God’s Word for You

2 Chronicles 32:22-23 Prayers

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Thursday, June 5, 2025

22 So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He gave them rest on every side. 23 Many people brought offerings to Jerusalem for the LORD and precious gifts for Hezekiah king of Judah. From then on he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations.

The Lord’s answer to the prayers of Hezekiah and Isaiah are stated more directly here: The Lord saved them from Sennacherib, and the Lord also saved them “from the hand of all others.” In fact, the Lord gave Judah “rest on every side.” We hinted before that the Lord’s answers to prayers sometimes have effects that show up later on and not only in the moment of his initial answer.

Let’s recall that the Lord answers prayer in various ways. First, he may simply say Yes to a prayer and give his answer immediately, such as when he sent the angel Gabriel to speak with Daniel while Daniel was still saying his prayer for help (Daniel 9:20-21).

He might delay a yes answer for a while. He does this for his own reasons, but it’s clear from the way the Lord does this that he is waiting for just the right moment.

There are times when the Lord might say, “You need something else.” Sinful man does not always have his desires in line with God’s holy will, and while we might pray for one thing, it may please God to give something else that will serve his purpose (and our life) better.

There are times when God will say No to a prayer. Perhaps each of us can think of a time when this happened in our own lives, but we can be comforted that God said no to Paul as well (2 Corinthians 12:9), and even to his own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 14:36).

Finally, God may respond by saying or demonstrating that we were not asking for enough, and that he is going to give us far more than we asked for. This was his reply to Solomon (1 Kings 3:11-14). This answer is much like the prophecy: “Lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes, for you will spread out to the right and to the left” (Isaiah 54:2-3).

Any of these answers to a prayer might have an effect on more than just the one who prayed. And this means that an intercession—a prayer on behalf of someone else—may also have a long-lasting effect on more, many more, than those for whom the prayer was spoken. When I was a boy, we prayed for the end of the war in Vietnam, for the safe return of the astronauts every time there was a launch, for the blessing of God upon the new President with each passing election, and so many other things. Perhaps you have prayed for someone or something that nobody else has ever brought to the ears of the Lord God.

We can pray for the souls of sinners, for the mercy of God to come to enemies of the church, and so many other things that might seem unexpected. But one prayer will have no avail. We cannot pray for God to forgive the Devil or his demons. The Devil’s judgment is already spoken; his punishment has already begun, and it will never end. All the things that Satan still does in this world are the flailings, curses and screams of that condemned spirit, once an angel of light, but now the enemy of all that is good, as he falls and falls and falls into the pit.

But our prayers brings our requests, our hopes, our desires, and our faith before the Lord our God, who loves us and who hears us. He may allow a “no” to one prayer so that he can carry the soul of one of his dear ones out of this world into Paradise. That should not frustrate us or anger us, but we can be consoled that his will has been accomplished. And to apply our author’s careful words, when we bring our prayers humbly before our Almighty God, we, too, will be exalted in the eyes of all those in heaven.

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

Browse Devotion Archive