Word of Encouragement (08/06/2024)
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (2 Kings 20:1-3)
When Hezekiah heard from Isaiah the prophet that his present sickness was unto death, he was deeply grieved. He turned to the wall and prayed to God: “Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.”
The act of turning to the wall signifies at the very least his single-minded focus on God away from everyone else. When he was confronted by his mortality, nothing and no one mattered to him except God, the Lord of life and death. Despite so many people that surrounded him—his family and royal subjects—he felt alone. No amount of human words, no gesture of kindness from men could dispel his feeling of being utterly alone. At such a time, it is easy to let despair swallow us up wholly and drown us in grief. That would have sped up Hezekiah’s death. But Hezekiah managed to turn to God and pray.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed by the trials of life? I hope you turn to God in prayer instead of withering away in hopelessness and sorrow as you try to manage it on your own. We fall at times: it is inevitable in this fallen world. So, when we fall, we should fall into the almighty and gracious hand of God. There is no shame in acknowledging our limitations and asking for God’s help. After all, we are but dust (Ps. 103:14), and we cannot do anything apart from God (John 15:5). It is foolish to deny this truth and live as though we were the masters of our own lives. Pride is destructive because it keeps us away from God.
We should not think that we can come to God only after we do our best because “God helps [only] those who help themselves.” We should come to God before we try anything. In doing so, we acknowledge His lordship over our lives and our dependence on Him as well as our need for His wisdom and strength. For we can go about doing something in 100 different ways, and what is important is not that we do something or anything but a wise thing in accordance with God’s will.
When Hezekiah humbled himself before God and prayed, God heard his prayer and extended his life. So then, when afflictions come our way and weigh us down, let us humble ourselves before God and plead for His help. When we do that, would He not be pleased to hear our prayers? “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).