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And Again


          Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.  And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.  Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.
                “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 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.” (2 Kings 19:14-19)
          After celebrating God and asking Him for help, the next step in Mr. Lucado’s prescription for anxiety is to leave our concerns with God. I suspect that a lot of people could use my profile picture of an x-ray of a skull with a gerbil running on a wheel inside. Or, we’re like someone I’ve seen with OCD, who couldn’t put a garbage can out and walk away. He had to put it in place and tap the lid to make sure it was secure in place, over and over. Sometimes, we’re like the person who paints a wall and puts up a “Wet Paint” sign, returns every few minutes to touch the wall to see if the paint is dry, and then fumes because the paint, finally dry, is marred by fingerprints.
          I like the picture of Hezekiah laying the Sennacherib’s letter out before God. I love his matter of fact handling of the details. In effect, he says, “Here’s the situation, Lord. Sennacherib is right, but You are God.” I have to wonder how long Hezekiah stayed in the temple with the letter spread before the Lord. Did he return to discuss it again? Did he revisit the subject while going through his daily routine in the palace? 
        Of course, it should be noted that Hezekiah wasn’t dealing with anxiety. He was dealing with fear. It wasn’t a case of “What if Sennacherib comes from Assyria to attack?” The Assyrians were at the gate. But whether the underlying cause is anxiety or fear, the responses are often the same. And the response cycles through our minds. We pray about it, walk away, and return feeling as afraid or as anxious as we were before. Sometimes, we’re more afraid or anxious. In addition, we feel guilty because we haven’t shown faith. We haven’t trusted. 
      I have to smile as I think about this cycle because I have the same response when someone comes to people. I have an obsessive need to “help” and to monitor – maybe even to micromanage. Sometimes, I think I’d straighten the deck chairs on the Titanic. And Mr. Lucado says for me to leave things with God?
          Yes. Exactly. And every time I return and pick it up again, I need to leave it again.



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