2 Kings 19:1 And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
King Hezekiah heard the taunts and threats of Sennacherib, who was besieging Jerusalem. He had mocked Hezekiah’s trust in the Lord. When he heard it he responded in humility, repentance and faith, and he went into the house of the Lord to lay his problem before the Lord. He responded neither in surrender to the strong enemy nor in pride in his own strength and defenses.
Hezekiah showed humble trust and beggarly repentance by sitting in sackcloth and ashes before coming into the presence of the Lord to make an earnest plea for help. The Lord responded to his trust by sending an angel to kill 185,000 soldiers of the Assyrian army. Sennacherib returned to Nineveh.
We also respond to threats and troubles that arise from our spiritual enemies with humility, penitence, and faith while we approach the Lord in believing prayer. We do not respond with our own strength or wisdom or in pride of self. With humble faith we “resist the devil, and he will flee from you [James 4:7].” We recognize the scares of the Enemy and turn to the Lord in time of need.