The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Isaiah 38-39, 2 Kings 20, 2 Chronicles 32:24-33
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 7: Kings and Prophets: The southern kingdom as God’s people
Background Information: Isaiah 36-37, 2 Kings 18:9 – 19:37, 2 Chronicles 32:1-23, Psalm 76
Hezekiah became fatally ill and tried to bargain with God as he had bargained with foreign leaders: “I have been faithful to you…now be faithful to me.” God doesn’t play bargaining games; he makes no deals. He told Hezekiah that he would heal him and deliver them from the Assyrians, not because Hezekiah had been faithful, but because God was faithful to his own promises. He said, “I will do this for my sake and for my servant David.” Of course, David had not been perfect any more than Hezekiah had been, but this was about God’s faithfulness to the covenant he had made with David. Hezekiah was healed and Judah was rescued because of God’s great faithfulness, not because of Hezekiah’s good works (that were at best, mixed). Hezekiah was given a sign to validate that God would do as he said. The sun’s shadow appeared to go in the opposite direction than was normally the case. This was likely so that he would not later begin to wonder, “Did God really heal me, or did I just get better?” Hezekiah was prone to memory lapses when it came to God’s mercies. We will see this proven true in tragic form in just a few years after his healing. He was prone to flop back and forth from pride to humility to pride again depending on his life circumstances. He was given fifteen more years of life, long enough to make a terrible mistake and to bring judgement on his nation. He flopped back into pride and was showing off all of his stuff to a foreign envoy. When judgment was announced on his actions, he didn’t repent because the judgement wouldn’t touch his life. Why should he care? It was a future judgment; he would be long dead when it came. Hezekiah was a man who did much good, but the final verdict on his life must be that he lived largely for himself and largely for his own time. It doesn’t matter how much time we are given; it matters what we do with the time we are given. There is no joy, no peace, and no lasting impact in living only for self. We are to live faithfully so that our impact might go to the ends of the earth and to the end of time. We must live fully for the glory of God and the good of others. This kind of life, whether it is long or short, will be for our own lasting joy.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for Joey & Lia as they’ve recently moved to a remote village in South Asia. Pray for growing friendships with their local neighbors and for God to provide many gospel conversations.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.