“Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers [of the attacking king, Sennacherib] 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.’”
2 Kings 19:14, 15
Thank you, Lord, for drawing my attention away from the issues before me to yourself. King Hezekiah is my example; he immediately went to you with his problem of the attacking armies, first remembering who you are, the “God over all the kingdoms of the earth,” as did King Jehoshaphat when he was in the same situation—and you protected both. Part of tasting and seeing that you, Lord, are good is remembering how you have answered prayer for others in the past.
Praise you, my Heavenly Father, that you work what is right and good in our lives: you lead us in paths of righteousness, you warn us, convict us of sin, show us where we need to change, and give us the strength to cooperate with you.
I praise you for your help, your direction, your insights, your understanding of what you share with us in your Word and through your Spirit; I praise you for the power you provide to increase faith, bring transformation and give us your view of reality.
You are wonderfully patient with us, graciously kind to us, faithfully firm with us. I praise you for your rod, with which you keep back the enemy; and for your staff, with which you keep us in line—we need to be protected from both the enemy and from ourselves!
I praise you for your infiniteness, working in so many lives simultaneously, listening to so many prayers at the same time, being able to weave our wrong and sometimes right choices into the fabric of your plan. I praise you that in you all will work out somehow in your time, in your way.
I praise you that your goodness and mercy are always there. You stoop down from on high and hear us, for we are poor and needy. You are Glorious, you are Good, you are Gracious, you are Great, you are God. Only you are worthy of worship!
Prayer: “I bow before you, Lord God, eagerly agreeing to follow and honor you today in obedience, in right thinking, in right priorities. Guide and empower me in this for the sake of your Name. Amen.”
