When Enemies Defy the Children of God
The king of Assyria is attempting to use “scare
tactics” on the children of Israel. He defiantly tells them that he is going to
attack them and crush them. He boldly tells them to listen only to himself and
that they should not listen to king Hezekiah when he “tries to mislead you” by saying, “The LORD will rescue us!” King Sennacherib’s goal is to strike fear in their hearts.
Satan often uses this tactic on God’s children. He defies God and tells
you not to listen to the word of the Lord. He comes off so brash and so bold in
order to strike fear in our hearts and cause us to cower to his defiant words.
It is in these situations that we must listen to the voice of truth, which
tells a different story. The reality is, Satan cannot crush you. He can yell
about it, and try to terrify you, but we know the rest of the story.
Here in 2 Kings 19, we hear the word of the LORD as He says to Hezekiah
and the Israelites, “Your enemy will not crush you.” In fact, He has another
plan altogether - He
planned for Israel to crush the fortified cities of Assyria into heaps of
rubble. And no matter how many scare tactics the enemy tries to use, it is
ultimately the word of the Lord that stands!
God, through Isaiah, asks His children this question… “But have you not heard? I decided this long ago. Long ago
I planned it, and now I am making it happen.” By these words He is reminding
His children of three things: (1) that their circumstances are not a surprise
to Him; (2) that He established His plan for this very situation long ago, and:
(3) that He is not the least bit intimidated by His enemies and their defiant rhetoric.
You would do well to remember and apply these
same three truths to your own circumstance. God is not surprised by the turn of
events in your life. He saw you in this situation before the world was created
and He knows exactly how, when, and where He is going to implement His plan to
remedy the situation. Satan’s threats and rhetoric don’t frighten Him, or intimidate
Him, or cause Him to scramble around looking for a solution. He already knows
the solution. He planned from days of old what He will now bring to pass.
So, don’t listen to your defiant enemy.
Don’t let his scare tactics take root in your life. Trust the God who loves you
and has a pre-determined plan of victory for every circumstance of your life.
