After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the LORD’s Temple and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. Bend down, O LORD, and listen! Open your eyes, O LORD, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.

“It is true, LORD, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. Now, O LORD our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O LORD, are God.”

2 Kings 19:14-19

When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the LORD.
2 Kings 19:1

• Hezekiah’s Problem: A direct, personal threat from the most powerful earthly ruler of the day, filled with taunts against God. This wasn't just a political crisis; it was a spiritual attack.
• Hezekiah's Immediate Response: He didn't strategize first, gather his generals, or send for reinforcements. His first action was to take the physical evidence of the threat directly into God's presence.
• This is a beautiful image of transparent, humble, and dependent prayer. He's laying the problem before the only One who can solve it. 
• It signifies complete surrender and trust.
• Hezekiah starts by acknowledging who God is.
• This is a direct counter to Sennacherib's boast that other gods could not save. Hezekiah affirms God's supreme sovereignty over all earthly powers.
• A reminder of God's power as Creator, the ultimate demonstration of His unparalleled might. 
• Sennacherib may conquer earthly kingdoms, but he didn't create the earth!
• Hezekiah's prayer begins with acknowledging God's undisputed power, sovereignty, and uniqueness, in stark contrast to the boasting of Sennacherib and his false gods.
• He frames the crisis not just as an attack on Judah, but as a direct affront to God's honor and existence. This shifts the burden from Hezekiah to God Himself.
• Hezekiah doesn't deny the enemy's power or past successes. He acknowledges the truth of the situation. This isn't a prayer of delusion, but of honest assessment.
• Hezekiah explicitly differentiates between the false gods Sennacherib defeated and the true God of Israel.
• This echoes the themes we saw in Psalm 115. These defeated gods were powerless because they were not divine; they were human creations. Sennacherib's victories over them proved nothing about God.
• This distinction is vital throughout the Old Testament. God consistently proves His supremacy over all pagan deities through His acts of judgment and salvation.
• The profound heart of Hezekiah's prayer is that his concern is not just for Judah's survival, but for God's reputation and glory among the nations. He knows that a miraculous deliverance will serve as irrefutable proof of God's unparalleled identity and power.
• Hezekiah's prayer is ultimately about God's glory. He asks for deliverance not for their own comfort or safety alone, but so that the world might witness the undeniable reality of the one true God.
• Hezekiah didn't just ask; he affirmed who God is: Sovereign, Creator, unique. This strengthens our faith and aligns our desires with His. Our prayers become less about our wants and more about His glory.
• Hezekiah's ultimate desire was for God to be known by "all the kingdoms of the earth." Our deliverance from difficulties can also be a powerful testimony to others.

When we face impossible situations, Hezekiah's prayer teaches us to humble ourselves, bring our raw concerns to God, acknowledge His supreme power over all earthly "gods," and ultimately ask for His intervention not just for our sake, but so that His greatness might be revealed to a watching world.