21 Days God Who Sees Day 12 - Emmanuel Baptist Church

Day 12: Extended Life

Throughout the history of Israel and her kings, we see a pattern repeat itself. They had a good king who followed the Lord….they had a bad king, or two, or three who did not….they had a good king….they had a bad king. This pattern continued in Judah and Israel until both were taken captive by neighboring kingdoms.

Our king today was a good king sandwiched between two evil kings. His father, Ahaz, was so evil he sacrificed his son in the fire (see 2 Kings 16:2-4). His son, Manasseh, followed detestable practices of other nations and also sacrificed his son in the fire (see 2 Kings 21:1-6). But in between these generations is Hezekiah. 2 Kings 18:3-7 tells us these tidbits about him:

He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
He removed the high places and cut down the Asherah poles.
He broke into pieces Moses’ bronze snake which had become an idol.
He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel.
He held fast to the Lord and did not cease to follow him.
He kept the commands of the Lord.
The Lord was with him and he was successful in all he did.
There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, before or after.

Hezekiah is definitely a man we can learn from and make application to our own lives. There are so many things we can take from his successes and failures but for the sake of time and space, we will hone in on 2 Kings 20. Fourteen years into his 29-year reign, Hezekiah became ill. He was dying. He received the news the same way most of us would—he wept bitterly. However, his immediate response to the news was to pray. There was nothing else he could do and based on his life up to that point, I would presume it was his habit. Verse five shows the tender heart of our God, “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.”

God was moved by the honest, heartfelt prayer of Hezekiah. He didn’t simply send Isaiah to share the news and then turn away from his servant. He saw, he listened and he acted. That’s not to say God always acts in that same way. Sometimes he heals and sometimes he doesn’t. His plans and purposes are so much greater than we can understand (Isaiah 55:8-9). The point is that God saw Hezekiah and he cared.

What is your first response to difficult news? Do you run to God first—or last? I think if most of us were honest, we’d have to admit there is something comforting about talking to someone we can see, touch and hear. Having people to confide in, cry with and share our lives with is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s healthy and provides accountability. It just shouldn’t replace God being first in our lives.

Is there something in your life causing you to weep bitterly? With great confidence, I can tell you God sees your tears (Psalm 56:8). He cares. Talk to him about it.

Prayer: God, thank you for the example of Hezekiah in how he trusted and followed you. Thank you for showing us that in his darkest hour, you heard him and saw his tears. Help me to run to you first when things are hard.