2 Kings 20:1-11
About this time, Hezekiah got sick and was almost dead. Isaiah the prophet went in and told him, "The LORD says you won't ever get well. You are going to die, so you had better start doing what needs to be done."
Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed, "Don't forget that I have been faithful to you, LORD. I have obeyed you with all my heart, and I do whatever you say is right." After this, he cried hard.
Before Isaiah got to the middle court of the palace, the LORD sent him back to Hezekiah with this message: Hezekiah, you are the ruler of my people, and I am the LORD God, who was worshiped by your ancestor David. I heard you pray, and I saw you cry. I will heal you, so that three days from now you will be able to worship in my temple. I will let you live fifteen years more, while I protect you and your city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city as an honor to me and to my servant David.
Then Isaiah said to the king's servants, "Bring some mashed figs and place them on the king's open sore. He will then get well." Hezekiah asked Isaiah, "Can you prove that the LORD will heal me, so that I can worship in his temple in three days?"
Isaiah replied, "The LORD will prove to you that he will keep his promise. Will the shadow made by the setting sun on the stairway go forward ten steps or back ten steps?" "It's normal for the sun to go forward," Hezekiah answered. "But how can it go back?" Isaiah prayed, and the LORD made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairway built for King Ahaz.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Four years ago, my husband and I moved into a new house that had been constructed for us by a local builder, his son, and other members of the his crew. Over the years, we have used this builder more than once, and he has become our trusted friend. We know that he will always do what he promises. So when we moved into our present house, we were not surprised to see his son drive up one afternoon, bucket and rags in hand. “I have come to wash your windows,” he said. “I told you I would not present your final bill until those outside windows were clean.” He washed all of the windows, as promised.
Truthfully, we had not even thought about the windows. We trusted that everything the builder and his son promised to do would get done. And they proved us right. Yes, we gave them “punch lists” of things to complete, but we didn’t have to have a written contract. They didn’t have to knock on the door and say, “I did XYZ.” They listened to our requests and answered us.
I can understand Hezekiah’s desire for proof that God was going to heal him and give him 15 more years of life. And frankly, there are a lot of people who make a lot of promises in this world that leave me saying, “Prove it!” But when it comes to our faith in Jesus Christ and the promises of our Heavenly Father, we have no need to worry. We’ve already had all the proof we need in the blood of Jesus on the cross at Calvary. He was willing to lay down His own life for our sins… so why would He ever default on a promise?!
As much as this passage is a reminder to trust the promises of God and rest assured that He will deliver, according to His perfect will… it is also a message to us to be faithful in our own promises. If you tell a friend you will call, pick up the phone and follow through. If you promise to do something for someone else, do it. Don’t tell Grandma you will come to see her, and then skip the visit. Don’t promise your little brother you will read to him before bedtime, then make up excuses and do something else. Don’t commit your heart to a significant other, and then look around for someone better. And don’t promise to love God and serve Him with all your heart, then wander off to do whatever you please and serve your own desires… or worse yet – those of the devil.
God will never make a promise He can’t keep… and neither should we. There’s one more thing you should notice. Hezekiah cried and poured out his heart to God… and God listened. I’m not saying that all we have to do is cry and whine, and God will change His mind and do what we please. But God wants us to be honest with Him. When our desires line up with His and we call out to Him, He hears us and answers accordingly. Communicate with God… trust Him… and honor His faithfulness to fulfill promises by exercising integrity in your own relationships.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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