Saturday, September 25: Queen of the night

We often hear those who have been seeking a lost object say that it was in the last place they looked. That should be the case in every search, for what is the point in continuing to look once an item has been found? In the same regard, each inhabitant of our planet is seeking that missing piece to complete the puzzle. Once that piece has been discovered, and the puzzle is solved, what need is there to find another piece? Jesus is the final piece, who gives us peace, and He is the solution to every problem.



Some may believe that to be an oversimplification, as our finite minds continue to complicate our lives. Yet whether we trust Him or not, each problem that arises has an answer in Jesus. Sometimes, we have to leap a hurdle, and He is the spring in our step. Other times, we have to evade an enemy, when the Holy Spirit reminds us to run away from sin. Still, there are times to stand and fight, when victory comes against all odds, by His hand.


Just as the Lord utilized a lad with five, smooth stones to defeat the towering giant, Goliath, God demonstrates His power when we are outnumbered by the enemy. Israel entered a land flowing with milk and honey, yet it also was flowing with inhabitants. Though the Israelites were smaller in stature and in number, the Lord led them in battle, granting the land to His chosen people. While in control of the land many years later, King Hezekiah felt pressure from his own people to prepare a plan of defense. The Assyrians had conquered the northern tribes of Israel, and taken them into captivity. Though Hezekiah was a godly king, his first line of defense was to bribe the Assyrians:


13 And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. 14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. 15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house. 16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
2 Kings 18:13-16


Instead of asking God for help, Hezekiah stripped gold from the doors of the temple, the Lord’s house. Rather than solving the problem, that gold added fuel to the fire of the Assyrians, desiring all of the gold of Israel. Hezekiah’s desire to protect his people added pressure to an already stressful situation. Next, he attempted an alliance with Egypt, thinking that if both nations combined armies, their numbers would rival that of the advancing Assyrian army. Though Hezekiah’s motive was valiant, he made plans without consulting God. Isaiah the prophet spoke harshly to Israel:


“Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD,
“Who take counsel, but not of Me,
And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit,
That they may add sin to sin;
2Who walk to go down to Egypt,
And have not asked My advice,
To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh,
And to trust in the shadow of Egypt!
Isaiah 30:1-2


Israel’s position seemingly worsened, as the Assyrian army advanced and surrounded Jerusalem. Finally, Hezekiah handed the battle to the Lord, encouraging the people that the Lord’s hand held the power. With the citizens of God’s great city preparing to die, the Lord sent a mighty angel to the enemy troops, killing 185,000 in the night, without help from any Israeli soldiers. While we sleep, the Lord protects us. If we are His, He desires for us to bring our problems to Him, and then wait for His perfect timing.

In Israel, there is a cactus called the Queen of the Night, which blooms only for a few nights in September each year. Its beautiful bloom opens widely around midnight, and then closes for the remainder of the year. Few people see its beauty, but even without being realized, its beauty is just as special. How many of our battles are won by the Lord while we sleep? How many times do our battles disappear, though we fail to acknowledge Him who wins the battles for us? When battles arise in the lives of His children, God frequently steps in to save us. After all, He is the God who saves! Yet sometimes our odds of success have to decrease before God gets involved. That points to His power, rather than the power of man.


Lay your concerns, problems and battles at the foot of the cross, and hand them over to Jesus. The next step is typically the most difficult one. Trust Him, and He will accomplish His will in His time. Though His timing usually is later than we would desire, nonetheless, it is perfectly in His will. He is incapable of making a mistake. Whether or not we see what He is accomplishing on our behalves, it is as beautiful as an unseen bloom in the midst of darkness.


7 “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. 8 With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
2 Chronicles 32:7-8