God vs facts

    In 2 Kings 19, we read the story of king Hezekiah of Judah and Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Sennacherib boldly boasted against the Lord God and was convinced that God could not save His people, Judah, from his hand. After all, Assyria had had great success in defeating other nations whose gods were not able to help them (19:11-13). In his confidence, he sent a message to Hezekiah boasting of all that Assyria had done to other nations and threatened to do the same to Judah.
    In his distress, Hezekiah went to the house of the Lord and lay the letter before the Lord. He acknowledged God as the only true God, Creator of heaven and earth, that Assyria had indeed defeated other nations but that their gods were unable to defend them because they were not God but the work of men’s hands. He begged God to save them so that all the nations of the earth would know that God alone is God.
    I love Hezekiah’s prayer to God. When he received word of Sennacherib’s threats he became discouraged. Yet, instead of surrendering and admitting defeat, he went into the house of the Lord and cried out to Him. He admitted Assyria’s great success against other nations thus far but he firmly believed and expected his God to deliver them. Why? Because “You are the Lord God. You alone” (19:19b).
    Having faith in God does not mean denying the facts. The fact was that Assyria had successfully defeated a number of nations and destroyed their gods (v.18). Their success rate was indeed impressive! What would stop them from defeating Judah in the same way? Hezekiah had a choice - he could focus on Assyria’s proven track record for success or he could trust and believe in His God, the one true and living God. 
    Like Hezekiah, we too have a choice to make when faced with opposition and challenges. We can focus on the facts - the doctor’s report, our financial situation, relationship challenges, etc - or we can choose to remember that God is still the one true and living God and He can handle anything that comes our way. 
    Hezekiah actually begged God to show Himself as God for the world to see. He was so confident in the power and might and successful track record of his God. The facts could not change his mind about his God. We too need to be like Hezekiah when faced with negative facts. We need to remember that God is still on the throne, He will never fail and He will work things out for our good.
    We also need to remember that the enemy will use facts to intimidate us and shake our faith in God. That’s what Sennacherib was doing when he outlined the facts to Hezekiah. He wanted to intimidate and so shake their faith. The thing is that Hezekiah was too confident in his God to be swayed by the reality of what Sennacherib expressed. He knew that the king of Assyria was right. He also knew that his God was not the same as the gods of the other nations. Their gods could not protect them but his God would protect and deliver him and his people from the hand of the Assyrians. 
    What Hezekiah faced was real. What we face is also real. Yet, the God of Hezekiah many years ago is the same God today. What He did to deliver His people from the hand of their enemies then, He will do to deliver us from opposition and challenges today. 
    I challenge you to not become so distracted by the facts that you miss God and His ability to take you successfully through any situation. God is even more real than the facts we may face. He is bigger than, mightier than, more powerful than any fact the enemy may send our way to intimidate and defeat us. 
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to do so today. Facts are real but God is even more real and more powerful than the facts you may face. God is the One with the ability to reverse, transform any situation that comes your way and bring deliverance where needed. That’s not just a fact, that’s the truth!

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