Pastor John’s Blog

When bad news comes our way it is sometimes difficult to organize our thoughts enough to pray. It could be that bill that seems impossible to pay, or that medical report that gives a bleak diagnosis, or a menacing lawsuit. This is why it is good to know that God knows how to read. All that we need to do is lay the bill, the medical report, the court paper or whatever else before him. He knows what those documents contain. King Hezekiah knew this. Upon receiving a letter from King Sennacherib of Assyria stating the terms of surrender for Israel, Hezekiah “went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it [the letter] out before the Lord.¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed…” (2 Kings 19:14-15, NLT). Certain that God knew all of the details contained in that letter Hezekiah proceeded to tell God “Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God” (2 Kings 19:16, NLT). No fancy prayer was needed. No mention of every detail was necessary, because he had spread the letter before the God that is able to read. You too can do this. Take that document that is troubling you and lay it before the Lord, and ask Him to help you. Then trust in Him and walk away knowing that God has read the letter and is handling it.