II Chronicles 32:1 “After these acts of faithfulness Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and thought to break into them for himself.”

HARD TIMES

This may seem a strange verse for a devotion, but it struck me hard. Hezekiah had been a good king. He had restored worship in the Temple, destroyed the idols in the land and was providing for the priests. He had done so many wonderful things, and God seemed to be blessing the nation. Everything was rosey!

But this verse says “After these acts of faithfulness.” You would expect it to continue “and God blessed Hezekiah and Judah with many wonderful things.” Nope! It goes on to say that Assyria invades. “What? All this good stuff we are doing and now God is abandoning us?” Those were probably the thoughts of the people and maybe even Hezekiah.

Why does God allow trials in our life just when things are going so well? There is no easy answer, but one thing is for sure – He only wants what is best for us. God never allows things to come into our lives to tear us down. He is always about making us more like Him – even if it means allowing a severe trial.

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children need to learn from us that trials are expected. Trials are not bad, just difficult. God wants us to trust Him. Our children need to see us trusting Him even when things seem to be going all wrong. Even when we can’t see the solution, we know the problem solver. Even when all hope SEEMS lost, He is faithful.

Hezekiah was faced with an overwhelming enemy force, yet he trusted Jehovah. Hezekiah never had to lift a finger in defense of his country. God did the fighting for him. Won’t we let God fight for us? With one word He can wipe out the enemy. Trust Him to come to you when you cry out. Wait for Him to yield the sword of battle. Bow before Him so your children can learn to bow too. Let them see the mighty deliverance of their Father.