In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’”

And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord, and I will add fifteen years to your life. 2 Kings 20:1, 3-6.

Ironically, in light of recent events, I was struck when reading through 2 Kings 19-22 today and I am always intrigued by this narrative about Hezekiah’s life. Have you every stepped back and considered that God knows the end from the beginning of your life? (Psalm 139:16). Hezekiah was on his death bed and, in a strange set of events, sent Isaiah to announce his end, which in many ways, hardly seemed necessary. Hezekiah was already convinced he would not recover. But Hezekiah desperately sought the Lord and pleaded with Him to spare his life but only after Isaiah came to him (Psalm 139:1-3).

The Lord heard Hezekiah and sent Isaiah back, on the same day, to announce that not only had the Lord heard his prayer, but He would heal him and allow him to live for another fifteen years. Wow! That is a very specific time frame. He had a second chance by the hand of the Lord. This miracle was fostered through prayer and a divine miracle. It would appear God was very receptive to Hezekiah’s prayer, which is not always what seems to be true for many of us.

I am reminded how vital prayer is for God’s people. It is always a shame when many only seek Him when there is a crisis. Certainly there is nothing wrong in seeking the Lord when there is a crisis, but it often takes a crisis to get us to seek the Lord. We know that Hezekiah had a whole heart for the Lord, lived in truth and righteousness and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. On that basis alone, this seems unfair. Why would God allow one of those most faithful to Him to be taken unexpectedly?

I am also reminded that God does hear us and, in His own way, responds to our prayer. In this case, Hezekiah reminded God of his own faithfulness to the Lord, wept bitterly, and pleaded for a reprieve. The Lord “changed His mind”, and healed Hezekiah. We could make the argument this “adjustment” was part of the plan in the first place; who needs to be told they are going to die when they already knew they were going to die, but the Lord sent Isaiah back to Hezekiah to announce God’s healing.

Of course, this healing is temporary because God also promised that he only had fifteen years left. Hezekiah was miraculously delivered from death, given a second chance, only to be promised a very specific time frame for the balance of his life. For most of us, we are never given those kinds of parameters. Life is unpredictable and uncertainty is part of the equation.

But it does remind us to make the most of the days we have. Assuming we have another 20 or 30 years in front of us is often an unwarranted assumption. Making the most of every day, every opportunity, every relationship would appear to be the best part of practical wisdom.

In His grace, Pastor Brad.