Feeling overwhelmed with so many things in life?
Feeling stressed out by so many pressing matters?
Feeling out-of-control with what's happening around you?
You have done everything you know how, but it seems like there's no light at the end of the tunnel? You have done everything you could, but it seems like it is all in vain?
The Lord says:
"My grace is sufficient for you, and I am more than enough for you. Whatever in this world that tries to overwhelm you, stress you out, or pull you down, it will not succeed against you, if you look to Me! For I AM WHO I AM, and I AM still in full control! All that you've done for Me will not go in vain. Just as I have done for Hezekiah those days, so will I do for you!"
Indeed, people of God, the Lord is more than enough for you, no matter what you are faced with at the moment. Let's go to 2 Chronicles now, and find out how the Lord showed Himself more than enough in Hezekiah's life as well.
The name 'Hezekiah' itself is very interesting. It is 'Chizqi Yah' in Hebrew, from two words, 'Chazaq', meaning 'to strengthen, to be strong, to be courageous', and 'Yah', which is the name of the self-existent and eternal God. Hezekiah, by the way, was one of the few kings of Judah who had close relationship with the Lord, and who did what was right, good, and faithful before the Lord his God.
After the wicked Ahaz (his father) died, Hezekiah became king, and the first thing he did was to cleanse the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 29:1-5), throwing away the rubbish (and debris) that had heaped up in the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 29:15-16). All in all, he did everything he knew how for the Lord - getting the Levites and priests to sanctify themselves, restoring worship in the temple of the Lord, keeping the Passover to the Lord God, and that's when 2 Chronicles 30:26 says, 'So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem'. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of the Lord, to seek the Lord his God, he did it with all his heart, and the Lord prospered him (2 Chronicles 31:21).
So, what could have lunged at him later on? And what could have threatened to destroy all the good that he had done? 2 Chronicles 32:1-2 says, 'After these deeds of faithfulness (on Hezekiah's part), Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah, and he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself... and that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem...' The name 'Sennacherib' here implies 'someone/something that seeks to replace the good with something sinful, or replace your joy with sorrow', and Hezekiah was now faced with a deep crisis, when the Assyrians, the dominant world power at that time, wanted to invade Judah and Jerusalem!
People of God, like Hezekiah, maybe you too have done everything you know how. You have cleansed your 'temple', you have restored your 'altar' of worship, you have returned to His ways, you have followed His instructions, and you have even started off (what He has spoken for you to do) really well! But all of a sudden, you are now feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, and it seems like it is too much for you! Maybe because some people are not 'happy' with the good progress you've made, and they are now causing you problems, or to put it bluntly, giving you 'hell'. Or maybe it is a situation that is so pressing and stressing, that it takes away the peace out of your life! In other words, you are faced with your 'Sennacherib' that seeks to replace your joy with sorrow!
Now, the big question is how did Hezekiah handle this? The answer is he looked to the Lord, and cried out to the Lord! Together with the prophet Isaiah, they sought the Lord for His deliverance for Judah and Jerusalem! (2 Chronicles 32:20) Hezekiah and Isaiah - this is what I call a 'dream team' coming together! What a combination! What a team!
Where two or three are gathered in His name, He is here to answer, even in ways you cannot imagine can happen! I often tell those who come to be ministered to, that if they are the 'Hezekiah', then let our ministry be their 'Isaiah'. We pray together. We seek the Lord together. We look to the Lord together. We cry out to the Lord together. The answer and the deliverance will come.
As they (Hezekiah and Isaiah) were crying out to the Lord together, the Lord then sent an angel to destroy the works of Sennacherib, and Sennacherib had to return shamefaced to his own land (2 Chronicles 32:21). Yes, you've got it right - one angel! Just one angel settles it all! Is there anything too hard for the Lord?
So, take heart, people of God, all that you have done for the Lord will not go in vain! Do not be discouraged when you are faced with the 'Sennacherib' of your life. The Lord is more than enough for you, and His grace is sufficient for you. And whatever 'Sennacherib' that tries to hurl or lunge at you, trust that the Lord will know how to overturn it for your good! What the Lord has begun in your life, nothing in this world can upset it, if you look to Him continually. May you too, as Hezekiah's name means, be strengthened by the Lord for the many more greater things ahead of you. In Jesus' name. Amen!
