'In the instance of King Hezekiah, it was a potent plea which changed God's decree that he should die and not live. The stricken ruler called upon God to remember how that he had walked before Him in truth, and with a perfect heart. With God, this counted. He hearkened to the petition, and, as a result, death found his approach to Hezekiah barred for fifteen years.'
Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 56)
Isa 38:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
Isa 38:2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
Isa 38:3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
Isa 38:4 Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,
Isa 38:5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
Isa 38:6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
Isa 38:7 And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;
Isa 38:8 Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.
Hezekiah DID pray, and we are talking about prayer. Told by a prophet of God that he was going to die, telling him to get his affairs in order, Hezekiah did not do what he was told. Instead of setting his house in order he turned away from everyone and faced a wall, and then he prayed. Remember, Hezekiah was SICK, very, very sick and that sickness was going to kill him. In his sickness he turned from everyone and prayed. His words….
REMEMBER, O LORD…
He was asking the Lord to remember, God does not forget. He was reminding God, wanting Him to remember…
...HOW HE WALKED BEFORE HIM IN TRUTH, WITH A PERFECT HEART, DOING WHAT IS GOOD IN GOD'S EYES.
Can we say the same to God?
Are we walking before God in truth?
Are we walking before God with a perfect heart?
Are we doing what is good in God's eyes?
Can we, like Hezekiah, pray that prayer? Can we? And if we cannot, we have to ask ourselves why not?
No, we are NOT perfect and we will not be perfect, only our SAVIOR is perfect and He and He alone will forever be perfect and ANY perfection we reflect is HIS. We are told to be perfect as God is Perfect…
Mat_5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
We cannot ignore what God wants from us. We must be devoted to Him and devoted to a life pleasing to HIM!
We must walk in GOD'S TRUTH, we must walk with a PERFECT HEART, and we must be doing what is GOOD in GOD'S EYES.
ALL through HIS grace, HIS LOVE!
Quoted from- 'THE NECESSITY OF PRAYER By E.M. BOUNDS' (Excerpt 56)
Isa 38:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
Isa 38:2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
Isa 38:3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
Isa 38:4 Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,
Isa 38:5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
Isa 38:6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
Isa 38:7 And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;
Isa 38:8 Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.
Hezekiah DID pray, and we are talking about prayer. Told by a prophet of God that he was going to die, telling him to get his affairs in order, Hezekiah did not do what he was told. Instead of setting his house in order he turned away from everyone and faced a wall, and then he prayed. Remember, Hezekiah was SICK, very, very sick and that sickness was going to kill him. In his sickness he turned from everyone and prayed. His words….
REMEMBER, O LORD…
He was asking the Lord to remember, God does not forget. He was reminding God, wanting Him to remember…
...HOW HE WALKED BEFORE HIM IN TRUTH, WITH A PERFECT HEART, DOING WHAT IS GOOD IN GOD'S EYES.
Can we say the same to God?
Are we walking before God in truth?
Are we walking before God with a perfect heart?
Are we doing what is good in God's eyes?
Can we, like Hezekiah, pray that prayer? Can we? And if we cannot, we have to ask ourselves why not?
No, we are NOT perfect and we will not be perfect, only our SAVIOR is perfect and He and He alone will forever be perfect and ANY perfection we reflect is HIS. We are told to be perfect as God is Perfect…
Mat_5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
We cannot ignore what God wants from us. We must be devoted to Him and devoted to a life pleasing to HIM!
We must walk in GOD'S TRUTH, we must walk with a PERFECT HEART, and we must be doing what is GOOD in GOD'S EYES.
ALL through HIS grace, HIS LOVE!
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