By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
WEDNESDAY
THEME: “CONFIDENCE IN THE PRESENCE AND HAND OF GOD”
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 32:7-8
[7]“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. [8]With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.”
REFLECTIONS
In life and as believers, when confronted with severe threats to our existence, we have a decisive choice: to depend on human beings (an arm of flesh) or the Lord our God for help. The outcomes of the two options will be different. An arm of flesh suggests weakness, frailty, and dependence on humans and systems. Depending on the arm of flesh is generally a precursor to failure. On the other hand, having confidence and trust in God is victory in the making.
Sennacherib, the King of Assyria’s diabolical intention to invade Jerusalem in 701 B.C., brought to bear on King Hezekiah and his people a decision to give in to Assyria or seek God’s help for deliverance. In today’s jargon, Assyria is a world superpower. The Assyrian army looked invincible and very intimidating in the light of their conquests. They played some psychological gimmick on the people of Judah to scare them and woo them to their side with ease. Their strategy is to cause fear and panic so the people of Judah can see them as the ultimate deliverers. In their attempt to incite fear in the Jews to make the latter’s defeat imminent, they defied God and, unfortunately, made an incomparable comparison between the gods of other places they had conquered and the God of Israel, the Creator. The seriousness of the threat could not be underrated, as King Hezekiah and his people understood it.
In this confrontation, Hezekiah had an option – to give in to the threats or call on his God to demonstrate His supremacy over all other gods. The decision was to put confidence in the arm of flesh, or the Lord God. It is evident that if your confidence is hinged on the arm of flesh, yours is a non-starter; in the face of such provocation causing so much fear, discomfort, and uncertainty, many would argue that Judah should give in to Assyria and have their peace. But King Hezekiah trusted God and served Him faithfully (2 Kings 18:6,7), inspiring his leaders and the people to look up to God instead of human beings. In 2 Chronicles 32:7-8, he declared: [7]“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. [8]With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah.”
Today, beloved, let your confidence and strength be anchored on two facts: First, “there are more with us than with them” (refer to 2 Kings 6:16) – in God, you are a multitude. Second, with the enemy is an arm of flesh, but with the believer is the Lord our God, whose intention is to help us and fight our battles. Remember, you cannot live in this life without threats, anxieties, concerns, and challenges, but you can be sure of a solution to every situation that confronts you in the presence of the Lord God, our redeemer. Like Hezekiah, you should know whom to talk to and where to go for help when challenged. The Lord is our everlasting help.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 103 – “O God, Our Help”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for the verity of His promises; thank God for making you a multitude when you are challenged; pray to place your confidence in His presence and deliverance;
– Pray for young people, young workers, and people in skills training; pray for newly married couples, those contemplating marriage, those of marriageable age and waiting on God’s direction;
– Pray for families with challenges, children in quarrelsome homes, end of domestic violence, couples contemplating divorce; pray for displaced persons, street children, and beggars;
– Pray for peace and prosperity, unity and patriotism, and for leaders who fear and hold fast to God like Hezekiah; pray for the word of God to give strength and hope amid struggles.
–
