When Trouble Knocks Loudest: Trusting God When You Feel Surrounded

Isaiah 36-37.

The army of Assyria stood like a storm cloud on Jerusalem’s doorstep. City after city had fallen. Their threats were loud, their record ruthless. And then came the letter—a taunt in ink, declaring that not even Jerusalem’s God could save them.

What do you do when the voices in your life echo the same lie?

When cancer says, “You won’t make it.”
When anxiety whispers, “You’ll never escape.”
When relationships fracture and headlines scream, “There’s no hope.”

Hezekiah shows us something profound. He doesn’t rally the troops. He doesn’t fire back a rebuttal. He takes the letter—his fears, his future, the threats—and lays it before the Lord in the temple (Isaiah 37:14). That moment wasn’t passive; it was powerful. He acknowledged the storm but refused to surrender to it.

Trusting God doesn’t mean pretending everything’s okay—it means dragging our desperate reality into the presence of a greater one.

Maybe your Assyrian army isn’t wearing armor, but it still robs sleep and drains peace. Like Hezekiah, we must learn to trust God when:

• Circumstances tower over us. Remember, the size of the threat doesn’t shake God.
• We can’t change the people around us. Isaiah reminded Hezekiah that this battle belonged to God, not him.

Trusting God does not mean producing our own salvation – it does mean listening to His voice. Assyria boasted that it had already defeated all the cities in Samaria. Everyone had fallen victim to their overwhelming presence. Jerusalem had no chance to survive this enemy positioned outside the gates. When everything around us is crumbling in defeat, it does not mean we have to go down with the rest. The slippery slope may seem inevitable, but when God steps in, He provides an end to the cycle of defeat. In this case, God promised to intervene and drive off Assyria.

You can’t fix everything. You’re not supposed to. But you can trust the One who sees what you don’t and works in ways you can’t.

So, this week, bring your “letter” to God. Lay down your fears and receive His promise: “I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.” (Isaiah 37:35)

God still delivers even when the army is already at the gates.

In His grace,

Pastor Brad Little