Listen To The Message Here:Every part of the Bible is a part of our journey. Their story is a part of ours. King Hezekiah the son of King Ahaz has an incredible story in 2 King chapters 18-20. He was 25 years old when he became king and he reigned for 29 years.
2 Kings 18:1-4 MSG In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz began his rule over Judah. He was twenty-five years old when he became king and he ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah. In God’s opinion, he was a good king; he kept to the standards of his ancestor David. The first thing we learn about King Hezekiah is about his character. He learned about God from His mother. He did what was right in the eyes of God, not culture, not someone else, not anything else. This means he was aligning his will with God's word. Doing this is seeing life through God's perspective.
Back then the temple of God was on the side of a hill. Church people said the church was too far so they built altars all around to get to more conveniently. “Church people” thought church was about them, but it’s not about us. Church is about God.
2 Kings 18:5-7 MSG Hezekiah put his whole trust in the God of Israel. There was no king quite like him, either before or after. He held fast to God—never loosened his grip—and obeyed to the letter everything God had commanded Moses. And God, for his part, held fast to him through all his adventures. He revolted against the king of Assyria; he refused to serve him one more day.
King Hezekiah did what was right. He did not depart. He held fast to the Lord. God was with him. In this way, he prospered.
Devotion to God shapes our destiny.
Proverbs 3:4-6 NIV Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
When we devote ourselves to God He clears a path for us. He gives us vision and clarity for every next step. Our obedience and devotion brings favor into our lives.
Psalms 1:1-3 NIV Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. If we are devoted to God in all that we do we will prosper. Making wise decisions is a definition of prosperity. Oftentimes prosperity is not money and stuff it’s PEACE.
2 Kings 20:1 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.”
King Hezekiah is sick unto death, even though he’s doing everything right. This doesn’t seem fair. Life will bring dark days, the scriptures remind us of this.
2 Kings 20:2 NIV Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,
Hezekiah’s immediate response was to go to God. He knows prayer works. He learned this in 2 Kings 19 when he prayed for help to defeat his enemy. Prayer must be our first response not our last resort.
Nobody can pray for you like you can pray for you. Know God is in control. We must pray in everything. Prayer is our direct line to the Almighty. Pray and pray some more.
Pray until something happens = PUSH
2 Kings 20:4-5 NIV Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler 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.
We don’t need a long prayer, we just need to pray.
2 Kings 20:6 NIV 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.’”
The reality is that He wants all of us. We simply need to go to Him in all our circumstances and in this way we will accept His will.
We are praying to align our hearts with His will. We pray to be in His will and in His will we find peace. When we are reminded of His sovereignty we receive the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Romans 8:26-28 MSG Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.
The God we serve has planets hanging in the balance. How? We don’t know. That’s because He is so big. He is always working things for our good. He is a good father. He has our best interests at heart.
When we are waiting He is working things for our good. Waiting is work, but waiting always works. We trust in God's sovereignty because we know He is big enough for everything.