Can you trust God when the nations rage, your prayers seem unanswered, or you wonder if He has forgotten you?

In today's episode of The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries, Stephanie Hickox continues our chronological Bible reading through 2 Kings 19, Psalms 46, 80, 135, and Isaiah 49–50. Together, we'll see how God's faithfulness unfolds across history—from His miraculous preservation of Jerusalem to His promises that point directly to Jesus, the suffering Servant.

If you're a Christian mom reading through the Bible in a year, this episode will strengthen your confidence that the God who preserved Israel throughout history is the same God who remembers you, hears your prayers, and faithfully keeps every promise.

In This Episode

• Why the preservation of Israel points to God's sovereign hand throughout history
• Hezekiah's prayer in the face of impossible odds and what it teaches us about trusting God
• Why Assyria disappeared as a world empire while Israel still exists today
• What Romans 11 teaches about God's ongoing plan for Israel
• The powerful encouragement of Psalm 46: "God is our refuge and strength."
• The deeper meaning behind "Be still and know that I am God."
• Why God sometimes answers immediately—and other times refines us through waiting
• The Servant Songs of Isaiah and how they reveal the mission of Jesus Christ
• A beautiful promise for mothers from Isaiah 49: God will never forget His children
• What it means that we are engraved on the palms of God's hands
• How Jesus "set His face like flint" as He faithfully endured suffering for our salvation

Key Bible Passages

• 2 Kings 19
• Psalm 46
• Psalm 80
• Psalm 135
• Isaiah 49:13–16
• Isaiah 50:4–11
• Romans 11

Encouragement for Moms

Motherhood often comes with seasons when you wonder whether God sees your prayers or remembers your family.

Isaiah gives one of the Bible's most comforting pictures of God's love:

"Can a woman forget her nursing child...? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you."

The Lord's compassion is even greater than the deepest love a mother has for her child. Through Christ, His love is permanently displayed by the nail-scarred hands that remind us He will never abandon His people.

When you feel forgotten...

He remembers.

When your family faces uncertainty...

He remains your refuge.

When the nations rage...

He is still on His throne.

Memorable Truths from This Episode

• "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
• "Be still and know that I am God."
• "Can a woman forget her nursing child?... Yet I will not forget you."
• "Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands."
• "Jesus set His face like flint."

Why Listen to The Dwelling Place?

The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries is a chronological Bible podcast designed especially for busy Christian women and moms who want to understand the whole story of Scripture. Each episode follows a chronological Bible reading plan while connecting the Old Testament to Jesus Christ and offering practical encouragement for faith, parenting, and everyday life.

Whether you're reading the Bible in a year or simply longing to know God's Word more deeply, you'll find biblical teaching, historical context, and gospel-centered encouragement to help you faithfully walk with Christ.

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with another mom who is looking for a trustworthy chronological Bible study.Resources Mentioned:

• Entrusted With a Child's Heart
• The Again Podcast
• Full-Circle Discipline Resources
• Bible Project: Isaiah (Part 2)

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary

This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox.

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Today, as we encounter 2 Kings 19, Psalm

46, 80, 135, and Isaiah 49 through 50,

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we will marvel at God's preservation

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of Israel.

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Steph: As students of the Word,

of history, and of current events

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We understand that Israel

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has faced never ending enemies, but

we can be amazed that the Lord has

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continued to bless the offspring of

Abraham and that they still exist

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to this day In Second Kings 19, we

re-encounter a story with Hezekiah.

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Now, in full disclosure, I rely on

a very reputable chronological plan.

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I've sought out several reliable sources

and all of them put Second Kings 19 here.

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But if I were to make the plan, I would've

put this chapter previously where Isaiah

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and Chronicles also told this story.

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But I'm thankful we get to read it again

because there's a part that I didn't

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have time to dig in too much with you

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As a refresher, this is when the

Rabshakeh, a messenger from Assyria,

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is taunting King Hezekiah's messengers.

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they bring back word to Hezekiah

that Assyria is not backing down.

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Many of the Judean cities had already

fallen, but Hezekiah was determined

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that the city of David, the city

of Jerusalem, and the location of

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the temple was not to fall as well.

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Immediately, he goes to the house

of the Lord and prays, and God

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tells him, "Don't be afraid.

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Sennacherib, the king of Assyria,

will not come against you.

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I will return him to his own land,

where he will die by the sword."

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But Sennacherib writes a

boastful letter to Hezekiah.

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Which we'll begin reading in nineteen ten.

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" Do not let your God in whom you

trust deceive you by promising that

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Jerusalem will not be given into

the hand of the king of Assyria.

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Behold, you have heard what the

kings of Assyria have done to all

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lands, devoting them to destruction.

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And shall you be delivered?

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Have the gods of the

nations delivered them?

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The nations that my fathers destroyed?

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Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the

people of Eden who are in Telassar?

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Where is the king of

Hamath, the king of Arpad,

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The king of the city of

Sepharvaim, the king of Hena

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Or the king of After Hezekiah receives

this boastful letter from Sennacherib, he

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goes back into the house of the Lord and

prays, and he ends his prayer, " So now,

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O Lord our God, Save us from this hand,

that all the kingdoms of the earth may

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know that you, O Lord, are God alone What

strikes me as I read through Sennacherib's

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boastful list of defeated nations is that

I don't know any of those nations today.

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I've done a pretty thorough study of

geography with my kids while helping

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them memorize how to draw the entire

world, and none of these names came

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up in our studies of geography today.

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And it astounds me because the

comparison speaks to the preservation

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of Israel Israel has faced

nearly continual war and battles.

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The Holocaust alone certainly

could have ended them.

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If we look historically

at the different enemies

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Whether it was Haman or Titus or Hitler

or Stalin God has preserved a remnant of

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this nation, and it stands to this day.

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The famous scientist Blaise Pascal

wrote that the perpetual preservation of

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the Jewish nation was a living, unique

miracle confirming the truth of scripture.

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Without God's intervention, this

small group of people surely would

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have perished from the earth.

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This is miraculous.

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the Book of Romans confirms that

Israel is still God's chosen people.

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God did not give up on them,

but instead He grafted us in.

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When you read Romans eleven, it's very

difficult to believe in replacement

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theology, which means that the

Christian Church has replaced Israel.

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Instead, scripture points to the fact

That God has a plan to redeem Israel

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back to Himself, and that Christians

those embracing the new covenant have

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been grafted into the family of God

This testimony of Israel's existence

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points to the sovereignty of God, and

the Lord used them to bring the Messiah

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that would be good news for all people.

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As Hezekiah himself prayed, that

they would be a testimony to

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all the nations on the earth.

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And I believe his prayer was so

in line with the heart of God

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I have a friend who is proudly of

Assyrian descent, and of all the

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nations that we mentioned today,

Assyria is the only one I'm aware of.

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Even though modern-day Assyria

does not exist as its own country,

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the Assyrians still maintain their

ethnicity, and there are about

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three to five million of them today.

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What I find most fascinating

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And inspiring is that most

Assyrians alive today would claim

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Christianity as their religion.

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Even though we have seen God judge this

nation , he still maintained the goal

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of turning every tribe, tongue, and

nation to love and acknowledge him.

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And I rejoice that many of my

brothers and sisters in Christ

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can claim a Syrian heritage It

speaks to the redemption of God

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In Psalm 35, we continue to read about

God's power over the nations and kings.

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Verse eight begins, " He it was who

struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both

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of man and of beast, who in your midst,

O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against

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Pharaoh and all his servants, who struck

down many nations and killed mighty

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kings, Sihon king of the Amorites and Og

king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of

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Canaan, and gave their land as a heritage,

a heritage to his people Israel.

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Your name, O Lord, endures forever.

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Your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.

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For the Lord will vindicate his people

and have compassion on his servants."

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Once again, we can say,

where are these nations?

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We don't know of them for a reason

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Whenever we look back at some of the

very vile and wicked practices of

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these nations, we can understand why

the Lord cut them off so they would

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not continue to procreate, teaching

their children their sinful ways

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Let's turn now to Psalm 46 because it

reveals God's power over the nations

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in a different way.

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The superscript says, "To the

choirmaster of the songs of Korah,

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according to Alamoth, a song."

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Alamoth is a word we

haven't encountered yet.

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Some Greek translations render it

hidden things, but in the Hebrew, it

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normally has to do with young ladies.

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It's very likely that this was written

to be sung by female voices alone, and

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I think it brings a unique perspective

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to the reading of this psalm.

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God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

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Therefore, we will not fear though the

earth gives way, though the mountains

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be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam, though

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the mountains tremble at its swelling.

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There is a river whose streams

make glad the city of God, the

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holy habitation of the Most High.

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God is in the midst of her.

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She shall not be moved.

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God will help her when morning dawns.

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The nations rage.

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The kingdoms totter.

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He utters His voice, the earth melts.

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The Lord of Hosts is with us.

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The God of Jacob is our fortress.

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Come, behold the works of the Lord, how

He has brought desolations on the earth.

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He makes wars cease to

the end of the earth.

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He breaks the bow and shatters the spear.

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He burns the chariots with fire.

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Be still and know that I am God.

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I will be exalted among the nations.

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I will be exalted in the earth

The Lord of hosts is with us.

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The God of Jacob is our fortress.

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There are a few really

familiar verses here.

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First of all, the opening.

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God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

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You probably have many testimonies

of waiting on the Lord, perhaps way

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longer than you thought possible.

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But do you also have a testimony where God

showed up the moment you called to Him?

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If you don't

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Ask him And though it's coming up on many

Christian T-shirts, when it says God is in

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the midst of her, she shall not be moved

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This was written of Jerusalem.

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And yet we can find comfort in verse 10.

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" Be still and know that I am God."

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It's not just a comforting thought for

the believer, but it's a reminder that

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God is working all of the events of

history so that He will be glorified

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And because this verse follows the

phrase, "He makes wars cease to the

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ends of the earth" It can give us

deeply rooted peace in His sovereignty.

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But it doesn't absolve

us from responsibility.

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Rather, it calls us to take part

in His plan that is millennia

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older than us to be His witnesses

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In Psalm 80, the psalmist writes something

surprising beginning in verse four.

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" O Lord God of Hosts, how long will you

be angry with your people's prayers?

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You have fed them with the

bread of tears and given them

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tears to drink in full measure.

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You make us an object of contention

for our neighbors, and our

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enemies laugh among themselves.

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Restore us, O God of Hosts; let your

face shine, that we may be saved."

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Surprisingly, this psalm

opened quite tenderly.

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" Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you

who lead Joseph like the flock."

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There are times when God leads us

in gentleness, and there are times

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where He knows that our stubbornness

requires suffering to be sanctified

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As we're teaching our kids We can remind

them that there are times where the

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Lord may not feel like a very present

help to us, but we can trust that this

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tender shepherd and loving Father knows

exactly what we need, even if it means

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waiting upon His answers to our prayers

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Let's turn now to the Book of Isaiah.

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Chapters forty-nine through

fifty-seven describe the suffering

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of the servant of the Lord.

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In this portion, the word servant

is used about twenty times, and it

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describes an entirely different element

to the king they knew was coming.

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It also reveals his mission

was not as they expected

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And though Jesus's call would have

many difficulties, Isaiah 50:7 says

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that He set His face like a flint This

means he had a resolute determination.

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Jesus kept his goal in mind,

and he remained unswayed

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and focused on his mission

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In chapter forty-nine, beginning in

verse thirteen, we read, " Sing for

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joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth.

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Break forth, O mountains, into singing,

for the Lord has comforted his people,

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and will have compassion on his afflicted.

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But Zion said, ' The Lord has forsaken

me, my Lord has forgotten me.'

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Can a woman forget her nursing

child, that she should have no

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compassion on the son of her womb?

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Even these may forget,

yet I will not forget you.

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Behold, I have engraved you on

the palms of my hands; Your

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walls are continually before me.

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I love to share these verses

with you because who could this

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mean more to than a mother?

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Whether you've chosen to breastfeed

or bottle feed, whether you've had

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biological children or not, you know

the power of a mother's love And

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God is saying, "Yes, there are even

some mothers that would abandon their

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children, but I would never abandon you."

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Have you ever written a little note

on your hand to remember something?

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You wrote it on your hand because this

is a part of you that you always see.

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And when it says that God has engraved

us on the palms of his hands, and that

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our walls are ever before Him, it means

that there's no way He could forget us

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But if we were to see the

hands of Christ right now

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We would recognize that the scars of

his crucifixion remain and they are

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continual evidence of his love for us

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in verse 13, "For the Lord has comforted

His people and will have compassion on

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His afflicted," sometimes that word

compassion is translated mercy, and it

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literally means to love from the womb.

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MacArthur says that this word depicts

the tender love of a mother for her

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own helpless child, and there's a

depth of emotion that God loves His

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people with a deep compassion and love

that is almost beyond description.

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This is the same word God used when

He passed before Moses and said, " The

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Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious,

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he loves you so perfectly, the way

a father loves their child and the

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way a mother loves their child.

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And as we read in Hosea, the

way a husband loves his bride

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So I'm going to close today praying

a portion of Psalm 50 over us

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that we would embrace

the example of Christ

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And because of God's perfect love for us,

that we would be quick to obey His voice

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Heavenly Father, we ask that

you would give us the tongue

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of those who are taught.

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May we be students who eagerly listen

and receive what you want to teach

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us We pray we would know how to

encourage others , and to sustain

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them with a word when they are weary.

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We thank you that morning by

morning you awake us and we pray

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we would be diligent to hear

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Our Shepherd's Voice

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Lord, open our ears

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I pray that our children would not

be rebellious and not turn backward.

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May they submit themselves to authority

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We thank you, Lord, that when we honor

and obey you, we will not be disgraced

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because you are the one that vindicates us

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We can stand through all things

because of your presence and because

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you are the God who helps us.

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So we pray that you would help

us and help our families to

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be innocent in all situations.

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May our fear and reverence of you help

us to honor and obey the servant king.

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Thank you, Jesus, that you set your face

like a flint and that through all of

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your suffering, you kept the end in mind.

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May we do the same as we fix

our eyes on eternity with you.

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It's in your name we pray.

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Amen.