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"GOD HONORS A HUMBLE SPIRIT" "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. And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz." (2 Kings 19:1-2)When that loud-mouth Assyrian captain, Rabshakeh, came to Jerusalem, he shouted to all the people his line of propaganda. As he stood there by the conduit of the upper pool, he was doing some real trash talking. He was bragging about how the gods of other nations had not been able to deliver them and neither would Jehovah deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrian's domination (2 Kings 18:17-35). We can be sure that the words that knot head uttered didn't sit well with God. You can read later in chapter 19 how the LORD made sure that whatsoever Rabshakeh was sowing that day, he would also end up reaping later on!Now when the officials brought the news to Hezekiah, he tore his clothes which spoke of his DESPERATION. He put on sackcloth which spoke of his HUMILIATION. Then he went to the house of the LORD which spoke of his DEDICATION' (19:1) Hezekiah was a man who trusted in the LORD, but he was not exempt from times of trouble. Could it be said of you and I that we are a people who will trust in the LORD when trouble tries to cut us off at the pass? You know, when trouble comes to a person, they will turn to that which they really possess, regardless of what they may profess.Hezekiah was a righteous king who followed the LORD. In 2 Kings 18:5, the Bible tells us, "He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him." But folks, just because you follow God with all your heart doesn't mean there will not be defeats and hardships. But we know where to turn don't we? Hezekiah knew where to turn. He went to the temple to seek God.Then Hezekiah sent his whole staff in sackcloth to the prophet Isaiah (v.2). That mighty prophet of the Old Testament was the spokesman for God. Hezekiah knew he needed to hear from God. The outcome of Isaiah's godly response was an angel of God slaying 185,000 of the enemy and sending the remainder back to Assyria where their king, Sennacherib, was murdered by his two sons (vs. 6-37). Now folks, there's that sowing and reaping principle coming in to play that I mentioned earlier. Someone once said, "The mills of God's judgment may seem like they grind slow at times, but they grind exceedingly fine."Now, I read that archeologists had found evidence that verifies that Jerusalem was the one city that Assyria did not conquer at that time. Yes, God is faithful to those who place their faith and trust in Him. Isn't that a wonderful truth to know as we face the many enemies whose desire is to conquer us? Well, I would answer AMEN to that one!Friends, troubles often come our way, and we may suffer some minor defeats as we journey along on that narrow path. But like Hezekiah found, if we humble ourselves, seek after God, and place our trust in Him, we will ultimately prevail in spite of all the odds stacked up against us.