Come to Me – Day 9

Things are not going well for the King of Judah. First, it was an attack on the city and now he told he is going to die. In the previous Verse-a-Day, we saw how he responded to a military crisis. Today, we see that he responds in the same way to a personal crisis. Hezekiah desperately needed to pray and so, turned his face to the wall and wept. We can learn a lot from the way the king brought his latest request to God. It was not a particularly calm or dignified prayer. He argues with God, tears streaming down his face, desperate for his life.

Prayer is communicating. Prayer can be complaining, arguing, sad and sorry. God will listen to whatever we need to say, regardless of how we say it. Throughout the Bible, people argue with God and cry out in pain. When we are done venting, crying, complaining and pouring out our broken hearts, then God can begin to soothe and comfort us. In the silences and exhaustion, when there is nothing more to say, we can be still and wait for God to respond. He may not respond the way you want or expect, but he will respond. We can trust that promise.

Hezekiah had a heart of prayer, a heart where he would pour himself out before the Lord. Do you have that heart of prayer today?

The LORD heard Hezekiah’s prayer, saw his tears and was not unmoved. He granted Hezekiah 15 more years of life. Isaiah instructed that a fig poultice be applied to the boil that was making Hezekiah mortally ill, and Hezekiah did not die after all, but recovered (Isaiah 38).