When Faith Feels Foreign; A Devotional on Hezekiah, Doubt, and Misplaced Allegiance
- Scripture: Isaiah 37:14–20 / 2 Kings 19:14–19
“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.” —Isaiah 37:20 (ESV)
When King Hezekiah received the threatening letter from the king of Assyria, he didn’t call a war council or craft a clever diplomatic response. He didn’t fight in the Facebook comments or publicly argue with those who wanted to surrender. He went into the temple, spread the letter before the Lord, and prayed. His prayer didn’t begin with self-defense or national pride. He simply asked God to save them—not for Israel’s glory, but so that “all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You, O Lord, are God alone.”
Today, the American church faces a different kind of threat. Not from a foreign army, but from within—an erosion of trust, truth, and humility. Christian nationalism has blurred the line between allegiance to Christ and allegiance to country. Too often, we see ideology elevated above identity in Christ. The result is a rising tide of doubt—not just among skeptics, but in the hearts of believers who no longer recognize the Church they once called home.
Many of us carry these doubts in silence while we struggle to recognize the Faith we once knew. For me, one of the hardest thoughts I’ve had recently is: “I don’t want to be a Christian anymore.” Not because I’ve stopped believing in Jesus, but because I’ve been told that unless I support a particular party or political vision, I don’t count as a “real” Christian. And if that’s what Christianity is now... do I even belong?
Just as Hezekiah was told that his God couldn’t save him—that the Assyrian empire was too vast, too strong—we’re told today that our faith is weak or invalid if it doesn’t follow a man- made narrative. And often, those messages don’t just come from outside the Church, but from those who claim to be within God's Kingdom.
But Hezekiah reminds me that God is not defined by political power or cultural dominance. He doesn’t need our performance—He welcomes our honesty. Like Hezekiah, I can take that pain and doubt and spread it before the Lord. I can pray, “Save me—not for my comfort, but so that the world may know You alone are God.”
What fears, doubts, or looming armies are you facing today? Whether it’s your personal struggle or heartbreak over the direction of the Church, don’t carry it alone. Lay it out before the Lord.
Lord God,
I lay this burden before You.
Like Hezekiah spread the enemy’s letter in Your presence,
I spread my doubts, my grief, and my confusion at Your feet.
I’ve been told I don’t belong—
That I’m not a “real” Christian
Because I won’t conform to a political mold,
Because I won’t salute what others have made sacred in Your name.
They've weaponized faith.
They’ve stitched Your name to flags, Your cross to power,
Your gospel to pride and division.
And I’ve wondered, Lord—honestly—
“If that’s what being a Christian means, I don’t want it anymore.”
But that cry wasn’t rebellion.
It was heartbreak.
Not a turning away from You,
But a desperate longing to find You again— Unfiltered, unbranded, and unbound.
I don’t want the version of You used to win arguments or elections. I want the Jesus who sat with outcasts,
Who confronted hypocrisy,
Who wept over a broken city,
Who laid down power and picked up a cross.
Lord, save us—from what we’ve made of Your name. Save us from our idols,
Our need to be right,
Our addiction to control,
Our confusion between nation and Kingdom.
Rescue Your church from false gospels. Purify Your people, Lord.
Let everything built on pride crumble,
And let everything rooted in Christ remain.
And not just for us, Lord—
But so that the world would know
That You alone are God.
Not the voices who claim to speak for You with hate, Not the movements that twist Your truth,
Not the systems that profit off Your image.
You alone are God.
Make that undeniable.
Start with me.
Return to us not as a symbol, but as Savior.
Not as a weapon, but as the Word made flesh.
Not as a banner to wave, but as the Lord to follow.
Amen.