Hezekiah knew he had no human power to oppose Sennacherib's army. He prayed, but it was with small faith at first, only hoping for a remnant to be saved (4). The commander was called away, and the attack was delayed-but Sennacherib sent another threat in a letter. Hezekiah spread this out before the Lord and prayed again, more boldly, not denying the bleak reality but appealing to God's justice (16-20).

Then, the Holy Spirit inspired the prophet Isaiah with poetic words of prophecy to counter the Assyrians' verbal attack. The Lord promised to defend and save Jerusalem for his own sake and the sake of David's line-ultimately, for Jesus' sake (35). The Assyrian army was destroyed overnight by an angel of death, and the emperor himself was assassinated.

Victorious prayer needs confident faith, but God hears even our small prayers. If we depend on him and our ears are open to hear his word, he leads us step by step to win spiritual battles.


Application: Lord God, thank you for acting for your glory's sake and to save your people. Help me to hold on to your word and pray when things seem hopeless.
One Word: Victory through prayer and the Word