Isaiah 37:15
“And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying,”
The greatest weapon the Christian has in their arsenal is prayer. There are many things God gives us to make it through the Christian life successfully, but prayer is the atomic bomb in the Christian’s arsenal. Prayer is the one weapon that causes Hell to tremble when used. Prayer is the only weapon we have that can defeat Satan.
Hezekiah, in my opinion, was the third greatest king in the Scriptures. When he took over the throne, Judah was is spiritual disarray. God used Hezekiah to bring about one of the greatest revivals in history. One of the keys to Hezekiah’s success was his prayer life. It says in the verse above, “And Hezekiah prayed…” This prayer came after threats of invasion from the king of Assyria. When others trembled and even crumbled under his threats, Hezekiah understood that prayer was his only hope. It was the prayer of Hezekiah that defeated this king. It was the prayer of Hezekiah that sprung Heaven into action. It was the prayer of Hezekiah that made the strong weak. It was the prayer of Hezekiah that turned strong threats into a joke. What was it about Hezekiah’s prayer that made it so powerful?
First, it was immediate. Hezekiah didn’t wait until he tried everything else. No, his first action was to pray. Too many times we fall into the trap of trying to work everything out before we try prayer. Christian, you must get yourself into the habit of making prayer your immediate action. Don’t run to everyone else to get help before you run to God. Prayer wasn’t an afterthought to Hezekiah, it was his immediate reaction. Make prayer your reaction to every situation.
Second, it was simple. Hezekiah didn’t try to show his eloquence in the prayer, instead he prayed in a simple manner. Friend, you must understand that God is not interested in the eloquence of the prayer; He is simply interested in you praying. The eloquence of a prayer does not grab God’s attention. The Scriptures teach that we are to come to God as a child. How does a child come? They come in simplicity. You may not be able to eloquently word your prayer, but God is not interested in your eloquence. He is interested in your prayer.
Third, it was honest. Hezekiah didn’t hold anything back when he prayed to God. I’m afraid we often treat God as we treat fellow humans and become dishonest in our presentation of our prayer to God. You must remember that God knows your heart and situation, and dishonesty in your prayer is certainly not going to motivate God to answer it. When you pray, be bluntly honest with God for that is the type of prayer He desires.
Fourth, it was filled with complete trust and faith. Hezekiah prayed with a trust that God would rescue him and a faith that God would not fail him. Have complete trust in God when you pray. Don’t pray and try to work it out yourself. Pray and trust God. Have the type of faith that believes God will answer your prayer.
What you face today may seem as big to you as the threats that came to Hezekiah. If you want the same results that Hezekiah got, then pray. Make your prayers immediate and simple, and be sure they are filled with honesty, trust and faith. God will answer your prayers when they are filled with these elements.