2 Kings 19:19 (NIV) “Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”

When the king of Assyria came against King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem, Hezekiah went in the right direction and asked God to intervene and rescue them. God is a compassionate and merciful God and He delivers us because He loves us. But there is also an underlying and most important reason why He does answer our prayers for provision, protection and deliverance and King Hezekiah hit the bullseye when he ended His prayer the way he did in the verse above. He prayed that God would deliver them so that people would know that He is God and God alone. In other words, so that glory would go to His name. God did deliver Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem, and the way that he did it would leave no doubt that only He is God (read about it in 2 Kings 19:35-37).

But why is that the most important reason for God answering our cries for help? Why is it so important for glory to go to His name? It's because the glory of God sustains all things. The Bible tells us that the earth is filled with the glory of God (Isaiah 6:3) and it absolutely is. It is the glory of God that keeps and maintains every living thing on earth, even people who not only don't acknowledge Him but who also curse His name. Little do they know that the breath that they use to do that comes from the very God that they hate. Their doom and destruction are assured unless they repent and turn to Him.

The Bible also tells us that Jesus is the radiance of God's glory. It also says that Jesus sustains all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). That means that God's glory radiating through Jesus sustains all things. We were created for God's glory and that's why we are so moved and overwhelmed with joy when we experience even a glimpse of the glory of God. That's why it's so important to pray with faith believing that we will receive what we asked for because when God answers, glory goes to His name and more people come to know that He alone is God. Jesus said that if we remain in Him and His words remain us, we can ask whatever we wish and it will be done for us, all for the Glory of God (John 15:7-8). So let's go to God for everything. It's what He wants us to do. Be delivered from your trials and troubles as you put your trust in Jesus, and draw glory, honor and praise to Him in the process. In that way we will draw more people into the Kingdom of God, again for God's glory!

Pastor Joey Vazquez