Trusting God: Laying Burdens and Seeking His Glory

Life is full of problems that are simply beyond our control—health issues, financial burdens, relationships that weigh heavy on our hearts. In the story of Hezekiah from 2 Kings 19, we see a man who faced a crisis so overwhelming that surrender or death seemed like his only options. Yet, Hezekiah models a different way: he takes the very real threats against him, written down on paper, and spreads them out before God in the temple. This act is not about informing God of something new, but about an honest, vulnerable submission—laying bare the core of his fears and needs before the One who truly reigns.

Hezekiah’s prayer is remarkable. He doesn’t just ask for rescue; he asks that God would be glorified through the outcome. He appeals to God’s covenant faithfulness and creative power, recognizing that God’s glory and the good of His people are inseparably linked. When God acts for His own name’s sake, it is not out of pettiness, but because His glory is the source of our salvation, our transformation, and our hope. Every trial, every affliction, is an opportunity for God to display His faithfulness and for us to be shaped more into His image.

The story doesn’t end with a clever human solution or a last-minute escape. Instead, God intervenes in a way that no one could have predicted or accomplished on their own. The people of Jerusalem go to bed surrounded by threats and wake up to deliverance. Yet, even after this, not every problem is erased—life remains complicated, but they are saved. This is a picture of our own journey: we may not see every problem resolved in this life, but we are secure in God’s hands, and every act of deliverance is a foretaste of the ultimate salvation to come.

So, the invitation is practical and profound: take your burdens, literally or figuratively, and lay them before God. Pray not just for relief, but for God to be glorified in your situation. Then, rest—truly rest—in His ability to handle what you cannot. This is not a call to passivity, but to active trust, knowing that God is at work in every circumstance, conforming us to the image of Christ and preparing us for an eternal weight of glory.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Spread Your Problems Before God Hezekiah’s first response to overwhelming trouble was to physically lay out the enemy’s threats before the Lord. This act of “spreading it out” is a model for us: to bring our deepest anxieties and impossible situations honestly before God, not to inform Him, but to submit and trust Him with what we cannot control. Faith is not pretending the problem isn’t real, but refusing to carry it alone. [27:01]
• 2. Pray for God’s Glory, Not Just Relief Hezekiah’s prayer goes beyond personal rescue; he asks that God would act so that all nations would know He alone is God. When we pray for God’s glory in our struggles, we align ourselves with His greater purposes, recognizing that our deliverance is not just for our comfort, but for the display of His faithfulness and power. This perspective transforms our prayers and our expectations. [37:19]
• 3. God’s Glory and Our Good Are Bound Together God’s commitment to His own glory is not egotistical, but the very foundation of our hope. As God acts for His name’s sake, He simultaneously works for our ultimate good—transforming us, renewing us, and preparing us for eternal glory. Our afflictions, though real and painful, are “light and momentary” compared to the weight of glory God is working in us through them. [39:36]
• 4. Rest in God’s Ability, Not Your Own Solutions After laying out his problem and praying, Hezekiah simply rests—there is no frantic strategizing, just trust. God’s answer is decisive and complete, reminding us that deliverance often comes not through our cleverness or effort, but through God’s sovereign intervention. We are called to do what we can, but ultimately to rest in the knowledge that God is able to do what we cannot. [46:24]
• 5. Practice Active Trust: Submit, Pray, and Rest The invitation is to make this process tangible: write down your burdens, lay them before God, pray for His glory, and then leave them in His hands. This is not a one-time act, but a daily rhythm of surrender and trust. Even when problems persist, we can rest, knowing that God is using every circumstance to conform us to Christ and to display His saving power in our lives. [59:00]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:10] - Introducing Hezekiah’s Crisis
• [04:30] - The Burden of Uncontrollable Problems
• [08:15] - Judah’s History with Assyria
• [13:00] - Hezekiah’s Preparation and the Siege
• [18:28] - The Enemy’s Threats and the Letter
• [21:57] - Hezekiah’s Hopeless Choices
• [23:17] - Hezekiah’s Response: Spreading It Before God
• [27:01] - The Act of Laying Out Our Burdens
• [31:57] - Praying for God’s Glory in Our Trials
• [37:19] - God’s Glory and Our Good
• [43:08] - Light and Momentary Afflictions
• [46:24] - Resting in God’s Ability
• [49:57] - God’s Deliverance and Ongoing Struggles
• [56:28] - Practical Steps: Submit, Pray, Rest
• [59:34] - Closing Prayer and Invitation

Bible Reading

2 Kings 19:14-19 (ESV) — 14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.
15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.
16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.
17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands
18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.
19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 (ESV) — 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV) — 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Observation Questions

1. What did Hezekiah do with the letter containing the enemy’s threats, and where did he take it? (2 Kings 19:14)
2. In Hezekiah’s prayer, what two main things does he acknowledge about God before asking for help? (2 Kings 19:15-16)
3. According to the sermon, what was the enemy’s goal in making sure everyone heard the threats in their own language? [[23:17]]
4. What does 1 Peter 5:7 tell us to do with our anxieties, and why?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why do you think Hezekiah chose to physically spread out the letter before God instead of just praying silently? What does this act show about his faith? [[27:01]]
2. Hezekiah’s prayer asks for God to save them “so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” What does this reveal about his priorities in prayer? [[37:19]]
3. The sermon says that God’s glory and our good are “bound together.” How does this idea challenge or encourage your understanding of why God allows difficult situations? [[39:36]]
4. After Hezekiah prayed, what was his next step? How does this compare to how we usually respond to problems we can’t control? [[46:24]]

Application Questions

1. The sermon suggests literally writing down your biggest burden and laying it before God. What is one specific burden you are carrying right now that you could do this with? Would you be willing to try this practice this week? [[58:14]]
2. When you pray about your problems, do you usually focus more on asking for relief or for God to be glorified? How might your prayers change if you started asking for God’s glory in your situation? [[37:19]]
3. Hezekiah rested after giving his problem to God, instead of trying to come up with his own solution. What would it look like for you to “rest” in God’s ability with a problem you can’t control? Is there a situation where you need to stop strategizing and start trusting? [[46:24]]
4. The sermon says that not every problem is erased, but we are still saved and secure in God’s hands. How do you handle it when God doesn’t remove a problem, but gives you peace or endurance instead? [[51:31]]
5. 2 Corinthians 4:17 calls our troubles “light and momentary” compared to the “eternal weight of glory.” Is there a current struggle that feels heavy to you? How can you remind yourself of God’s bigger picture in the middle of it? [[43:08]]
6. The enemy in the story tried to sow doubt about God’s promises. Are there specific doubts or lies you are tempted to believe about God’s care or power in your life? How can you confront those with truth? [[28:16]]
7. The sermon ends with a call to make surrender and trust a daily rhythm, not just a one-time act. What is one practical step you can take this week to make “spreading your burdens before God” a regular habit? [[59:00]]