ANSWERED PRAYERS

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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. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come on them during the days of Hezekiah.

Hezekiah had very great wealth and honor, and he made treasuries for his silver and gold and for his precious stones, spices, shields and all kinds of valuables. He also made buildings to store the harvest of grain, new wine and olive oil; and he made stalls for various kinds of cattle, and pens for the flocks. He built villages and acquired great numbers of flocks and herds, for God had given him very great riches.

It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook. But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him to test him and to know everything that was in his heart.

The other events of Hezekiah’s reign and his acts of devotion are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. Hezekiah rested with his ancestors and was buried on the hill where the tombs of David’s descendants are. All Judah and the people of Jerusalem honored him when he died. And Manasseh his son succeeded him as king.

2 Chronicles 32:24-33

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

The words of the prophet Isaiah had to cut Hezekiah to the core.

“This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order because you are going to die; you will not recover.” Isaiah 38:1b

At the time, scripture tells us that Hezekiah had become ill and was at the point of death. Isaiah’s words from God offered no sense of hope that Hezekiah would somehow get better. And so in the midst of his pending death, Hezekiah spoke the following prayer while weeping bitterly:

“Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in Your eyes.” Isaiah 38:3

As we read in our scripture today, the Lord answered Hezekiah through Isaiah saying:

“I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; 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.” Isaiah 38:5b-6

This is a simple but critical truth to remember about the God we serve. He answers prayers.

Hezekiah, had he not trusted in God’s ability to answer prayer, could have just given up and just resigned himself to dying. Isaiah had prophesied that Hezekiah would not recover from his affliction and that he should get his house in order. It was obvious that the King wanted to live longer. It was equally obvious that he felt God would consider his petition when he raised it. This is why he did what he did.

And God delivered. He did listen and He did answer. He always does answer. We need to always remember this.

We also need to remember one other thing however. Just because God listens and answers to prayer doesn’t mean that His reaction will always be in step with what we want. Keep in mind that God doesn’t conform Himself to our will. Instead, we are to conform ourselves to His way, to His wishes, and to His word.

To that end, consider this word from the Book of 1 John:

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him. 1 John 5:14-15

This scripture is the money ball passage as to how we are to properly approach asking for things from the Father, the Maker of heaven and earth, the One who can do all things. Note the following important takeaways:

1. We can approach God with confidence.

When we understand that God’s will is the first and only priority, then we know that our going in point involves asking God to give us what we need for His will to be done in our lives, knowing with confidence that when we ask for these things, God will provide them.

2. God hears us when we ask for what we need to carry out His will.

It makes sense right? God expects that we carry out His will in our lives and so when we pray the things we need to ensure His desires are met, He is going to hear and listen to us.

3. God will give us what we ask for when He knows He is giving us what we need to carry out His will.

We can ask for a lot of things but we can’t expect that God will give them to us unless they are the things we need to carry out His will. When it comes to that, He will give us whatever we need.

Friends, this is good news from us when it comes to seeking and carrying out the will of God for our lives. He doesn’t lead us to meet His desires with the idea that we will fail. No, the Lord will provide us everything we need to make sure that His will is done. This means He will lead and supply us in such a way to ensure success.

If Hezekiah’s prayer was answered – and it was – it was because it was God’s will for it to happen. Hezekiah surviving was part of God’s plan and his added 15 years of life would reveal why it was God’s desire to keep him alive.  Trust in that.

The hope we gain from God’s word today is immeasurable but only if we realize that it’s all about God’s desires and making them the desires of our hearts. When we do that and dedicate ourselves fully to pleasing Him and living in His favor, then we will not only be in a place where God is always answering our prayers but also realize an abundance of joy and peace and contentment as He blesses us with all we need to carry out His will, way, and word.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark

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

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