are not only told that Hezekiah "received the letter" but that he "read it". When trouble comes we must sit down quietly and consider it; we must face it; we must see exactly what it is and what is involved. If we fail to do this we shall simply go round in circles. But we must do a second thing.

ii. We must take the trouble to the Lord at once. Hezekiah "spread it out before the Lord." He most certainly shared the contents of the letter with others, with his friends and counselors, but the very first thing that he did was to bring the whole matter before the Lord Himself, and "spread it out" before Him. In other words, we must talk to Him about it. There is a wonderful therapy in taking your trouble to the Lord and talking to Him about it, for apart from any other consideration, "a trouble shared is a trouble halved". How wonderfully true this is when the One with whom you share your trouble is the Lord Himself! But there is a third thing we must do.

iii. We must recognize and rejoice in God's greatness and power. God knew all about Hezekiah's trouble and He allowed it. God was on the throne, and He still is, and He knows all about your trouble, so everything is all right! Moreover, He loves you!

iv. We must assure ourselves that God cares for us and is willing to help us. Hezekiah was absolutely sure about this, and that is why when the trouble came he immediately turned to the Lord in prayer. It is as though he said, "I must take this to my Father. I am His child and I am quite sure He will help me and see me through." Even if you have brought your trouble upon yourself by your own folly and foolishness, the Lord still loves you and cares for you and waits to help you.

v. We must ask the Lord to undertake for us. Hezekiah's prayer can be summed up in two words: "deliver us".

vi. We must make sure that our motive is right. What was Hezekiah's motive in asking the Lord to give deliverance from trouble? His motive was the glory of God. Our motive must be the same.

Now, the question is this: what happens when trouble comes and we, with God's help, react to our trouble in these six ways?

3. HOW THE LORD UNDERTAKES FOR US IN OUR TROUBLE.

i. He gives us words of assurance and comfort. Notice in verse 21 the words, "Then Isaiah...." Isaiah was God's prophet, and it was through him that the Lord spoke to Hezekiah and gave him words of assurance and comfort. When we bring out troubles to the Lord He gives us words of assurance and comfort, and He does it from His own Word as we read it or hear it.

ii. In God's own time He takes our trouble in hand and deals with it. Perhaps He will do this immediately, or sometimes in the future, not in your time, but in His perfect time..

Troubles and difficulties will surely come until we get to the end of the journey and go to be with the Lord; but the important thing is the way we react to these troubles when they come. Let us follow the example of Hezekiah and spread our troubles before the Lord and look to Him see us through.

Sincerely in Christ,


Floyd McPhee