Isaiah 37:21-29 - We are God’s instrument

Hezekiah did the right thing when he was threatened. He took the letter that Sennacherib sent him into the house of the LORD. There he placed it before God and prayed. In so doing, he had demonstrated a greater trust and commitment to the LORD. Isaiah 37:21 indicates that God heard his prayer and responded by sending words to him through Isaiah. From this alone, we can be assured that when we commit ourselves to trust the LORD  more fully and bring our problem to Him in prayer, He will make it His business to respond to us.    

Isaiah told King Hezekiah that the LORD took notice of Sennacherib’s insults and soon Jerusalem, the virgin daughter of Zion, would scornfully mock the fleeing Assyrians. In taunting Judah, Sennacherib had also disparaged the Holy one of Israel. God knew all about Sennacherib’s arrogant boast concerning their exploits. He heard all his condescendingly brags when he said,

“With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains,
To the remotest parts of Lebanon;
And I cut down its tall cedars and its choice junipers.
And I will come to its highest peak, its thickest forest.
I dug wells and drank waters,
And with the sole of my feet I dried up
All the canals of Egypt.”

 

Ironically, Sennacherib failed to realize that in his menace he was executing the LORD’s plan. The God, whom he had insulted and said was unable to save Judah was the One whose plan He was executing. He was merely a player in the divine drama that God Himself had written and was directing. Like helpless vegetation that was unable to withstand the strong unremitting ray of the sun, the cities he had terrified and brought to ruin, were at God’s bidding. But what he was doing was not hidden from the watchful eyes of God. He saw and knew every move of his. God saw his arrogance and would soon lead him back to where he came from, like an animal being led home with hooks and bridle.

 

One thing is clear, like Sennacherib or Hezekiah, every one of us is an instrument in God’s hand. He put us where we are to accomplish His purpose and plan. The sooner we realize this, then we will not boast of our successes. If God had not ordained it, we will never be able to accomplish them. Whatever our experience may be, remember to fight on, hang on, or walk on, because we are right smack in the center of God’s plan, whether we know it or not. As a believer in Christ, be assured that all things are working out for our good and for His glory. We live to fulfill His will and to give Him praise!