Now for our scripture reading, please turn with me to Isaiah chapter 36, Isaiah 36. And our brother Mark has asked us to read this together, 36, and he will be going through 36 and 37. I mentioned to him, this is one of my all-time favorite accounts of God's ironic, mighty, surprising power. It's very relatable to us, even though we don't live in a city with walls and have a political army at our gates. It's very relatable to the Christian that sees that our battle is not flesh and blood. We have real spiritual warfare every day. And you don't have to wait once in a lifetime to relive this account, this test of faith, almost every week or every day for the believer. Let's read Isaiah 36 together. In the 14th year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And the Rabshakeh is the head military leader for the Assyrians. That's his title. With a great army, And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the washer's field. And there came out to him Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna, the secretary, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder. And the Reb Sheka said to them, say to Hezekiah, thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, On what do you rest this trust of yours? Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust that you have rebelled against me? Behold, you are trusting in Egypt. that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it, such as Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, we trust in the Lord our God, is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, you shall worship before this altar? Come now, make a wager with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses if you are able on your part to set riders on them. How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? Moreover, Is it without the Lord that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, go up against this land and destroy it. Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Reb Sheka, Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall. But the Repshecha said, has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you and not to the men sitting on the wall who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine? Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah, hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. Thus says the king, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, the Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria, make your peace with me, and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. Beware, lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, the Lord will deliver us. Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sephavim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, do not answer him. Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna, the secretary, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of the Reb Shekeh. Well, good morning, everyone. As we come together this morning, I would like us to consider the account of the invasion of the Assyrian army. And as we look at this invasion, I hope that we can learn some lessons from how Hezekiah responds. How he responds to King Sennacherib and the assault and his verbal assaults that he made. I'd like us to just look again at Isaiah. This time, look at Isaiah 37 with me, if you would. As Pastor Bernard said, there was the cliffhanger, right? We heard a little bit about this initial assault. Well, how does Hezekiah respond? Well, first we read in Isaiah 37, 1, we read this. As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. And then later, down in verse 14 and 15, we read this. Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord. Well, then let us now go to the Lord and pray and ask for his help as we look at this account. Oh, our dear God and Father, we bow before you. And Lord, we thank you that you are a great and a mighty God. You are holy and just. We know that you are accomplishing your purposes, and we marvel at times at the works of your hand. At times we do not understand fully, but yet we know that we must trust in you and have confidence that you will accomplish your will and your purposes. And we pray, Father, that as we open up this word this morning, we might see your great hand at work. It may even be an encouragement to us to continue to trust in you and to always to look to you and hold fast to you. We ask, Lord, that you would be with us now as we look at your word and we seek to worship you. And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Bad news. I'm sure we've all received it at some point in our lives, right? We might receive a phone call. Maybe it's a text. Maybe it's an email. And we're told of news. News that has a negative, life-changing impact on us. It might impact us personally. It might impact maybe a loved one of ours, a family member or a friend. Or it may just be negative news about our country and the world in which we live. The news tells of a severe trial, perhaps a trial that is either pending or a trial that is currently taking place. And as we listen to this news, we realize that there's nothing we can do about it. We can't solve the problem. It's beyond our capabilities. It may seem to be that there is absolutely no solution for this problem. It may just seem to be an impossible situation. Well, how then do we respond? Well, today I would like us to look at Hezekiah and see how he responds to bad news, very bad news that was delivered to him, news concerning the Assyrian army, news that threatens his nation, news that they will be conquered and that they will be carried away captive. And as we look at this narrative, which is found in Isaiah 36 and 37, I would like us to do so following this outline. First, I would like us to look at the initial verbal assault by the king of Assyria. And as we look at that assault, let us look at how Hezekiah then responds. And then what is God's response to Hezekiah? And then secondly, let us look at the written assault by the king of Assyria. And again, how does Hezekiah respond to that? And then what is God's response to Hezekiah? And then finally, we will look at some lessons we can learn from Hezekiah's response. So now, the verbal assault. Look back again at Isaiah chapter 36 with me, if you would. In Isaiah 36, when we read this, in the 14th year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. We are told of the invasion by the king, King Sennacherib, and it takes place during the reign of King Hezekiah. I'm sure many of you know King Hezekiah is the king of Judah. He was considered a good king. He's described as a king that did what was right in the eyes of God. He removed the high places. He removed the altars. Hezekiah was actually taking action at that time to reform the nation. When Hezekiah took the throne, Judah was a vassal state of Assyria. But Hezekiah would not serve the king of Assyria. We're told that he rebelled against the king of Assyria. And in response to this rebellion, we now see that King Sennacherib has come. He has invaded Judah. And in verse two, we read this. King Sennacherib sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem with a great army. Thus far during the invasion, the Assyrian army had conquered all of the fortified cities of Judah, all the cities that stood in his path. But now he reaches this one point, and he decides now to send representatives ahead to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. The Rab Cheka brings a message, a message from the Assyrian king. And it seems the purpose of this message was to intimidate Hezekiah. He wanted him to surrender. His message is arrogant and proud. He's condescending and rude. His words are full of mockings and threats. In verse 36.5, he begins by questioning Hezekiah. He says, it's really going to be a question of trust. He says, in whom do you now trust that you have rebelled against me? Hezekiah had rebelled against Assyria. And he had to know that there would be consequences for this rebellion. He had to know that the king of Syria, he would come. He couldn't ignore this. So the Rabshakeh asked, who then? Who are you trusting in? Well, who was Hezekiah trusting in? Was Hezekiah trusting in another nation? Rabshakeh mocks Hezekiah for trusting in Egypt. In verse 6, we read this, Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans in it. Hezekiah had actually sought help from Egypt, but Reb Sheka dismisses his effort as futile. He says, he describes Egypt as being weak, unreliable. He compared Egypt to being nothing more than a reed, a reed that if you leaned upon it, it would never be able to support you. Egypt would be of no help to Hezekiah. So then what was he relying on? What was he trusting in? Was Hezekiah trusting in his own strength and the power of his army? Again, Rabshakeh mocks the weakness, the weakness of the people. He says this in verse eight, come now, make a wager with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses if you are able to set riders upon them. He taunts Hezekiah. He says that even if I gave you 2,000 horses, you are so weak, you don't have the people to put on these horses to even use them. Judah could never withstand the army of Assyria. So then what was Hezekiah trusting in? Was Hezekiah trusting in his actions? His actions to reform the nation. Rabshakeh mocks Hezekiah's reforms. In verse 10, Rabshakeh even claims that the Lord is with him. He says this, moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, go up against this land and destroy it. Rabshakeh tells Hezekiah that the Lord has sent them, despite Hezekiah's reforms. Instead of the Lord being with the nation of Judah, Rabshakeh says, no, no, the Lord's with me. He's with the Assyrian army. And while it is unclear if he really does believe this or not, it seems that he is trying to use this to dishearten Hezekiah, to cause him not to trust in the Lord. And then he sees around him, upon the walls, he sees the men, they're sitting and listening to all of this speech. So he directs his comments to these men and he tries to strike fear into them. He claims that if they resist, they're gonna starve. He says that they will be forced to eat their own dung and drink their own urine. And then he goes on to question the trustworthiness of Hezekiah. He says this in verse 14 through 16. Thus says the king, speaking of Assyria, do not let Hezekiah deceive you. for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, the Lord will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Do not listen to Hezekiah. He tells the man sitting on the wall, don't listen to Hezekiah. Don't trust in him. Don't trust in the Lord. Instead, he tells them, you need to listen to the king of Assyria. Listen to his words. They need to surrender. The king of Assyria offers captivity, but captivity in a land of grain and wine. And although they would be prisoners, at least they would not starve. But in all these words, the fundamental thing that Reb Sheke is doing is he is mocking the Lord. He dismisses God as being no different than the gods of the other nations. Nations that Assyria had already defeated. Nations that were not able to be delivered by their gods. And if these gods were powerless to protect these other nations against Assyria, Rabshakeh concludes that, well, the Lord then is certainly going to be unable to deliver Jerusalem out of the hand of the king of Assyria. Well, this was the initial verbal assault upon Hezekiah. Well, now let us look at how does he respond to this? How would you respond to this? Well, we see that Hezekiah's response, as we already read in verse one of chapter 37, we read of his response being one of humility and trust. Hezekiah tore his clothes. He covered himself with sackcloth and he went into the house of the Lord. These actions are a sign of humility. It's a recognition of his total inability. There's no way he can respond to this threat from the king of Assyria. He knows things are beyond his control. And likely he knew in his heart, his futile attempts, he even tried to get Egypt to help him, but he realized they would be no help. And as he looks at his army, he realizes they're not gonna be able to withstand against the army of the Assyrians. So when he is confronted with this news, What does Hezekiah do? He trusts. He trusts in the Lord, and he goes into the house of the Lord. He humbly seeks God. He comes to Him in prayer, looking to Him for deliverance. And also, he sends messengers to Isaiah, Isaiah the prophet. And he asks Isaiah to also pray with him. Pray that the Lord would hear the mocking words of the king of Assyria and that the Lord would rebuke these words. So that is Hezekiah's response. So what then does God do? What is God's response to Hezekiah? Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, we read this in verse six and seven. Isaiah sends back the word of God and he says this, thus says the Lord, do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land. A very short response, a very specific response God responds to Hezekiah by giving him a promise. Words of promise. He tells Hezekiah, do not fear because of the words of man. Behold, the Lord will take action against King Sennacherib. The promise that he is given, the promise given to Hezekiah is that the Lord will cause the king of Assyria to return to his own land. And when in his own land, he will die. So then the question is, Hezekiah needed to trust in the Lord. Trust that the Lord would keep his promise. Trust that the Lord would deliver them from the hand of the king of Assyria and his great army. So that is very quickly looking at that initial verbal assault by the king of Assyria. And then Hezekiah's response and then God's response to Hezekiah. But now we come to a second assault Despite these threatening words from the king of Assyria and the imposing army, Hezekiah did not surrender. And then we read that Rabshakeh returned to the king Sennacherib and he reported back to him. And it's at this point Sennacherib decides to take matters into his own hands and he decides to write a letter. perhaps thinking, hey, if I write a letter and it's in my own handwriting, I will convey my own thoughts and make sure that Hezekiah understands what I am saying. Well, what does he write? Well, look with me in chapter 37 in verse 10. He writes this, thus shall you speak to Hezekiah, king of Judah. Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them? This letter was a much more forceful attempt against Hezekiah to surrender. In the letter, King Sennacherib intensifies his threats. He focuses his attacks directly upon God. He accuses God of deceiving the people by promising deliverance. Again, we're faced with the question of trust. He says to Hezekiah, you should not trust in God. And then the king of Assyria, he again repeats his previous mocking of God. He dismisses the power of God. He mocks God thinking he's no more powerful than the gods of the other nations. Nations that Assyria had already conquered. Boasting of the power of Assyria in comparison to these weak gods that could not stop his great armies. Therefore, he concludes it's inevitable. You will be conquered. And for this reason, Sennacherib asserts, you should not trust God. You should not believe his promise. The Lord will not deliver you from the hand of the king of Assyria. So now confronted with these words, how does Hezekiah respond? It seems hopeless. Well, Hezekiah looks at this letter, and actually this is a test of his faith. Will he trust the Lord? What is his response? Well, I think by Hezekiah's actions, we see that he does trust the Lord. He goes again to the house of the Lord and he prays. His prayer has two main points. First, it's a concern for the glory of God. And then second, a request for salvation. He begins with these words found in verses 15 through 17. Please follow along as I read these. In chapter 37, Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear. Open your eyes, O Lord, and see. Hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Hezekiah begins by confessing the greatness and the glory of God. Hezekiah has a right understanding of who God is. And in his prayer, he reflects that understanding. He prays, he says, God, you are the Lord of hosts. You are the sovereign ruler over all of heaven and earth. You are enthroned above the cherubim. You are God who sits upon a throne in heaven, above all the kingdoms of the earth. He alone is God. There are no other gods. He is the one true and living God. And symbolically then, Hezekiah spread the letter before the Lord. And although God already knows the content, Hezekiah calls on God and says, see these words. Hear the words. Hear the mockings. So Necharib has mocked God. And this is an offense to God, to his name and to his glory. But secondly, he prays that God would save the nation. In verse 18, we read this. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and they have cast their gods into the fire. For they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord, our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are God. He acknowledges it's true. The Assyrian army has conquered all the other nations, these nations that relied on man-made gods, gods that were made of wood and stone. No wonder they were destroyed. But Hezekiah pleads for God to intervene, for God to save Jerusalem from the hand of the king of Assyria, for only God can overcome this great Assyrian army. No other god was able to do so, but these gods did not have the Lord of Hosts on their side. Hezekiah's prayer is that by saving Jerusalem, and in doing so, the name of God would be glorified. All the kingdoms of the earth would then know that God alone is the only true God. So what is God's response to Hezekiah's prayer? Well, first, I think we will see, we will hear that God will speak. He will remind Hezekiah of his sovereign control over all things. And secondly, we will see that God acts, showing Hezekiah his mighty power. And third, God will provide his reasons. It's interesting, oftentimes we don't understand the reasons for why God does things, but God provides his reasons for why he responds to Hezekiah's prayer. Well, first let's look at God speaking. God responds by acknowledging that Hezekiah came to God in prayer. I think this is kind of interesting. In verse 21, we read this. Then Isaiah, the son of Amos, sent to Hezekiah saying, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib, king of Assyria. In the ESV translation, it's translated, it says, because you prayed. I found it very interesting. It seems that Hezekiah's prayer ignites God's action. And although we know that God is sovereign and he's in control of all things, yet we're still called on by God to come in prayer, to make our requests known to God. And somehow our prayers work together with God's sovereign plan to accomplish his purposes. But then, God goes on to assure Hezekiah of his sovereign control. God knows what is taking place. God has heard the mocking of the king of Assyria. Look at verse 23. He says this, whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel. By your servants you have mocked the Lord. This Assyrian king was proud. He raised up his voice, insulting and mocking God. He claimed that it was by his power, it was by his might and by his wisdom that he was the one that was conquering all these nations. But little does this proud, arrogant king know, he's not in control, but it is actually God who is in control. Look at verse 26, God says this, have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I plan from days of old what now I bring to pass. This invasion of the Assyrian army was all part of God's sovereign plan. But in his pride and arrogance, this king of Assyria, all he can do is see things from an earthly perspective. Little did he know that God was using him. using him to carry out God's judgment upon the nations. I like the way it's described in Isaiah chapter 10. I'll just read it for you. In verse 13, speaking of the king of Assyria, he says this, for he says, being the king of Assyria, it's by the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom I have understanding. That's what the king of Assyria thinks. But then God responds. In verse 15, he says this, shall the ax boast over him who hews with it? Or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it? Just as it would be absurd for a tool to speak to the one that's using it and claiming and boasting for what it's accomplished, it's equally absurd that the king of Assyria would boast of his conquests. The king of Assyria is nothing more than an axe, nothing more than a saw in the hand of God. God is using him as a tool, a tool to accomplish the will of God, to accomplish his purposes. It was God who raised up the nation of Assyria to be a great nation. It was God who gave the king of Assyria all of his victories. And it was God who enabled the king of Assyria to expand his kingdoms. All that the king of Assyria has conquered have been done only as a fulfillment of God's sovereign plan. It's God who has decided how far he will go. And God has now decided he will go no further. King Sennacherib wants to go on to Jerusalem. But no, God says, no, you will not. The Lord goes on to say in verse 28, I know you're sitting down and you're going out and coming in and you're raging against me. Verse 29, he says, because you have raged against me and your complacency has come to my ears, I will put a hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came. The Lord says, because you raged against me. You know, there are consequences for Sennacherib's sin. His sin of proud mocking of God. And although God does use sinful nations to accomplish His purposes, they are still responsible for their sin. And His raging against God, His sin, His sin will be punished. God will cause the king of Assyria and his army to return, return to their homeland. And I just love the pictures of God's sovereign control. God gives the picture to describe his control over the king of Assyria by first saying that, giving us a picture of an ox. Think of an ox with a ring in its nose and his master puts a hook in that ring and he takes the rope and he just leads along that ox wherever he wants him to go. Or secondly, have a picture of a horse. The horse has a bit in its mouth. And the rider of the horse, he turns that horse whichever way he goes using that bit. God will treat the king of Assyria like he would a beast, leading him about with a hook in his nose or a bit in his mouth. God is in absolute control. He is sovereignly directing the king of Assyria and his every movement. And although the king of Assyria planned to take Jerusalem, God will not permit it to happen. Instead of victory, the Assyrian king will have to return home, led by God with a hook in his nose and a bit in his mouth. So that's God's Verbal response. But now we see God acting. God demonstrating his mighty power. In verse 36, we read this. And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when the people arose in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. God's judgment is swift. His victory is decisive. The Assyrian king had boasted in his strength, in the might of his great army, claiming that no nation, no god could stand against him. But God demonstrates who has the greater power. He has a greater power than the army of Assyria. Even though it was a great army, an army of 185,000, an army sent to intimidate, to strike fear, In one night, God sends an angel and the entire army is destroyed. Who then can stand before God and his might and his power? None. Not even King Sennacherib and his great army from Assyria. And following this devastating destruction of his army, we read this in verse 36 and, I mean, 37 and 38. Then Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed. returned home and lived in Nineveh. And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch, his god, Adrammelech and Shaarezer, his son, struck him down with the sword. Remember God's first response? Remember God's promise to Hezekiah? Just as God had promised, the king of Assyria did not come into the city of Jerusalem. There was never an attack. Instead of conquering the city, he was turned home. He went back to his home. But also, just as God had promised, while in his homeland, King Sennacherib was killed, struck down by the sword. God answered Hezekiah's prayer, and he kept his promise to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria returned to his own land there he died. So we might ask, why? What was God's reason for this? Well, he gives two reasons. They were found in verse 35. In verse 35 we read this, For I will defend the city to save it. Why? For my own sake and for the sake of my servant David. First, for my own sake, remember Hezekiah's prayer, God save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord. God had displayed his great power and might by destroying the Assyrian army, 185,000 in one night. God's victory was a sign to the other nations of the world, nations that knew Judah was just a weak and significant nation, a nation that would be unable to stand in front of the Assyrians. So clearly, it had to be some other great power that overthrew this Assyrian army. The victory was the work of God, the one true and living God. Therefore, the victory proclaims God's power and might. His power is greater than the power of any of the earthly nations. He is the Lord of hosts. He's the one who reigns supreme. And by this victory, God gets the glory. Remember, his great name was mocked by the king of Assyria, but now his great name is praised throughout all the nations of the world. But then God also gives a second reason for why he did what he did. He says, it's for the sake of my servant David. God is faithful to keep his promises. God remembers his covenant with David. God promised that David's descendants would reign. He promised to establish the throne of David forever, a promise ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. But included with that promise was this statement. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquities, I will discipline him with the rod of men. Sadly, the nation of Judah had committed iniquities. They had forsaken the Lord. They were worshiping other gods. And because of their sin, the Lord will discipline them. In Isaiah 5, 26, speaking of God, God says this, I love this picture. God whistles. It's like whistling for a dog to come. God is the master of all the nations. He whistles. It's a signal to the nations. And even though they're far away, they hear, they obey, and they come ready, ready to obey God. So too did Sennacherib. He heard the whistle, and he came. He and his great army had invaded Judah to be used by God as a rod to judge a nation. When Hezekiah had taken the throne as king of Judah, he saw the sin of the nation. He repented. He turned to God, and he reformed the nation. And God sees his repentance, and he responds. E.J. Young writes this, God is willing to allow a respite. The real reason why Sennacherib was not allowed to destroy the nation lies in Hezekiah's reformation. God did not abandon his ultimate purpose, but he holds it off that his people may truly turn from their sin. Thus God's mercy is manifest. And later on he writes, in delivering Jerusalem, God showed he intended to abide by his promises, promises made to David. We always must remember that God is faithful to keep his promises, including his promises to David. Well, what a great narrative. We see the threats of the Assyrian army, a great and mighty army. We see the mockings of God. And we see Hezekiah's response. And then we see God's response to Hezekiah. So what then can we learn from this? What can we learn from Hezekiah's response to the assaults of the king of Assyria? Well, there's three brief things I'd like to mention. First, we learn that we need to trust God. Secondly, we need to remember that God is sovereign. And third, we need to follow Hezekiah's example and pray to God with a desire that God might get the glory. Well, first then, when we're confronted with seemingly impossible trials, we face the question of trust, do we not? In whom will we trust? Will you be trusting in yourself? Will you be trusting in your own wisdom, in your own might, in your own cleverness on how to solve the problem? Or perhaps you might be trusting in man. You might seek to rely on others. But we need to learn from Hezekiah. We need to learn to trust in the Lord. God sometimes brings difficult, almost impossible trials into our lives to cause us to trust in him. To demonstrate that trust, we need to pray. We need to come to God and pray, trusting in Him, come in humility, acknowledging our own inability, seeking God's help, trusting that God will be faithful to keep His promises. But then secondly, when we're confronted with seemingly impossible trials, we need to remember that God is sovereign. We saw this beautiful picture of God's sovereignty, did we not? He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He reigns supreme. God is sovereignly in control of everything that is happening, even when the things that are happening seem to be out of control. And as a sovereign God, we know that he has power. He has the power to accomplish his plan and his purpose, even when we think it is beyond anybody's power to do anything about it. The truth of God's sovereignty should therefore encourage us to pray, for we also know that God hears and answers our prayers. And somehow, as we said before, our prayers work together with God's sovereign plan in ways that we may never fully understand. And seemingly, our prayers sometimes trigger God's actions, actions that he had already sovereignly purposed and planned, but actions that are being taken in response to our prayers. Well, may this encourage us to pray. and see God as sovereign. But then thirdly, when confronted with seemingly impossible trials, we need to follow Hezekiah's example. An example that when we pray to God, we should pray that God's name will be glorified. We really need to stop thinking always about things from an earthly perspective. So oftentimes, we're thinking about how it affects me. It has to do with me. What we really need to be thinking about is how does this impact God? We need to have a heavenly perspective. And our desire should be that when we encounter a trial, we should seek that in that trial that God would be glorified. This should be our concern, not our personal wants and desires. No, our concern should be that God's name is glorified. and that even in these severe trials and difficulties come our way, that our testimony to those around us, to the nations, will be a testimony that will bring glory to God. Whether the trial is removed or whether God gives grace to endure the trial, may God get the glory. But then as I close, I have just one final word. It's a word to anyone who is here who is not trusting in God. My question to you today, who are you trusting in? Are you trusting in yourself? Do you think your own righteousness is meaningful before God? Or are you trusting in others? Are you trusting in the wisdom of the world and the lies of Satan? There really is none other that you need to trust in. You need to hope in God, trust in God. You must trust in him. You must believe his promises. He gives you this promise. If you call on the name of the Lord, you will be saved. Do not wait. Trust in the Lord today. Well, let us pray. Our dear God, we bow before you. And again, we confess that you are a great and a mighty God. You are the Lord who sits enthroned above. And as a sovereign God, we know that you are accomplishing your purposes and your plans, and we are so thankful that that is the case, and we can find comfort in that. And we pray, Father, that we would seek your glory in everything that takes place in our lives. And even when we encounter trials, we pray, Lord, that even in those trials, that your name would be glorified. Oh, Father, we pray that you would help us to have a complete, absolute trust in you, forsaking all others, forsaking ourselves, looking to Christ and looking to him alone. And we pray that you would give us help to do this. And we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.