When the nations are in uproar and kingdoms fall...

...He lifts his voice, the earth melts (Ps 46:6).

Israel has fallen.

Sennacherib's emmisary is threatening violent attack on what's left of Judah, speaking in their native tongue. All can hear.

And what does King Hezekiah do? He petitions Isaiah the prophet to ask for prayers for his people "...children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth." (2 Ki 19:3)

Sometimes I experience this in the spiritual. The enemy is closing in, threatening me with what should be nonsense with the God I have, and I have no power to move forward bearing His fruit. Its tempting to believe what the enemy says. It seems so true.

And I am faced with a choice: will I turn to God in my attack as Hezekiah did, or will I turn away and try to fight my enemy on his terms like Hoshea, the king of Israel tried to do (see his story here).

"Further up and farther in." That's the goal, isn't it, until we get to our real country? As long as I am retreating towards God and not away, eventually I will get to the point where I am defended, because my Defender is Strong.

Its in this kind of environment that the idols crumble--in our retreat to him.

And this is how he wants it. He wants all that we're depending on to be crushed and shaken and whittled away, so that what remains can be pure.

All of the other nations Assyria attacked just crumbled before them. False gods couldn't protect.

And Hezekiah cries out to God, reminding him of His character, and declaring truth "they were not gods...therefore they were destroyed." (2 Ki 19:18). But You! You, Lord are not like those wooden things they trusted in!

Some things God reminded me of this morning as I was reading this...
1. Hezekiah pulled into God in the face of attack.
2. Hezekiah wasn't afraid to share his grief with others and ask for them to intercede.
3. Hezekiah did not neglect going to the Lord himself.
4. Hezekiah refused to believe that the lies were true.

And God responds: "...the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward." (2 Ki 19:30).

Just beautiful.

And this is why Israel's story is important. Its important to know our roots and know the history of our God, and know how we fit into the Bigger Story. Israel's story is my story.

And you can see what happens to Sennacherib here.

How do you fight when the enemy attacks?

a shadow of things to come.

This post was originally written sometime last month, but I didn't get around to posting it.

Silence for a while. Sorry about that, my 3 loyal followers ☺. Maybe I'll write about what I have been learning over the past month soon. Maybe not (stay tuned!).

Anyway, hubbie and I got to go see a movie today and I was crying before the thing even started.

1 reason (I was going to say two, but I couldn't find a youtube video of the second--e-mo-tion-al!):

First commercial begins with the frame of a young girl with a father who is dumb (can't speak). We see them in several scenes, of her not understanding him, of kids at school making fun of her, and then of him being angry at her. Not a happy relationship. Scene shift: father is downstairs with a cake when he feels the vibrations of a slammed door. Running upstairs, he only sees blood trickling from underneath. (here I am completely shocked and cannot believe they are using suicide to sell something).

Scene change: at the hospital, girl hooked up to machines (already crying).

Scene change: He’s giving blood to save her life, and we realize that he had carried her dying suicidal body to the emergency room (maybe a commercial for giving blood?—yeah, that’s it. Its gotta be blood).

When we see her waking up we realize he loves her very much even if she doesn’t understand him and is ashamed. The scenes that we only saw earlier are now translated (before, no voice), and the audience comes to understand that the father only wanted what was best, and that before the sound of the slamming door, he was sitting at the table with a cake with his with the words, “I love you, daughter.” She realizes something she never knew.

"Take all of my blood; just don’t let her die!"

All of that to get you to buy life insurance.

The point is, I live in a world that is hurting. And the media is sly. It’s a little bit easier to see as an outsider observing the culture. What an amazing demonstration of the great need here…Love. Blood. Sacrifice. Savior. King. Father.

Take all of my blood, just don't let them die. He's crying out for them.

Pray for the people here.

Here’s the video of the first commercial (and I even found it with subtitles for you!)