IT'S OVER WHEN THE LORD SAYS IT'S OVER

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to ourchristianwalk@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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.”

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

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. 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.’”

Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.

Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?”

Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”

“It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”

Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

2 Kings 20:1-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As the 19th chapter of 2nd Kings drew to an end, we saw Assyria’s King Sennacherib pay the price for his blasphemous treatment of God as he tried to get Hezekiah and Judah to surrender to him. You’ll recall that the Lord foretold Sennacherib’s death by the sword before his sons killed him, showing us clearly that the Lord has the say when life will end. He made us. He placed us in His creation. And He will make the call when our life will end.

If you don’t believe that we are His and under His control, then look at our scripture passage from the 20th chapter of 2nd Kings. As the chapter opens, we find Hezekiah ill and “at the point of death”. And even if Hezekiah felt like he was dying, he couldn’t be sure…at least until the Lord entered in. For we read where “Isaiah…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.’”

How would you feel if you received a word such as this?

It happens every day, although it might not always come from the Lord. Doctors are always making predictions on life, informing their patients on how long they can expect to survive before their afflictions or injuries cause them to die. I’m sure the responses and reactions to this kind of news vary across a wide range of emotions from anguish to anger. As we look at Hezekiah, we find him deep in despair from the news.

So what does Hezekiah do in the midst of learning he will die?

Our scripture tells us he wept bitterly, “turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord” saying, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” Hezekiah could have questioned the Lord. He could have cursed at the Lord. But he didn’t. Instead, he went before Him with the hope the Lord would remember the good things he had done. Hezekiah knew deep down inside he was a sinner but hoped that his faithfulness toward God would be the thing remembered most.

It was.

For we read where the Lord sent another message to Isaiah to give to Hezekiah. He said, “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. 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.’”

Wow! What a reversal of fortune! One moment, death was imminent. The next, fifteen more years of life were granted. Not only that but Judah would be saved from the hand of the Assyrians, gaining new life just like Hezekiah.

Indeed, it isn’t over unless the Lord says it’s over.

Well, Isaiah had a “poultice of figs” prepared which was applied to Hezekiah’s boil and just as God had promised, he recovered. The Lord even sent a sign confirming that Hezekiah was going to live causing a shadow to regress by 10 steps in Hezekiah’s sight.

And with that, Hezekiah, not by any act of his own but rather by the mercy, grace and love of God.

Friends, each and every day, we experience the saving grace of Jesus through God’s mercy on us…that although we are sinners, we are saved through the atoning blood of the Savior. And it’s that assurance that buoys us up in hope, peace and joy because when the Lord does decide to say our life is over, he’s only referring to our worldly life. For an eternal life, far better than the one we live on earth, awaits us…a life when we will live in the midst of the One who is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

Why should we worry about and fear death?

For the One who holds our very worldly future in His hands is also the One who holds our eternal future. And for those who place their faith and belief in Christ Jesus, that eternal future is already set. Alleluia!

Yes…the Lord says when it is over but He also says that it restarts for all eternity. Do you have your eternal future secured? If not, give your life to Jesus today and don’t delay. There’s no guarantee that there will be tomorrow if you don’t have a Savior. You can’t save yourself.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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