praying first in troubling times

As I was reading in the life of Hezekiah in 2 Kings, I was struck by his response to some news that he received. In 2 Kings 19 Hezekiah receives a letter from a king who was planning to attack him telling him that Judah's God would not be able to protect them from his attack. Hezekiah's response to this letter is recorded in 2 Kings 19:14-19, which says:

Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: "O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words the Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.
It is true, O Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste to these nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by men's hands. Now, O Lord, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God." (NIV)

This letter drove Hezekiah to prayer.

As I was reading this I started to think about my own life and how I respond sometimes when troubling news comes my way. I usually respond by trying to figure what I can do to fix it. I wonder if that is not the same response that most of us have when we receive news like Hezekiah did.

But, as I look at what Hezekiah's response was I start to wonder if maybe that should be the way I respond as well - by going to God in prayer about it first. God can, and does, change things. Our prayers are answered. Taking troubling news or situations to God is the way He desires for us to respond.

Hezekiah's example is one that we should be following in our lives. As I look back over the last couple of years I can see that this is a response that is better than trying to make things happen on our own. A few times over the last couple of years, I have received news that was quite troubling but that I really could not do anything about. The only thing I could was pray, so I did. The more I have chosen to make that my first response, the more easily it becomes my first response.

This passage opens with Hezekiah receiving the letter and reading it. His next step is then to pray about it. What is your first response when you receive troubling news?

following God to a point or following Him completely?

Lately I have been reading in 1 & 2 Kings - the records of the Kings of Israel and Judah. Sometimes it is a bit depressing to read about one king after another who did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord and the consequences that the king and whole of Israel or Judah bear from that. But, in the midst of that there are kings that do what is good in the eyes of the Lord.

One of these kings of Judah was Hezekiah. 2 Kings 18:3-7 describes him as a king this way:

He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.  (It was called Nehushtan.)
Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. (NIV)

Those words  make it clear that he was a king who followed God and wanted to do what was right in God's eyes. In many ways, he went a step further than some of the other kings who had followed God because he removed the high places and destroyed objects of idol worship; while some of the other kings who followed God had left those places in tact.

Hezekiah followed God as completely as he could. He was not afraid to risk the ire of the people of Judah because he destroyed their places of idol worship. His heart was sold out to God first and foremost. And God blessed that.

God does not want us to just follow Him to a point. He wants us to follow Him completely - even if it is unpopular. Unlike the kings who followed God but left the places for idol worship in tact, God wants us to be the kind of followers that will ruthlessly destroy anything in our lives that might keep us from following God completely.

How about in your own life? Are you following God completely? Or just to a point? Are there areas in your life where you need to remove something that has become an idol that you worship? Are you willing to take the steps to remove that from your life - even if they seem drastic?

God calls us to follow Him completely - in all areas - no matter what the cost! Are we willing to do that? Or do we want to follow Him everywhere, but ______________ (insert the area where you struggle to follow God completely)? Maybe we need to make the choice again to follow God in everything and then take the steps to do so.

doubt and mercy

"Be merciful to those who doubt."

Jude 22 (NIV)

When I read those words the other day they just seemed to jump off the page at me. Six simple words, but I think they contain a lot of challenge for followers of Christ today.

How do we usually handle those who doubt? Are we merciful towards them? Or do we judge them for their doubts? Does it make a difference if they have claimed to be a follower of Christ in the past and now are confessing to having doubts? Do we have more patience for those with doubts who have never called themselves a follower of Christ?

How do you want someone to treat us when you are struggling with doubt? Would you tell another follower of Christ that you are struggling with doubt? Or would you just keep quiet and hope to avoid any lectures on "just have faith anyways"? How have your doubts been handled by others in the past? Have you ever told anyone of doubts before?

These are just some of the many questions in my mind since I read that verse: "Be merciful to those who doubt." (Jude 22). I think this verse caught my eye because it goes against the way many of us - followers of Christ - have treated those who doubt in the past. I know many people who have felt more judgment than mercy from people for having doubts. Granted, it is not a guarantee that we do not treat people with doubt well. I could also tell stories of times when people who doubt have been treated with mercy.

The writer of the short book of Jude included some very helpful word in these few words. Really, if we are honest these few words depict how we would like to be treated when we express doubt. When we are struggling with doubt, we do not need to be told that we just have to have more faith or that we are not a good Christian because we have doubt. So, why would we think that someone else wanted to hear that when they express their doubt to us?

Ultimately the most helpful way we can respond is with mercy as the author of Jude says. When we respond that way we give people an opportunity to grow deeper in their relationship with God in the midst of their doubt, rather than push them away. Doubt can be a huge opportunity for growth, but we need to treat doubt in a way that builds up and draws people closer, rather tears down and pushes them away.

"Be merciful to those who doubt."

Jude 22