Hezekiah ruled over Judah and was a good and faithful king.
Hezekiah often became the target of warring nations. The king of Assyria, which was a much more powerful nation, made plans to overthrow Hezekiah’s kingdom. Throughout the stressful time in leadership, Hezekiah consistently used the same battle plan.
He went before the Lord in prayer—and—he followed the Lord’s commands.
Hezekiah relied on prayer to rule his life. This king knew how to pray and he prayed in a way that got results.
At one point, the Assyrian king launched a huge smear campaign against Hezekiah with his own people. It scared Hezekiah’s people.
Hezekiah heard about the threat and went before the Lord. God assured Hezekiah everything would be okay, but the Assyrians wouldn’t let up their verbal assaults. They kept taunting the kingdom of Hezekiah, throwing threats towards Hezekiah. Finally, they sent a letter by messenger to Hezekiah, which basically said, “
The Assyrians are tough, and they are coming for you next.”
It was a credible, realistic threat. In a practical sense, Hezekiah had reason to be afraid.
What do you do when you are backed into a corner as a leader and you’re about to face something bigger than your ability to handle?
Well, Hezekiah received the letter with all the threats and began to pray.
We find this account in
2 Kings 19:14–19.
What can we learn from listening in as Hezekiah prayed?
Here are 7 Thoughts for More Effective Prayer from a Stressed Out Leader Named Hezekiah:
Hezekiah got alone with God. There is corporate prayer like we do at church, and there is prayer where a few are gathered. But probably some of the most effective prayer time of your life will be the time you invest alone with God.
Hezekiah’s prayer was immediate. His prayer wasn’t an afterthought. It was prior to making his plans. We are so geared to react as leaders that it’s hard for us to go first to God. He may be second or third or first when we are backed into a corner and have no choice, but we need to develop a discipline and habit to make God the first place we turn in our lives. Like Hezekiah.
Hezekiah’s prayer was open and honest. Hezekiah was transparent before the Lord. I love the imagery here in this prayer story of Hezekiah. He took the letter, went to the house of the Lord, and spread it out before Him. I get this visual image of Hezekiah, and this letter—laying it there on the table, and saying,
“Okay, God, what now? What do I do next? What’s my first move?”
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