First Response

"Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord." 2 Kings 20:2 (AMP)


      King Hezekiah fell deathly ill and while he's in his bed suffering from this illness, the prophet Isaiah comes to him and tells him to get his house in order because he's going to die. The reality of Isaiah's words stung Hezekiah like a violent hornet. Curiously, Hezekiah didn't take this news as something that he should "just deal with," instead immediately after he heard the news his first inclination was to pray.


      I wonder how many of us would not just stop and let the heaviness of the prophet's word sink in, start feeling sorry for ourselves, and begin to make preparations for the end. Hezekiah bucked the trend and made his plea to heaven. He would say, "Remember, O God, who I am, what I've done! I've lived an honest life before you, My heart's been true and steady, I've lived to please you; lived for your approval." (v.3 MSG) He laid it all out there for God not with long flowery words but with short brutal honesty and then he wept bitterly.


      His plea reached God's ear and before the prophet could leave the courtyard God instructed Isaiah to turn around and tell Hezekiah that not only was God going to prolong his life, but also add 15 years to it. From sure impending death to a new lease on life Hezekiah teaches us something important about how to face the worst news in life and live to tell about it. We have to understand that God is moved by our prayers and if prayer isn't your first response in everything then you're missing out on the best in life God has to offer you.