How to grow trust in God after failing
2 Kings 19:1-19
On 21 December 1989, a fierce storm hit the northern coastline of Brittany, France. The waves crashing into La Jument lighthouse were 30 metres high (about 100 feet). The next morning, a photographer hired a helicopter to take pictures of the storm. Hearing the helicopter and awaiting rescue, the lighthouse keeper stepped out onto the platform. Simultaneously, a giant wave crashed into the lighthouse with its threatening embrace. It was the moment the photographer took the iconic photo so familiar to many from lighthouse posters. Miraculously, the lighthouse keeper managed to jump back into the house before the wave engulfed it and he survived. His story is an apt picture of the threat Hezekiah faced. How can Judah survive with a mighty empire on its doorstep? How can our lives survive devastating waves that threaten to overwhelm us?
Tentative steps to trust
Following his wobble of faith (2 Kings 18:14-16), Hezekiah had to re-learn trust in God. The Assyrian message plunges the king into deep distress leading to the tearing of clothes and wearing sackcloth as signs of mourning (2 Kings 19:1). Yet significantly, he goes to the temple to seek God (v.1). Yes, his words are despairing and hesitant (‘perhaps the LORD… will hear’), he refers to God as ‘your God’ (i.e. Isaiah’s) and he feels more confident asking the prophet, ‘the professional’ to pray (2 Kings 19:3-4). Nevertheless, these tentative steps are in the right direction and the God who sees the heart of His servant is not slow in encouraging him (2 King 19:6). The Lord’s sovereignty is evident as He will eventually cause the Assyrian king to return home and die there (2 Kings 19:7).
Choosing God and affirming truth
In the meantime, the king of Assyria has moved to Libnah to face a new threat from the south by King Tirhakah and his anti-Assyrian alliance (2 Kings 18:8-9).[1] Still, he sends back another threatening message to Hezekiah to belittle his trust in God (2 Kings 19:10-13). Hezekiah faces a choice between two perspectives: God’s promise of help and the reality of the Assyrian threat. His moving gesture of taking the Assyrian letter to the temple and spreading it out in front of God (2 Kings 19:14) is a tangible expression that he is choosing to bring his troubles to the Lord. His growing trust is evident as he reminds himself in direct prayer to God that He is king and sovereign over all and he later calls Him ‘our God’ (2 Kings 19:15, 19). Notably, he also counters the Assyrian argument against God’s power with the truth. Yes, Assyria could take over these other nations because their gods could not help since they were no gods at all (2 Kings 19:17-18). Thus, God’s reputation is at stake in delivering Judah and such rescue will testify to all earthly powers that the Lord is truly the only God (2 Kings 19:16, 19).
How to grow trust in God after failing
There is much that we can learn from Hezekiah as he re-gained his trust in the Lord. It is heartening that even when we make mistakes, we need not continue in them. Those who seek the Lord again after falling will find a generous God who will graciously hear their cries for help. Even if our trust is only a flickering flame, we may find that turning our troubles over to the Lord can strengthen our faith. Moreover, fighting the half-truths and lies of discouragement with God’s truth is our best weapon. Acknowledging His power affirms it in our heart. What saves us, however, is not trust itself, artificially boosted by positive statements. Rather, it is the Lord, whose sovereignty is an objective reality. Like the lighthouse keeper in my opening story, who trusted the safety of the house built on the rock and acted on it by jumping back in, so we are hidden in the protection of the Lord when we trust Him. Finally, it is important not to lose sight of the big picture. What is at stake is not only the personal outcome for our lives (though of course it matters), but also the testimony it gives to others of God’s power to save.
[1] Tirhakah was the king of Cush (what is now part of northern Ethiopia). He later conquered Egypt and became its king but could not withstand the Assyrian conquest in the end. Libnah’s exact location is debated but it is thought to be not too far from Lachish.
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