June 27th, 2020
Stephanie Faust, Office Manager
Hezekiah was 25 years old when he inherited the throne in Jerusalem for 29 years. He was the 13th king of Judah who remained faithful to the Lord throughout his reign. King Hezekiah opened the temple gates which his father had closed, repaired & cleansed the temple, removed & smashed all idols and restored worship. He also called the Levites to recommit themselves to the Lord and invited Ephraim and Judah to return to the temple & its liturgy to repent. This invitation resulted in a very large turn out after many in the north laughed. Also, King Hezekiah implored people to give generously.
King Hezekiah was a friend of the prophet Isaiah. Hezekiah’s faith was tested by an invasion of the Assyrian king who began capturing all the surrounding cities. Thanks to the prayers of Hezekiah, Isaiah and the Hebrew people, Jerusalem was delivered. Sometime after but in the same year, Hezekiah became fatally ill. Isaiah informed Hezekiah of a message from God that he should “set his house in order” because Hezekiah was going to die. Not only did Hezekiah pray but he wept. God immediately sent another message through Isaiah to Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:5) “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; behold I will heal you…” 2 Kings 20:6 tells us that God added 15 years to Hezekiah’s life.
Those of you who know me well know that I cry easily and pray often. I cry when I’m happy, sad, nervous, angry, surprised, touched by something or someone, etc. I pray many times throughout every day. I pray for my beloved family, friends and co-workers, asking for blessings on lives, help with decisions, forgiveness, wisdom, etc. My most recent tears and prayers have been about the need for healing in our country and world as I consider what is happening around us. Life is coming at us hard…and fast… and we find ourselves in the middle. It seems we were just knocked over by a punch and then followed through with a left hook. We didn’t even have time to catch our breath! King Hezekiah dealt with the threat of attack and right into the news of being fatally ill. I am captivated with the story of Hezekiah because I can sympathize with his prayers & tears and see a similarity to current events. I am again reminded that God is moved by our prayers.
It is not likely that we will receive advance notice of when we will die. It makes sense that some of us would gladly trade now for a few months ago. We wish for the life we had before COVID- 19 and before unrest. We just aren’t where we thought we would ever be. We are seeing now boredom, break downs, bitterness, malfeasance and hatred but as followers of Jesus, we must now look for the redemption. Our "now" may be unjust, unhappy, unwanted, unpleasant and unacceptable but we all have now, the gift of time.
15 years from today would be Sunday June 10th, 2035. If this was our time left, what would you do to make sure your house was “set in order”? Would you help to re-open your churches? Would you restore worship? Would you get rid of things that replace God in your life? Would you recommit to the Lord? Would you find a church to call home? Would you give of your time investing in others’ lives? Would you spend more time with loved ones? I wonder if we would all work together very differently than we do now if we knew that we only had 15 years left on earth.
God is stirred to compassion about our anxieties. God hears our prayer and sees our tears. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer changes things, protects lives and calms storms. Today I will be praying that every one of you will spark a difference in your family, your community and our world and that the Lord will perfect all the things that concern you (Psalm 138:8). I pray that we will work together always towards an abundant future for all of us. In return, I ask you to pray and pray often. You will receive His many gifts to advance His kingdom by spending time with Him now. We may not have Isaiah, but He has given us an extraordinary Aide, the Holy Spirit! Like King Hezekiah, may we be blessed with courage, foresight, wisdom and a willingness to pray for the glory of God.
Hezekiah was 25 years old when he inherited the throne in Jerusalem for 29 years. He was the 13th king of Judah who remained faithful to the Lord throughout his reign. King Hezekiah opened the temple gates which his father had closed, repaired & cleansed the temple, removed & smashed all idols and restored worship. He also called the Levites to recommit themselves to the Lord and invited Ephraim and Judah to return to the temple & its liturgy to repent. This invitation resulted in a very large turn out after many in the north laughed. Also, King Hezekiah implored people to give generously.
King Hezekiah was a friend of the prophet Isaiah. Hezekiah’s faith was tested by an invasion of the Assyrian king who began capturing all the surrounding cities. Thanks to the prayers of Hezekiah, Isaiah and the Hebrew people, Jerusalem was delivered. Sometime after but in the same year, Hezekiah became fatally ill. Isaiah informed Hezekiah of a message from God that he should “set his house in order” because Hezekiah was going to die. Not only did Hezekiah pray but he wept. God immediately sent another message through Isaiah to Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:5) “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; behold I will heal you…” 2 Kings 20:6 tells us that God added 15 years to Hezekiah’s life.
Those of you who know me well know that I cry easily and pray often. I cry when I’m happy, sad, nervous, angry, surprised, touched by something or someone, etc. I pray many times throughout every day. I pray for my beloved family, friends and co-workers, asking for blessings on lives, help with decisions, forgiveness, wisdom, etc. My most recent tears and prayers have been about the need for healing in our country and world as I consider what is happening around us. Life is coming at us hard…and fast… and we find ourselves in the middle. It seems we were just knocked over by a punch and then followed through with a left hook. We didn’t even have time to catch our breath! King Hezekiah dealt with the threat of attack and right into the news of being fatally ill. I am captivated with the story of Hezekiah because I can sympathize with his prayers & tears and see a similarity to current events. I am again reminded that God is moved by our prayers.
It is not likely that we will receive advance notice of when we will die. It makes sense that some of us would gladly trade now for a few months ago. We wish for the life we had before COVID- 19 and before unrest. We just aren’t where we thought we would ever be. We are seeing now boredom, break downs, bitterness, malfeasance and hatred but as followers of Jesus, we must now look for the redemption. Our "now" may be unjust, unhappy, unwanted, unpleasant and unacceptable but we all have now, the gift of time.
15 years from today would be Sunday June 10th, 2035. If this was our time left, what would you do to make sure your house was “set in order”? Would you help to re-open your churches? Would you restore worship? Would you get rid of things that replace God in your life? Would you recommit to the Lord? Would you find a church to call home? Would you give of your time investing in others’ lives? Would you spend more time with loved ones? I wonder if we would all work together very differently than we do now if we knew that we only had 15 years left on earth.
God is stirred to compassion about our anxieties. God hears our prayer and sees our tears. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer changes things, protects lives and calms storms. Today I will be praying that every one of you will spark a difference in your family, your community and our world and that the Lord will perfect all the things that concern you (Psalm 138:8). I pray that we will work together always towards an abundant future for all of us. In return, I ask you to pray and pray often. You will receive His many gifts to advance His kingdom by spending time with Him now. We may not have Isaiah, but He has given us an extraordinary Aide, the Holy Spirit! Like King Hezekiah, may we be blessed with courage, foresight, wisdom and a willingness to pray for the glory of God.
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