Today we will learn about the character of our God.
Who is God for you? What does He look like when you pray to Him? Is He far away? Is He mad at you? Is He Unfair? Loving? Kind?
Usually our vision of God is linked to our image of our earthly father. If your father was a good, kind man it will be easy for you to see God as good and merciful. But if you never had a father or if maybe your father was absent or violent, you will probably see God as a distant person that doesn’t care about you.
When we start walking with God, we tend to hold on to this image of our earthly father, and I know myself it takes time for us to disassociate this understanding and see God as He really is.
The more we spend time with His word, study it, meditate on it, and forgive our father’s mistakes, the better our mind’s eyes will adjust to the real image of God.
One of the things that really helped me with this was knowing more of what God did with Israel in the past. Bible stories are real, they are not just bedtime stories. All great things on the bible actually did happen.
It’s amazing to know that He called out Abraham and started a nation, and this nation that is today called Israel still exists despite all the persecution, the holocaust and all the attempts to destroy them . If you doubt God’s existence look to this nation and all they suffering and perseverance.
Our God is real and He has a plan for each one of us. In fact we are all part of His master plan. Did you know that God wants to establish a Kingdom here on this earth? This is written on His word. One day Jesus will return and He will reign here for 1000 year and His headquarters will be in Jerusalem. Yes, He will return!!
Beloved, you and I are part of his wonderful plan. God is preparing you to reign with Him. We are called sons and daughters of God. We are co-heirs.
Rm 8.16,17 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
Romans 8:16-17 NIV
We need to understand who our God is; He doesn’t want to torture you, He is not bad or crazy. He is love, fair, sovereign and good. And He has everything under control.
When you learn who He really is, it becomes easy to submit under his authority. Life becomes calmer and tranquil because you know that He is in control. You can relax.
God is sovereign under our lives and history. Our job is to trust and obey Him; to walk according to His law and obey Him because we are His children and as a good father He has the best for us. Sometimes is hard to accept His will, but did you know that everything that happens in our lives can help shape us into the person God wants us to become?
Let’s have a look at this one historical fact. It happened before Jesus’ time and in those days the nation of Israel was divided in two. Ten tribes in the north were called Israel and the two tribes in the South were called Judah. During that time the most powerful nation was Assyria. They ruled all of the Middle East region and part of Asia too. They wanted to take over the 12 tribes of Israel and also Egypt. They were able to overtake Israel (the North) because they were far away from God at the time (2 Ks 18:11-12) and they now want to conquer Judah (the South). This story can be found in II Chronicles 32, II Kings 18 and 19; and also in Isaiah 36 and 37.
I want to call your attention to one thing here: when you see the same facts in the Bible told 3 different times, it’s because it is very important. God is really calling our attention to it. You can see this with some of Jesus’ miracles too that are told in three different Gospels.
Anyway; the King at the time of our story was called Hezekiah, he was just in the eyes of the Lord, (2 King 18.3). He removed idolatry from Judah, he re-established the worship in the temple after his father had stopped it. He brought revival to his nation. He brought them back to the word of God. He was a man of prayer. But he faced a lot of struggles in his time. Because the Assyrians were a powerful and strong nation and they wanted all people around them as their slaves. So Hezekiah rebelled against the King of Assyria (II King 18. 5-8)
One thing we can learn here is that even though he did everything right, he was still attacked. And sometimes we question God, why are you allowing this to happen to me? I am seeking you, I am a faithful person so why am I sick? Why did my father die ? Why do my friend suffer? Are you not a good God?
Understand one thing, God is good and he has everything under his control. Also we have an enemy and Satan’s wants to kill, steal and destroy. He doesn’t want to see God’s people prosper. He wants us doubting God’s love and God’s word, like he did with King a Hezekiah. God’s plans are higher them ours.
Let’s read 2 Chronicles 32: 1- 8
“1-After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib (Cenakerabe) king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. 2-When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, 3-he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. 4-They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. 5-Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields. 6-He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: 7-“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 8-With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.”
2 Chronicles 32:1-8 NIV
When the enemy comes to attack us we need to be ready. Ephesians 6 says we need to wear the armour of God and be ready to use the sword of the Spirt, which is the word of God ( Ephesians 6.17) and it was that Hezekiah did. We prepare for the battle but above all we trust the Lord of Hosts ( Is 3:15)
The Assyrian King sent his officers to threat the people of Jerusalem, to accuse King Hezekiah, to bring fear over them. In this story there was no war, I mean, no physical battle. But there was a “war of words”.
The enemy wants us to doubt and to stop seeking God. He wants us to think that God is not good and He lost control of the situation.
Let’s read (Is 36:14-18)
14-This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! 15-Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 16-“Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig tree and drink water from your own cistern,17- until I come and take you to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria?”
Isaiah 36:12-18 NIV
You have two options. You can surrender to the enemy and became his slave. Believe me his offer in the beginning looks good. He wants to solve the problem in a quick way. In our story he says if you surrender “I will give nice houses” and bla bla bla, all lies.All propaganda.
Or you can surrender to God and allow him to battle for you. Surrender is the hardest part. Faith and trust walk very close. If you believe, you pray and worship. You don’t leave space for doubts.
Isaiah 64. 4
“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.”
Isaiah 64:4 NIV
Hezekiah trusted and all people from Jerusalem , they humbled themselves, they sought God, they humbled and prayed and God answered them (Is 37. 1,5-7).
“1-When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. 5-When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, 6- Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7- Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.’ ””
Isaiah 37:1, 5-7 NIV
After that the Assyrians left but they very soon returned with more words of accusation and with an army of a hundred and eighth-five thousand men. It’s like (a quarter of the population of Uberlândia), and it’s nearly two time the population of Limerick.
Can you imagine your town surrendered by a hundred and eighty-five thousand men saying that you will die by starvation and no one will come to rescued you because they were Invincible?
As I said, it’s in moments like that when we have to choose where we are going to set our minds: In our fears or in the word of God?
Beloved, we are in a battle every day and if you don’t know who your God is, if you still see Him the same way you see your earthly father, if you don’t have a good relationship with Him and can’t trust Him, it will be hard for you when you face battles, when the bad day comes.
If your relationship with God is just a religious one, if you only seek Him for blessings, to bargain for them, if you seek Him for exchange of favours, I am sorry to say it but you don’t know the God of Israel, the God Father. The faithful God.
Religious people light candles, make sacrifices, they even kill animals to get something from God because they want be happy.
But true religion is not that. It’s a relationship with the King of the universe, we are his servants, his co-heirs and HE HAS PLANS and we are called to serve him and be part of his plans. We trust and we don’t panic and surrender to the enemy.
Because he promised that he will never forsake us.
Isaiah 43.1 and 2 “1-But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2-When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”
Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT
In that day God came and fought the battle for his people (Is 37. 36-3) (hundred and eighty-five thousand)
“That night the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. 37-Then King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and returned to his own land. He went home to his capital of Nineveh and stayed there.”
Isaiah 37:36-37 NLT
And the same is true for us. God’s plans don’t have
to match our plans for them to still be good.
Whatever life circumstances thrown at you that seem unfair, unreasonable or hurtful, beyond what you can bear, let God whisper His truth that He is good. He is good to you. And He is good at being God.
When you humiliate yourself, trust and seek His presence He will fight for you! Because his good.
What are the battles you’ve been facing?
Listen to his voice: You’re my son, my daughter, I have good plans for you.
God is saying to you: I’m going to fight this battle for you! Soon you will see my power and glorify me.
Surrender to o God, allow him to fight your battle. The only thing you need to do is trust. If he fought for Hezekiah, for David, for Jesus, for Paul, for me. He will fight for you.
Remember: God is sovereign under our lives and history. Our job is to trust and obey Him; to walk according to His law and obey Him because we are His children and as a good father He has the best for us. Sometimes is hard to accept His will, remember that everything that happens in our lives can help shape us into the person God wants us to become.
Let God whisper His truth that He is good. He is good to you. And He is good at being God.
Song :
May your struggles keep you near the cross
And may your troubles show that you need God
And may your battles end the way they should
And may your bad days prove that God is good
And may your whole life prove that God is good