Prayer really does change things. Sometimes we pray and we are just going through the motions, knowing it’s the right thing to do but not sure it will always make a difference. Hezekiah is a good example of someone who prayed, believing God would answer. When you look at some of the things that governed his thinking it helps you to understand why his prayers were answered. First, he faced impossible odds. In this passage, he had an army at his gate that he knew he could not possibly defeat and then later he had an illness which by all accounts he would not recover from. We see so many prayers answered in Africa, I believe, because people have no other option, but turning to God. Desperation and coming to the end of yourself forces you to depend completely on Him. That is, in reality, a good place to be.
Second, he did a pretty good job of not trying to get himself out of things with his own wisdom and power. His blunder with the Babylonian visitors notwithstanding, Hezekiah was someone who turned to prayer first and not last. I love 36:21 where it says, “But they kept silent; they didn’t say anything, for the king’s command was, Don’t answer him.” (36:21). When backed into a corner we typically try to figure our own way out and we depend on our own resources, then as a last-ditch effort, we might ask God to bless OUR efforts and fulfill OUR plans. Hezekiah didn’t try to figure his way out or argue theology with the pagan messenger. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and did his talking to God. That is a great example to follow.
Third, Hezekiah prayed according to God’s word and for His glory. After the unconvincing arguments of the messenger that no other god had been able to withstand Assyria, why should Yahweh (Hezekiah’s God) be any different, Hezekiah goes alone to the temple and lays the letter before God. He basically says, God, you and I know the truth, we know what this messenger and this army believe is false. We know there is only one God and it’s you. “Save us from his power so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, LORD, are God—you alone.” (37:20). Hezekiah appealed to God’s glory and that it be manifested through this situation to the ends of the earth. Those are the kinds of biblically-based prayers that God is pleased to answer.
Fourth, Hezekiah never took silence as meaning “no.” Even when the prophet tells him, “God has sent me here to tell you that you will die”… Hezekiah doesn’t believe it’s over until it’s over. He weeps, he prays, he cries out… and sure enough, the prophet returns and says, “God has heard your prayers and is adding 15 years to your life.” (38:5-6). How many of us pray and keep praying no matter what the doctors say, no matter what circumstances look like, no matter what everyone else is doing. Hezekiah knew that God answers prayer and he staked his life on that; praying with all the tenacity he could muster. Finally, I love Hezekiah’s example because he never forgot to thank God. The rest of chapter 38 is a record of his poem/song that he wrote in praise of what God did for him. He remembered that biblical thanksgiving is just as important as biblical praying, and “making God’s faithfulness known to our children” (38:19) is vital for their future faith and their future prayer life. Pray like Hezekiah prayed and don’t forget to tell everyone, especially your children, how God moved on your behalf.
