Bring Your Prayer Letter to the Altar

READ PSALM 76

Psalm 76:4-6(ESV)

⁴ Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey. ⁵ The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands. ⁶ At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned.

When was the last time you wrote a prayer letter and brought it to the altar of the Lord?

If your answer is, "I haven't" let me tell you a powerful story in Scripture that is likely the inspiration for Psalm 76, which may inspire you to write that letter.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in 2 Kings 19. It all takes place around 700 BC, and is the continuing saga of King Sennacherib of Assyria and his conquest to take over the world. He has already conquered many other kingdoms, including Israel to the north of Judah. The King of Judah is Hezekiah. The Southern Kingdom of Judah is home to Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord.

Assyria was the world's superpower at the time, and unfortunately, they clearly had the upper hand in military might. They had an endless supply of soldiers, chariots, and horses. Naturally, Sennecherib started to view himself as an invincible "diety" who would destroy and conquer anyplace he wanted. Not even "gods" could stop him! Judah was his next target.

Sennacherib wrote a letter and had his messengers deliver it to Hezekiah. In the letter he told Hezekiah that Judah was next on his hit list. There was no need to resist because nothing could stop him. Just like the villain Thanos from The Avengers, he thought, "I am inevitable!"

Sennacherib's letter spoke of how other nations prayed to their gods but that was of no help. He boasted, "They prayed to their gods and they're gone now, and the same fate will befall Judah. Give up. It's over. Nothing and no one can save you now!"

What did Hezekiah do when he received this letter?

Hezekiah marched into the Temple of the Lord and he placed the letter right on the altar! Hezekiah's prayer is one of the most powerful moments in all of Scripture. In the face of certain destruction, Hezekiah goes to the One True God and asks the Lord to defend His own honor. Not Hezekiah's honor, but God's honor! The request is simple, "Show the entire world that YOU ARE GOD and YOU WILL NOT BE MOCKED!"

Hezekiah slapped that letter from Sennacherib on the altar and essentially said to the Lord, "Look what this guy thinks about you. Lord, defend Yourself!"

How did God respond?

2 Kings 19:35(ESV)

³⁵ And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

Now go back to the top of this devotion today and read Psalm 76:4-6. This is likely a praise to God for wiping out a seemingly indestructible enemy.

Let me ask you a question. What earthly "enemy" are you facing today that seems unbeatable? Perhaps you have seen or heard about this enemy wiping out other people, and now you are the next target.

My friend, you need to write out your prayer of deliverance to the Lord and bring it to His altar! Slap it down and say, "Lord, this enemy claims to be stronger than YOU! Defend your honor, Lord. Show the world that YOU ALONE, LORD, ARE THE ONE TRUE GOD!

It's time to bring your letter to the altar of God.

Have you started writing yet?

Josh Huisman is the senior pastor of Crosswalk Church in Brentwood, TN. If you would like to support this website and make it possible for this page to stay active and these devotions to reach a wider audience, CLICK HERE

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