2 Kings 17:36 (NKJV): But the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship...
2 Kings 17:39 then says, '... Worship the Lord your God; it is He who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies'.
The word 'worship' here is 'shachah' in Hebrew, which can mean 'to prostrate, to fall down (flat), to bow (self) down, to humbly beseech, to humbly surrender'.
Notice these two verses on worship appear in the Bible just before Hezekiah began to reign as the king of Judah (see 2 Kings 18:1). Indeed, the Lord God was preparing a man who would lead the whole nation to return to worshipping Him again! For the record, Hezekiah was one of those kings of Judah who did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and one who trusted in the Lord. He also held fast to the Lord and did not bow down to the king of Assyria who worshipped other gods (2 Kings 18:3-7).
As I was seeking the Lord for His prophetic words for this month, I heard:
"Worship! Worship! This is a time to worship like you have never been before! And I will show you how real I am. I will show you My glory. Prepare for My glory and anticipate My glory this month!"
Not that you never worship at other times, but I believe the Lord is saying this is a crucial time to worship! In fact, it is a time to worship like you have never been before! There will be new songs! There will be new melodies from heaven for this earth! Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs shall flow in such ways that you have never heard before!
I then saw a vision of an 'anchor' being firmly and strongly 'planted' in the seabed as I was praying for one of God's beloved in our midst. I asked the Lord what this vision means, and He impressed upon me that His strength is being 'anchored' deep in His people as they worship.
I then heard further:
"As you worship, I am planting My 'anchor' in you. I am your 'anchor'! I am your strength! I am releasing supernatural strength upon you and deep in you this time and season, and you will overcome every wave sent by the enemy against you. I will even use you to be a strength to many around you."
'Anchor' is made of strong metal (e.g. steel), and it speaks of 'strength' and 'assurance', no matter how the waves may be beating and hitting. Therefore, as you worship, know that He is releasing His supernatural strength and assurance upon you then and there. You will then be a strength and assurance to many other 'vessels' (or 'ships') around you that have been tossed and hit likewise by those 'strong waves'.
Back to Hezekiah now in 2 Kings 18 and 19. Interestingly, the name 'Hezekiah' means 'Strengthened of Yah' in Hebrew, from the words 'chazaq' (pronounced 'khaw-zak') which means 'to strengthen, to be strong', and 'Yah', which is 'the name of the Lord, the Most High God'.
In the fourteenth year of his reign as the king of Judah, Hezekiah was then faced with 'strong waves' that seemed hard to overcome. 2 Kings 18:13 says, "... Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them'. 'Sennacherib' here speaks of 'the wave sent by the enemy to rock your boat/ship/vessel', the enemy who tries to make you think that your God is small and He is not strong enough for your situation.
Mockeries, lies, and even threats followed thereon (see 2 Kings 18:17-37), and all these were meant to deceive God's people and to shake their faith in the Lord their God.
People of God, are you also in a situation where there's just no more strength to carry on? Or there's just no more strength to bring forth what God has put in you (say, a dream or vision you have received)? Or maybe you are already on the verge of giving it all up, as the 'storms' (or 'strong waves') around you seem to be too overwhelming for you.
2 Kings 19:1 says, 'And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it (i.e. all those mockeries, lies, and threats), that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.'
'To go into the house of the Lord' is 'to enter God's presence in worship and total surrender'. Indeed, in a time of worship and total surrender, you will also find strength and assurance. And that's when the Lord spoke through Isaiah His prophet: "Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Surely I will send a spirit upon him (Sennacherib), and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land." (2 Kings 19:6-7)
'Isaiah' ('Yesha Yah', meaning 'Yah has saved' in Hebrew) here speaks of 'the Lord who saves (delivers, rescues) you'.
2 Kings 19:14-15 later says, '... Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it (all those troubles and threats) before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, "O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim. You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth..."'
The word 'spread' here is 'paras' in Hebrew, and in this verse's context, it means 'to lay all your troubles (before the Lord), to break down (before the Lord)'.
And you know what? The Lord heard Hezekiah's prayers (2 Kings 19:20). He then literally shut out Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:27-28), and all His words against him (Sennacherib) eventually came to pass (see 2 Kings 19:35-37).
People of God, just as in Hezekiah's days, know that He is also now here for you, ready to embrace you and incline His ears to you. Know that He will never despise a heart that is broken before Him, and He will never turn down a heart that is totally 'spread' before Him. Indeed, one cannot worship the Lord with a hardened heart, or with a heart that puts up a 'front', a 'facade', or a 'mask'. This is the time to lay it all down.
May our hearts be so tender and soft before the Lord in worship and in total surrender. Amen.
