Pt 3 Hezekiah, the Lord is My Strength, "Stop, Pray, and Listen"
One thing I have learned as a servant of Jesus, is to be sure to ask God for guidance in my Christian walk and then be patient to listen to His answer before acting! In my zeal to serve God, I sometimes forget to ask for God’s plan and assume He will bless my good intentions… he may not! He must be consulted about everything! I found this out the hard way, just like Hezekiah. We are called to be followers of Christ, not leaders. Jesus is the one that stands behind us saying, as Isaiah wrote, this is the way, walk in it!
In lesson 3, we see the king readying Jerusalem for an upcoming attack from the Assyrian army. Yahweh is training Hezekiah to pray about everything, too! Let’s check in with Isaiah. Click Here for Lesson Plans for this lesson.
Scriptures to Read and Journal:
2 Kings 18:9-12 Deut 28, Amos 3, Hosea 10, Micah 5 and 8, Psalm 32:6-7 2 Kings 18:13-16 2 Chronicles 32:1-8 Isaiah 22
Questions:
Why do you think it can be harder to turn to God when you are frightened?
What can you do to fortify the stronghold of your own faith during times of peace and ease in your life? In other words, how do you build strong spiritual walls and defenses? What can we learn from Hezekiah and Isaiah about this?
Hard things happen to good people. Hezekiah was a good king, God gave him a great report card. Why do you think God allowed Judah to be overtaken by Assyria while he was king?
Why was Isaiah overcome with grief?
Why do you think the account of Shebna from Isaiah 22 was included in the bible?
How does this lesson encourage you to pray before making any plans? How can we know that our plans are blessed by God?
Why was it offensive to God that Hezekiah and his advisors did not consult Him before fortifying the city of Jerusalem?
Why might it be offensive to God if you move on with plans of your own without consulting Him?
Tell of a time when you remembered to Stop, Pray and Listen!
Activity:
Let’s stop and pray, asking God to show us how to fortify ourselves and our families to remain strong during the upcoming year in our nation. Then, have a time of silence to listen for God’s answer! Be sure to continue to stop, pray and listen about this question this week. Write down any answers, and begin to do what God asks. Also, take time to pray for the upcoming political elections, and candidates.
Further Study: Hezekiah's Tunnel (1:31)
Hezekiah's Wall: (2:38)