Because You Prayed (2nd Choron 7:11-14)
Intro: Dodie Gadient, a schoolteacher for thirteen years, decided to travel across America and see the sights she had taught about.
Traveling alone in a truck with camper in tow, she launched
out.
One afternoon rounding a curve on 1-5 near Sacramento in
rush-hour traffic, a water pump blew on her truck. She was
tired, exasperated, scared, and alone. In spite of the traffic
jam she caused, no one seemed interested in helping.
Leaning up against the trailer, she prayed, "Please God, send
me an angel ... preferably one with mechanical experience."
Within four minutes, a huge Harley drove up, ridden by an
enormous man sporting long, black hair, a beard, and tattooed
arms. With an incredible air of confidence, he jumped off and,
without even glancing at Dodie, went to work on the truck.
Within another few minutes, he flagged down a larger truck,
attached a tow chain to the frame of the disabled Chevy, and
whisked the whole 56-foot rig off the freeway onto a side
street, where he calmly continued to work on the water pump.
The intimidated schoolteacher was too dumbfounded to talk.
Especially when she read the paralyzing words on the back of
his leather jacket: "Hell's Angels-California." As he finished
the task, she finally got up the courage to say, "Thanks so
much," and carry on a brief conversation.
Noticing her surprise at the whole ordeal, he looked her
straight in the eye and mumbled, "Don't judge a book by its
cover. You may not know who you're talking to." With that, he
smiled, closed the hood of the truck, and straddled his
Harley. With a wave, he was gone as fast as he had appeared.
Text:11 Solomon finished the Temple of the LORD and his royal palace. He had success in doing everything he planned in the Temple of the LORD and his own palace. 12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself to be a Temple for sacrifices.
13 “I may stop the sky from sending rain. I may command the locusts to destroy the land. I may send sicknesses to my people. 14 Then if my people, who are called by my name, are sorry for what they have done, if they pray and obey me and stop their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. 15 Now I will see them, and I will listen to the prayers prayed in this place.
1. Because they prayed
1. Hezekiah --Israel delivered;15 more years to live
HEZEKIAH Son and successor of Ahaz as king of Judah (716/15-687/86 B.C.) Hezekiah began his reign when he was twenty-five years old. At this time in history, the nation of Assyria had risen to power. Hezekiah's reign can best be understood against the background of Assyria's military activities during the years Hezekiah served as king of Judah. When Ahaz succeeded Jotham as king of Judah, he began pro-Assyrian policies by making Judah a vassal to Assyria. Ahaz's political involvements with Assyria brought idolatry and paganism into the Temple (2 Kings 16:7-20).
Hezekiah began his reign by bringing religous reform to Judah. Hezekiah was not willing to court the favor of the Assyrian kings. The Temple in Jerusalem was reopened. The idols were removed from the Temple. Temple vessels that had been desecrated during Ahaz's reign were sanctified for use in the Temple. The sacrifices were initiated with singing and the sounds of musical instruments. The tribes in the Northern Kingdom (Israel) had been subjected to Assyrian dominance. Hezekiah invited the Israelites to join in the celebration of the Passover in Jerusalem. Places of idol worship were destroyed. Hezekiah even destroyed the bronze serpent Moses had erected in the wilderness (Num. 21:4-9) so the people would not view the bronze serpent as an object of worship. Hezekiah organized the priests and Levites for the conducting of religious services. The tithe was reinstituted. Plans were made to observe the religious feasts called for in the Law.
In 711 B.C., just a few years after Hezekiah had become king, Sargon II of Assyria captured Ashdod. Hezekiah anticipated the time when he would have to confront Assyrian armies. Hezekiah fortified the city of Jerusalem and organized an army. Knowing that a source of water was crucial, Hezekiah constructed a tunnel through solid rock from the spring of Gihon to the Siloam pool. The city wall was extended to enclose this important source of water.
Isaiah warned Hezekiah not to become involved with Assyria (Isa. 20:1-6). The critical time for Hezekiah came in 705 B.C. when Sennacherib became king of Assyria. From Hezekiah, Sennacherib obtained a heavy tribute of silver and gold.
In 701 B.C., Hezekiah became seriously ill (Isa. 38:1-21). Isaiah warned the king to prepare for his approaching death, but Hezekiah prayed that God would intervene. God answered by promising Hezekiah fifteen more years of life and deliverance of Jerusalem from Assyria (Isa. 38:4-6).
In the meantime, Sennacherib had besieged Lachish. Aware that Hezekiah had trusted God for deliverance, Sennacherib sent messengers to the Jerusalem wall to urge the people to surrender. Sennacherib boasted of having conquered 46 walled cities and having taken 200,000 captives. Sennacherib's messengers taunted that God would not come to Judah's defense. Hezekiah, dressed in sackcloth and ashes, went to the Temple to pray. He also called for Isaiah, the prophet. Isaiah announced that Sennacherib would "hear a rumour" and return to his own land where he would die by the sword (2 Kings 19:7).
Hezekiah's faith and physical recovery brought him recognition from the surrounding nations (2 Chron. 32:33). The Babylonian leader, Merodachbaladan, even congratulated Hezekiah on his recovery. Hezekiah hosted this Babylonian leader at a reception, but Isaiah met this event with a warning that succeeding generations would be subjected to Babylonian captivity (Isa. 39:1-8).
Sennacherib destroyed the city of Babylon in 689 B.C. He then marched toward Egypt. Hoping to ward off any interference from Judah, Sennacherib sent letters to Hezekiah ordering him to surrender (Isa. 37:9-38). Hezekiah took the letters to the Temple and prayed for God's help. From Isaiah came the message that Sennacherib would not prevail. In fact, Sennacherib's army was destroyed in a miraculous way (2 Kings 19:35-37). In 681 B.C., Sennacherib was killed by two of his sons as had been predicted by Isaiah in 701 B.C. Hezekiah died in 687/86 B.C. Manasseh, his son, succeeded him, although Manasseh had become co-regent with Hezekiah about 696 B.C.
The Gospel of Matthew lists Hezekiah in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt. 1:9-10).
2. Hannah---received a child and more children
3. Joshua--Sun stood still
Josh 10:12 On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."
Josh 10:13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.
Josh 10:14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!
Josh 10:15 Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.
4. Solomon--prayed for wisdom and received everything
5. Elijah -- No rain; then rain; Fire from heaven-50 men
6. Ahab-- Judgment was delayed because he prayed
7. Jonah -- Delivered from the belly of a fish
While Jonah was inside the fish, he prayed to the LORD his God and said,
2 “When I was in danger,
I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.
I was about to die,
so I cried to you,
and you heard my voice.
3 You threw me into the sea,
down, down into the deep sea.
The water was all around me,
and your powerful waves flowed over me.
4 I said, ‘I was driven out of your presence,
but I hope to see your Holy Temple again.’
5 The waters of the sea closed around my throat.
The deep sea was all around me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 When I went down to where the mountains of the sea start to rise,
I thought I was locked in this prison forever,
but you saved me from the pit of death,
LORD my God.
7 “When my life had almost gone,
I remembered the LORD.
I prayed to you,
and you heard my prayers in your Holy Temple.
8 “People who worship useless idols
give up their loyalty to you.
9 But I will praise and thank you
while I give sacrifices to you,
and I will keep my promises to you.
Salvation comes from the LORD!”
10 Then the LORD spoke to the fish, and the fish threw up Jonah onto the dry land.
2. Because you prayed
1. Puts you in contact with GOD and all the resources of
Heaven
2. Causes Satan Stress
3. The fervent prayer of a righteous man
Mark 11:22-25
22 Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, God will do it for you. 24 So I tell you to believe that you have received the things you ask for in prayer, and God will give them to you. 25 When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins.”
