Isaiah 33-37
Today, I’m humbled. I’ve read the prayer of Hezekiah as he bore the burden of a potential attack by Assyria. He first “tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth” (Isa 37:1), a sign of great grief and repentance. He rightly turned to God and went to the house of the Lord. Later, he prayed a prayer that began with these words as he addressed God: “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see. . . .” (Isa 37:16-17).
It’s that opening that humbles me today.
Hezekiah approached the throne of the One who is the “Lord of hosts,” the Lord Almighty, the Warrior for His people. He is the “God of Israel,” but He is also the God of all the earth. He alone is God—a strong claim in the polytheistic world of the Old Testament (and still in our world today). He is a God of whom Hezekiah could ask, “Hear” and “see” the plight of His people. He is a personal God like no other, the God who hears our prayers. It’s no wonder, then, that Hezekiah did not make his request on the basis of his own goodness; he instead made his request in order to magnify God’s name: “So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord” (Isa 37:20).
God alone is God, and you and I are only two of 8 billion+ people now on the earth—but we get to talk to Him. That’s amazing. And humbling.
RESPONSE: Be amazed and humbled today.