Lay it out

After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord... 2 Kings 19:14-15

This scripture about King Hezekiah and the battle he was in with Assyria was in our class lesson this past week in Bible Fellowship. This particular passage has really stuck with me all week. King Hezekiah got this letter it was not encouraging, it was not helpful - it was really just the opposite - a letter of doom and gloom. Under normal circumstances it might not have been so daunting but King Hezekiah and his people had already had a bad week of heckling and threats and discouragement - this was the "final straw".

At this point in the story King Hezekiah could have done a lot of different things: he could have thrown his hands up in the air and given up, he could have lost it - thrown a fit, he could have turned around and started dishing back what he'd been hit with all week, and many more options. But King Hezekiah "trusted the Lord and was faithful to the Lord" (2 Kings 18:5-6). He and God had an understanding - he knew who he needed to turn to, and what he needed to do.

King Hezekiah took that letter and he laid it out before the Lord, and prayed. He didn't just take it to the temple and sit it down, the bible says he "spread it out before the Lord" - every word for God to see, every detail. In my visual mind - I see a broken, tired, exhausted and king humbled in sackcloth on the floor of the temple with this letter - he and this letter spread out - on his face. His prayer wasn't full of woes and mes - it was a prayer of strength and need.
(you can read his prayer here: 2 Kings 19:15-19)

Here's what struck me - LAY IT OUT BEFORE GOD - HE CAN HANDLE IT.

Did you get some unexpected news this week? How about a letter or a bill you don't know what to do with? Maybe you need to just write it out what is overwhelming you and keeping you up at night. and then LAY IT OUT BEFORE YOUR ALMIGHTY GOD. Spread it out before him and let Him see every word. He can handle it, and He will.