“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.”
– 2 Kings 19:19
Oh 2 Kings 19:19, what a verse that summarizes in one verse one of the main truths of all of scripture. Like one of the main truths that if we just get this, it changes everything about how we view our lives, how we view the church, how we view the world around us. So here’s the truth. I’m going to read the verse again to show where this is coming from, but lodge this truth deep in your mind and your heart. Here’s the truth. God saves us for our good and for His glory among all the nations. Let me say the truth again. God saves us. Why? Why does God save us? He saves us for our good and for His glory among all the nations.
Why does God save us? He saves us for our good and for his glory among all the nations.
God Wants His Name To Be Known Amongst Nations And Kingdoms
So this is exactly what 2 Kings 19:19 says. “So now, O Lord our God save us please from his hand so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord are God alone.” Obviously, they want God to save them for their own good. They are being attacked by a foreign king and a foreign people and Hezekiah’s leading them in prayer asking God to save them. Yes, for their good, but not just for their good, for His glory among all the nations that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord are God alone.
And the reason I say this is a truth that resonates all throughout the Bible is because this is where the Bible ends. This is where God has ordained all of history to end in Revelation 5, Revelation 7 when every nation, tribe and tongue will be represented around the throne of God singing praises to Him, giving glory to Him, shouting, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb.”
God Saves Us For Our Good And His Glory
So when you think about your life, realize this. God has saved you, assuming you have placed your faith in Jesus. If not, I urge you today placed your faith in Jesus, what He has done in His life and His death and His resurrection so that you could be forgiven of your sins, saved from sin, from the penalty of sin, death, eternal death. God saves us for our good and not just for our good. The Bible doesn’t stop that truth there. God saves us for our good and for His glory among all the nations that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that He is God.
2 Kings 19:19 Prays God Accomplishes His Purpose Through Us Today
Therefore, the purpose of your life is to experience the goodness of God and exalt the glory of God among all the nations. And that changes the way you live and it changes the way you view the church because you realize the purpose of my life, the purpose of your life, the purpose of our community together in the church is to enjoy God in all of His fullness, His salvation, and to make God’s glory known among all the nation.
So we pray God to accomplish your purpose in and through us today according to your word, we pray. We praise you for your salvation. Jesus, we praise you for dying on the cross, for rising from the grave, for ascending into heaven, for sending your spirit upon all who trust in you for salvation. Thank you for the hope of eternal life. Thank you for the reality of abundant life today in you. We praise you for your salvation. We pray that you would use our lives and your salvation in us to make your glory known among all the nations, all the peoples of the earth.
2 Kings 19:19 Prays For The Turkmen People Of Turkey
When we think about three billion people in the world who have little to no knowledge of the gospel and 7,000 distinct people, groups, God, we pray use our lives, our families, and our churches to make the gospel known among them that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord are God alone. We pray today specifically for the Turkmen people of Turkey and Afghanistan and Iran and Syria and Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. God, we pray that you would cause the gospel to be made known among Turkmen people.
God, they might know your love and your salvation that you would send more workers for the spread of the gospel among them. You would bless the few Christians that are among them, that the gospel might spread through them, that they might know your salvation and that your salvation might spread to more and more peoples and places kingdoms of the earth. As we look forward, oh God, to the day, when we’ll gather around your throne with them all, and we will celebrate your salvation of us, we will celebrate the reality that you have saved us for your glory among all the nations. Bring it about we pray and use our lives toward that end. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
