R³ Devotional - Day 209

A quick backread into chapter 18 of 2 Kings shows us a “a chief of the princes” (Rabshakeh) is intimidating and trying to persuade the inhabitants of Judah who are under strict orders from King Hezekiah to remain silent and not respond to the boastful speech being given by the Assyrian prince.  As we go through chapter 19, we can tell that it must have been a good persuasion as we see some key people reporting to King Hezekiah in torn clothes.  Hezekiah then does in kind and hits the house of the Lord in sackcloth and ashes to pray to God.  Hezekiah is reassured by Isaiah that God will protect them at this time.  We read of this as scripture reports 185,000 Assyrian soldiers are slain by an Angel of the Lord in a night.  Chapter 19 also contains a heavy prophecy against the Assyrians, and it’s after this that we read of the power of God going into action against the Assyrians.  It’s also interesting to note that the Rabshakeh seemed to have a big misunderstanding of who the God of the people of Judah was, linking him to idols and places of worship, not realizing He is ever-present, and all powerful…a big misunderstanding on his part!

In the Psalms we study today (46, 80, and 135) we see some “reassurance” that God is our fortress (46), He is our restorer (80), and great is our Lord (135).  In each one we see great reverence for the Lord and what He does/has done for His chosen people.  We can also draw from this that God’s chosen people Israel seemed to be under attack quite a bit (sometimes as punishment for straying) by the surrounding peoples and powerful kingdoms.  All of which God was aware of and capable of acting in the situations should He choose.

Real Life Principles:

As followers of Christ, we are susceptible to attacks from those in the world who disagree with us, those in the world who are not comfortable with the absolute truth we find in God’s word, and those who the enemy easily manipulates against us.  Here’s the scary part…the enemy can get into situations where only believers are present, capitalizing on our weakness as well!  We must remember that God is our Fortress, God is our Restorer, and God is Great, turning to Him daily in everything that we do.  If not, as soon as our guard is down, guess who is lingering and waiting to attack?

Relevant Life Applications:

We need to move away from the rhythm that so many believers (including myself) can get into daily.  “I’ll get to the word of God after I get this done,” “I have to be this way at work so I don’t lose my job,” or “We’ve got to do this with or for the kids and then we’ll go fellowship and worship with believers.”  My friends we’ve got to find ways to honor God and His will and plans in everything we do…we can’t call ourselves Christians every day and only act like Christians on Sunday or the occasional Wednesday.  This crazy and dark world needs Christ’s light shining through us daily.  It’s our job to pray for guidance and opportunity, and then prioritize our walk with God as first in all that we do.

Being Ready with Life Action Steps:

Make a commitment to start each day in God’s word and honest communication with Him.  In those prayers, recognize Him, repent of our mistakes, seek from Him his will for His kingdom, and close with our specific needs to go out and serve Him. Being intentional is a great habit we can exhibit.  Just remember, be intentional about your relationship with Him and what He desires from you for His kingdom work every day.