Day 120: Healing hands of hope (2 Kings 20-22)

In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.'” 2 Kings 20:1-4

This passage struck a special chord with me tonight. It’s something we all have struggled with or are struggling with right now – mortality. Recent events have proven that our lives are quite fragile. We never really know when our time is going to be up in this world. It’s a humbling realization, but also a message of hope when we realize that God is in control of it all.

In the above passage, Hezekiah, king of Judah is facing his death. He is sick and at the point of no return. He lived a great life in the eyes of the LORD. He upheld His standards, and lived a life close to God, God gives him a message that he is about to die, and Hezekiah, understandably, is afraid. He approaches the LORD in desperation, asking Him to remember the life he used to serve his Master. And God hears his prayer, granting him 15 years more of life and even delaying His judgment on Judah as a nation.

As I went though this passage, there were a few passages that leapt out at me. Allow me, if you will, to share my thoughts.

God knows the blueprint of your life, past, present and future (“Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”) – God is sovereign. Transcending time, God knows everything we have done, everything we doing, and everything we will do. From our point of view, we are still writing our story, but in God’s eyes, the book of my life has already been written. He’s just filling in the pages. What comfort we have knowing that God has a plan for each of our lives. The key for us is to not stray off the page, and follow God’s plan so His story for us has a happy ending!

The LORD blesses those who serve Him totally and humbly (Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes) – It’s sad when I hear people say “God isn’t listening to me,” or “God doesn’t care.” God cares more about us than we ourselves ever will, and it breaks His heart to see so many of us turning our backs on Him! Hezekiah was a great man of God who lived according to His word, and in this passage, he wasn’t afraid to honestly present his case before the LORD. He was humble, a great servant, and the LORD would ultimately bless Him for it. How different it is today! We strive for recognition, success, fame – we should be striving for humility in Christ! Only there do the real blessings come.

God feels our pain with us (“And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him”) I have to believe that God feels for us in our most desperate time of need. Hezekiah was spent. He was emotional over the news that he was not long for this earth, and he wept before the LORD in a raw display of honesty. We should never be afraid to reveal ourselves completely before God like this. God reacted quickly at Hezekiah’s display of dependence, richly blessing him by healing his body. He can do the same for you! Don’t be afraid to reveal your feelings to God. He knows you are feeling them anyway, so what’s the point of hiding them?

He has the ultimate power to heal (“I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.”) – The ultimate doctor isn’t the one down the road with the nifty diploma hanging on his wall. It isn’t the guy with the stethoscope telling you to “Open up and say, AHHHH!” God, in His ultimate power, has the ability to do anything, including healing the body from sickness. We saw this so many times in the New Testament during Jesus’ ministry. God’s power of healing is amazing and completely unexplainable. Doctors and science may be great, but who’s to say God hasn’t been behind some of the more amazing medical miracles. After all, science can only explain so much before doctors and scientists have to admit something else is at work. Well, open your eyes! That “Something Else” is God!

When God unleashes His blessing, He doesn’t hold back! (I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.) – God could have given Hezekiah one year. He could have given him two, five, even 10. But no, He chose to grant him 15 more years of life! Not only that, He promised to hold off on Judah’s imminent destruction until after he passed away, so that he would not bear witness to what was to come. What an awesome display of generosity! When God gives, He gives richly. It’s like an air conditioning unit that has three settings – low, medium and high – God has no “low” or “medium” setting. When He blesses, He blesses in overdrive!

A lot of us have things going on in our lives that may be considered desperate. A loved one may be sick, near the brink of death. But remember there is always hope. God’s may plan may be to take this person home, but remember that He certainly has the power to heal from any situation, and like Hezekiah, He is able to hear our impassioned plea for help. Don’t be afraid to honestly lay it all out before the LORD. God only knows, He could bring you His next miracle. Don’t lose hope. Don’t lose heart. God is always in control.