God I pray that I can have faith like Hezekiah. I admire how he trusted in you when he was faced with the king of Assyria’s vast army. Even when the king said he was going to do horrible things to the people of Judah, Hezekiah did not give in. Instead he fasted and prayed to God. I love what he said to his people in 2 Chronicles 32:7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and his vast army. For there is a greater power that is with us than is with them. With them is only an army of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God who will help us and fight our battles.” The next day, one angel of the Lord wiped out 200,000 soldiers in the Assyrian army.
Who is fighting your battle? I love how Galatians sets up a contrast between victory and defeat. At the time of Hezekiah, Israel was living in the first part of Galatians 5:19 “the acts of the flesh are obvious: Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Israel lived this lifestyle and the Assyrians wiped them out. On the other hand, Judah under Hezekiah’s humble leadership trusted in God and was protected from their enemies. Galatians 5:13 “You were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh; rather serve one another humbly in love.
This verse challenges me as a free American to take responsibility and use my freedom to bless others. My prayer today is that God fill me with his spirit so the fruits “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” will be a blessing to others.
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