"Football is not a matter of life and death, it is more important than that."
Telling the Lord
Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. Isaiah 37:14I love this picture of King Hezekiah taking his letter to the Temple (where God lived) and spreading it out for God to read it. 14
Of course, it was an unnecessary thing to do. God knew exactly what was in the letter without Hezekiah spreading it out for Him to see. And he could have told God his concerns in his palace without going to the temple as God was there too.14
But sometimes a bit of acting out drama helps us. (Think of all the different ways Jeremiah acted out scenes to communicate with the people). Taking the letter to the temple and spreading it out was unnecessary for God to be informed but it helped Hezekiah. He wanted to share the problem with God and the physical act of going to the temple and taking the letter helped him feel that he was giving the problem to God.14
As Christians we don’t need a temple. We don’t think of a church building as any more “holy” than a running track or any other building. We experience God’s presence everywhere. Yet sometimes going somewhere different helps us to sense that we are entering God’s presence in a special way. I remember a pro footballer – who had a young family - telling me he often stopped off at a church on the way home from training because the silence and peace of the church made it easier to pray than the bustle at home.
Next time you are anxious about something, try writing it down and symbolically give it to God, remembering the promise that we can cast our cares on Him because he cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7).