It’s amazing how when things are going our way how we live by faith. Amen? But when it goes a little crazy, we become skeptics and we try to do things on our own. That’s when we are tested. People can’t understand why they never grow, they never get close to God—it’s because when He puts something in your way for you to trust Him, you don’t trust Him. You always use plan B. And if you are a Christian, it just won’t work out right at all. Because you have to keep repeating, the same trial over and over again. Of all of it, when all else fails, that’s probably the key to all our Christianity—always stick with Plan A.
I started thinking about some things, when all has failed. When everything you tried to do fails, what do you do?
Consider with me these Scriptures . . .
“In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” (1 Kings 3:5-9).
Solomon, here, if you understand it, was perplexed. He felt he couldn’t do the job. But Solomon, when all else failed, went to God. Went to whose God? The God of his father. He was claiming the God of his father. And what happened there? Well, that God became his God. And God answers, He really does. Let’s read further . . .
“And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee” (1 Kings 3:10-12).
I’m telling you. You must notice these characters in the Bible. Now, a lot of people don’t know the difference. They hear preaching, they try to bring things doctrinally into it and they forget about the devotional and practical aspects of Scripture. All Scripture … All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is practical. When we look at things, we want to understand what in the world we are going to do when everything else fails. All that I have is the Book.
So, when I come here to Solomon I’m saying, ‘Here we got a prayer here. He’s going before God. He’s perplexed, man.’ All of a sudden, he’s in charge. We’re talking a million people, at least. That’s vast! And he’s got no understanding. Now, he can lay down the law, whatever he said could of went, but instead he chose the best thing to do when his back was up against the wall. And he remembered his father going before God—remembered that his father, right? –with the psalms that he’d written along the way. I think they heard them. Solomon heard his father’s heart, singing out to God and heard all those things that David would recite, choirs would sing, and so, he wanted that God. And he went to that God. That is who is addressed his prayer to. And what we are seeing here is that God answered his prayer. That’s a blessing.
We’re living in a day and age, I’m telling you, where it is getting difficult for Christians to live right.
Now, we find in 2 Kings in chapter 19, Sennacherib invades Judah and has already killed many kings and taken control of their lands. The king of Assyria sends Hezekiah a letter of threatenings. King Hezekiah was at his wit’s end. When all else fails, right? He takes the letter and lays it before the Lord . . .
“And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only” (2 Kings 19:14-19).
Wow! That’s a pretty good prayer. Desperate. Especially when you are seeing this conqueror coming in, after he had conquered all those peoples. He’s killed multitudes of people, we’re talking about thousands, and now his eyes are on Hezekiah’s reign. That’s scary. So, instead of panicking and trying to make deals like we know some other kings did there, he laid the letter out before God.
He just believed that God saw the letter with His eyes. He believed that, he really did!
“Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel” (2 Kings 19:20-22).
Whoa! Oh, you need Me now, do you?
I started thinking about some things, when all has failed. When everything you tried to do fails, what do you do?
Consider with me these Scriptures . . .
“In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” (1 Kings 3:5-9).
Solomon, here, if you understand it, was perplexed. He felt he couldn’t do the job. But Solomon, when all else failed, went to God. Went to whose God? The God of his father. He was claiming the God of his father. And what happened there? Well, that God became his God. And God answers, He really does. Let’s read further . . .
“And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee” (1 Kings 3:10-12).
I’m telling you. You must notice these characters in the Bible. Now, a lot of people don’t know the difference. They hear preaching, they try to bring things doctrinally into it and they forget about the devotional and practical aspects of Scripture. All Scripture … All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is practical. When we look at things, we want to understand what in the world we are going to do when everything else fails. All that I have is the Book.
So, when I come here to Solomon I’m saying, ‘Here we got a prayer here. He’s going before God. He’s perplexed, man.’ All of a sudden, he’s in charge. We’re talking a million people, at least. That’s vast! And he’s got no understanding. Now, he can lay down the law, whatever he said could of went, but instead he chose the best thing to do when his back was up against the wall. And he remembered his father going before God—remembered that his father, right? –with the psalms that he’d written along the way. I think they heard them. Solomon heard his father’s heart, singing out to God and heard all those things that David would recite, choirs would sing, and so, he wanted that God. And he went to that God. That is who is addressed his prayer to. And what we are seeing here is that God answered his prayer. That’s a blessing.
We’re living in a day and age, I’m telling you, where it is getting difficult for Christians to live right.
Now, we find in 2 Kings in chapter 19, Sennacherib invades Judah and has already killed many kings and taken control of their lands. The king of Assyria sends Hezekiah a letter of threatenings. King Hezekiah was at his wit’s end. When all else fails, right? He takes the letter and lays it before the Lord . . .
“And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only” (2 Kings 19:14-19).
Wow! That’s a pretty good prayer. Desperate. Especially when you are seeing this conqueror coming in, after he had conquered all those peoples. He’s killed multitudes of people, we’re talking about thousands, and now his eyes are on Hezekiah’s reign. That’s scary. So, instead of panicking and trying to make deals like we know some other kings did there, he laid the letter out before God.
He just believed that God saw the letter with His eyes. He believed that, he really did!
“Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard. This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin the daughter of Zion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel” (2 Kings 19:20-22).
Whoa! Oh, you need Me now, do you?
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