5 Keys to Praying During a Time of Trouble

Hello, friends! It’s hard to believe I’m coming to you on the last Wednesday of this month! Spring will be here before we know it.

Recently, we’ve been talking about prayer here on the blog. In last week’s post, we looked at 5 Simple Truths About Prayer from The Lord’s Prayer. Today we’re going to dig into a prayer from the Old Testament.

We find a prayer of King Hezekiah recorded in 2 Kings 19. Just a little background…Hezekiah and the people at Jerusalem are preparing for an attack from the Assyrian army. Before the battle can commence, the Assyrian army has to leave the area to deal with another enemy. However, Rabshakeh, their spokesperson, sends a letter to Hezekiah, basically saying don’t think this is over! I’ll be back and no god will be able to save you from being defeated by the Assyrians.

Here’s Hezekiah’s reaction to this message.

And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.

And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.

Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them.

Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only. ~2 Kings 19:14-19

As far as I know, none of us are under an actual physical attack from an army! However, we’re each likely facing some other type of trouble. It could be a financial shortage, a relationship that’s falling apart, a health crisis, a spiritual struggle, or a long list of other trials.

In Hezekiah’s prayer, we see five keys to praying during a time of trouble.

1. Tell God exactly what the problem is.

I love verse 14! Hezekiah took the letter and actually spread it out before the Lord.

Whatever our trouble is, we can take it to God in prayer. We can talk to Him specifically about our needs.

2. Recite God’s greatness.

Hezekiah begins his prayer by praising God. He says that God is God alone, over all kingdoms. He is the maker of Heaven and earth.

As we state truths about God, it helps us put our current trouble in perspective. We have a God capable of handling anything we face.

3. Ask God to hear your prayer and see your need.

God already knew about the threat Jerusalem was facing from the Assyrians. But Hezekiah still asked God to hear his prayer and to notice the predicament he was in.

God knows all about your problem, too. But go to God in prayer and ask Him to hear you. Pray for His attention to be drawn to your distress.

4. Believe that God will intervene on your behalf.

Hezekiah knows that the threat is real – Assyrians have totally destroyed other countries. He says, “Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands…” But He also knows that the gods of those countries weren’t able to save those people because they weren’t real gods.

Without God, there was a very real possibility that Jerusalem would fall to the Assyrians. And without God helping us, our trouble seems overwhelming. Yet when we go to God in prayer, we can trust Him to help us deal with our problems.

5. Pray for God to receive the glory through how He answers your prayer.

The prayer ends with Hezekiah’s desire for God to get the glory. As God saves Jerusalem from Assyria’s army, Hezekiah wants all kingdoms of the earth to recognize that God is God alone.

However God chooses to deliver you from trouble, seek to give Him the glory.

And in case you don’t know how this story involving Hezekiah ends, here’s 2 Kings 19:35.

“And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.“

May we each see God work in a mighty way as we pray to Him in our times of trouble.

Related posts:

• A Prayer for When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed
• How to Find Comfort in Praying the Names of God
• 7 Things a Wise Woman Can Pray For