Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 34-35 NLT, Ch. 36-37 NIV, Ch. 38-39 CEV

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Thoughts

I am so happy that God saw fit to include chapter 38 in the Bible. This good king Hezekiah, whom God had given a victory over the proud and arrogant king Sennacherib, is in the prime of a well lived life, and he falls deathly sick. And the Lord sent Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that he would not get well.

Now, I don’t know about you, but if a prophet came to me with that message, I would probably just resign myself to the fact that I’m going home soon. I mean, come on. God sends a prophet to tell me that I’m not going to recover. I’m going to figure that it’s a done deal. 

But not Hezekiah. He rolls over in his death bed to face the wall, and he begins to pray. Without any boasting, without trying to bargain with God, he just says, “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.” And then he sobbed.

And what does God do? He tells Hezekiah that he will give him fifteen more years to live, and during that time He will protect Hezekiah and Jerusalem from the Assyrians. 

Beloved, here is a perfect example of one reason that living your life for God is a good thing. We can pray, and God will listen. It’s not that we gain points with God so that we can manipulate or bargain with Him. But when He sees that we have been faithful to keep our heart pure, through the blood of Christ, He hears our prayers when we cry out to Him. Of course He may not see fit to give us healing like He did Hezekiah, but He will hear us. 

This account of Hezekiah’s sickness, prayer and healing is in the Bible for a reason. God wants us to know that we can approach His throne with confidence, knowing that He hears us. That’s important, because the gods of false religions don’t make any promise of a love relationship.

Our God wants us to know that He cares about us, not as a group, but as individuals. He knows your name. He formed you in your mother’s womb. He knows everything about you. He knows your joys. He knows your sorrows. He loves you.