Third doctor’s appointment this week.  Doing okay, but I have some health issues to deal with, but it looks like they will and are going to be okay – eventually.

Much cooler today, and Carla’s plants are much appreciative.  Wind is blowing, which also dehydrates plants, but they are doing well.

Now, it is just a matter of continuing to keep them watered and feed them on a regular basis so they will be strong and resistant to the heat.

2 Chronicles 32:6-8 And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying,

⁷ Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be 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 rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.

How many times do we face trials and obstacles in our life?  We make bold statements to others about how God will protect us; how He will intervene in our situation.

We are sincere when we make that proclamation – and then time starts going against us.  We expect a miracle right now; we expect relief and guidance on our terms in our time frames.

There are times that it is necessary that something happen immediately – or so we think – but, God knows the true timing for His involvement or support of us.

The enemy has amassed an army against us, we look around and see the hopelessness of our cause, even though we know but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles!

But satan isn’t through with us yet.  Just as Sennacherib king of Assyria tried to beat down the will of the people, just as he tried to make King Hezekiah look foolish and turn the people against him, just as he tried to wage a war of words, satan uses those same tactics against us. 

Satan downplays God’s ability to take care of us; he belittles Him and tries to make us mistrust Him.

Verses 13-14 Know ye not what I and my fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? were the gods of the nations of those lands any ways able to deliver their lands out of mine hand?

¹⁴ Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his people out of mine hand, that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand?

We start questioning what we know and our faith because we don’t see immediate relief and satan keeps whispering in our ear those things that make us, personally, feel we are unworthy, that God couldn’t possible concern Himself with us.

We can become demoralized and distraught.

But Hezekiah shows us how to deal with those lies.

Verses 20-22 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.

²¹ And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

²² Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, and guided them on every side.

We need to communicate both our faith and our fears to God.  We need to be honest with Him and seek His peace and direction even though it would ‘appear’ we are without hope.

The people of Jerusalem trusted God; they listened to Hezekiah and refused to give up. 

God honored their faith.

No matter how bleak it looks, God knows what He is doing and will stand by us in every situation.

We may not get the results we thought we were going to receive but God really does know best and will take care of any and all situations in His time and for His Glory that others will see and come to Him.

Later, Art :-)