2 Kings 20:1-11

Hey New Life,

Our Daily Bible passage (2 Kings 20:1-11) is both an encouragement and a good reminder for us. In the previous passages, we've seen God preserve Jerusalem under the rule of King Hezekiah from the great Assyria who had already conquered Israel. In today's passage, we see this righteous king face his own death. Isaiah prophesies that he will not recover from his sickness and die (v. 1). He prays and weeps bitterly (vv. 2-3), and after hearing his prayer, God adds years to his life (v. 5) and gives a sign to confirm this word (vv. 9-11).

First, I want us to look at the encouragement of this passage. We don't see Hezekiah literally asking for more years to his life. He just asks God to remember his heart and weeps bitterly. How comforting it is to know that God hears us and knows our hearts even when we fail to express our desires and needs!

Maybe he does pray for more years, but the author doesn't include that specific prayer. Either way, we know that God knows us and hears us. Though not required, He even grants Hezekiah a sign to encourage him. We have many signs around us that encourage our faith: gathering for worship, partaking in the sacraments, seeing people be transformed by the gospel, being convicted by the Spirit, witnessing prayers be answered, etc. The question is if we have the eyes to see and the heart to enjoy these signs.

Second, this is a great reminder for us of God's sovereignty. If God has foreordained all things to come to pass (Ephesians 1:11, Westminster Shorter Catechism Q #7), then what's the point in praying for a certain outcome? We see the point in our passage. 

It's not that Hezekiah changed God's mind and will. It's that God used Hezekiah's prayer to accomplish His will. Through this gracious act, we see that God is a good and compassionate God who hears the prayers and hearts of His people. God uses prayer as an instrument of grace to minister to our hearts and to accomplish His will. We bare our souls before Him, and He reminds us of His glory and saving work.

We see Jesus praying for His cup to pass. We see Jesus shouting to the Father of being forsaken by Him. We see Jesus praying for God's will to be done. We are able to pray, because Jesus first prayed and obeyed. And through Jesus' obedience unto death, the curtain has been torn and the debt has been paid. We have been brought into the Most Holy Place, and His Holy Spirit dwells within us.

Through Christ, we are able to pray and trust that He hears us, loves us, and is working all things for our good and His glory. So, take some time to pray this week! It's well worth your time!

In Christ,
Pastor Tim