Take it to the Right Place

There are some things in life that are too heavy to carry.

   Some burdens don't leave your mind when you lay down at night. Some conversations replay over and over. Some diagnoses, fears, unanswered prayers, Some situations are ao much bigger than you.

    As I read 2 Kings 19–20 today, that's what kept thinking about. There is so much happening in these chapters. Assyria is surrounding Jerusalem, mocking God and threatening His people. Hezekiah receives a letter filled with fear and intimidation. Then, in the very next chapter, the crisis becomes personal when Isaiah tells him he's going to die. God heals him, gives him fifteen more years, and even causes the shadow to move backward as a sign. But before the chapter ends, we also see Hezekiah stumble. He proudly shows Babylon all of his treasures and begins trusting in what he has instead of the God who gave it. There are so many lessons packed into these two chapters.

     But I couldn't get past one simple picture. Hezekiah takes that threatening letter, Walks into the Temple, Spreads it out before the Lord

And prays.

    I love that he doesn't pretend everything is okay. He doesn't try to act strong. He doesn't have all the answers so he brings it to God. My first instinct isn't always to bring it before the Lord.Sometimes my first instinct is to overthink it. To replay it in my mind a hundred times. To carry it around for a bit and then I try to solve it before I pray about it. Or i tell everyone else before I tell Jesus. But Hezekiah reminds me that prayer isn't my last resort.

It's supposed to be my first response.

    I've had my own letters. News I didn't want to hear. Doors that closed. Relationships that hurt. Questions I couldn't answer. There have been noments where I didn't know what the next step was supposed to be. And looking back, the times I found the most peace wasn't because everything suddenly worked out. Those were the moments I finally laid it down before the Lord and said, "God...this is too heavy for me, but it isn't too heavy for You."

   That's what these chapters reminded me of today. Not that life won't bring impossible situations, because it will. Not that faithful people won't face fear, because they do. Even Hezekiah did. The difference is where we take it. We can carry it on our own Or we can take it before the Lord.

   Today, maybe your letter isn't written on parchment from another angry King. Maybe it's an email or a doctor's report, a text message a financial burden, a broken relationship or even a child you're praying for.

Whatever it is Don't just carry it. Take it to the One who already knows what's written on every page. The same God who heard Hezekiah's prayer Still hears ours today.

"After Hezekiah received the letter...he went up to the Lord's Temple and spread it out before the Lord." — 2 Kings 19:14 (NLT)

    Lord, today we're bringing You every burden we've been trying to carry on our own. Teach us to take it to the right place first. Help us to trust You before we trust our own understanding, and remind us that nothing we bring before You is ever beyond Your power. 

Love Pastor Mandy

MandiesDandies / Ark of Hope 

Daily reading 1 Kings 19-20