“The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.” — Psalm 34:17
Sometimes the forces arrayed against us can seem overwhelming. We may feel attacked from every side. The crisis may come in the form of family conflict, a terminal health diagnosis, financial distress, or any other burden that threatens to overwhelm us. In such moments, where do we turn?
This was the situation King Hezekiah faced. The mighty army of the king of Assyria had surrounded Judah, leaving the nation seemingly helpless. Yet Hezekiah’s first response was not to rely on military strength or political alliances. Instead, “he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord” (2 Kings 19:1), where he poured out his heart before God. He also sent messengers to the prophet Isaiah, who brought him God’s reassuring word: “This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard…” (2 Kings 19:6).
But the enemy was undeterred. King Sennacherib of Assyria continued to mock both Hezekiah and the God of Israel, declaring, “Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria” (2 Kings 19:10).
Faced with this terrifying threat, Hezekiah again turned to God in prayer, pleading, “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 19:19).
The Lord heard Hezekiah’s cry. That very night, He intervened in a way no human army could. “That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there” (2 Kings 19:35–36).
This reminds us of Moses, who also cried out to God during a national crisis. After Israel’s rebellion, the Lord threatened judgment upon the people. Moses interceded, praying, “Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people” (Exodus 32:12). The Lord heard Moses’ prayer and relented.
No one is exempt from life’s crises. They can arise suddenly and from the most unexpected places, threatening to consume us. Yet the examples of Hezekiah and Moses remind us that when we cry out to the God of heaven and earnestly plead our case before Him, He hears us. He may not always answer in the way or timing we expect, but He never ignores the cries of His children.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Lord God Almighty, You who hear the cries of Your children, I come before You with every burden and troubling situation in my life. I ask You to take these concerns into Your mighty hands and grant me Your deliverance according to Your perfect will. I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ!
