Tuesday, 6 September 2022

2 Kings 20:4-8 – Praying sincerely

Hezekiah’s prayer was so sincere that hardly had Isaiah left the palace ground that the LORD sent him back with words for him. He was told that his prayer was heard. God saw his sincere contrition. However, it must be said that the answer to his prayer was simply God’s grace and not due to the merit of what he had done. Whatever the case may be, it is important for us to know that God answers the sincere prayers of His people when they are offered with humility and repentance.

Although Hezekiah did not ask for another fifteen years to live. Neither did he ask for Jerusalem to be protected and delivered from the king of Assyria. Yet God made the promise to lengthen his life by that duration of years and to deliver and protect Jerusalem. Verse 7 suggests that his illness was a boil, a huge boil commonly known as a carbuncle. This was one if he did not deal could be lethal. He was to do something about it. God told him to make a fig poultice to apply on the boil. From this account, we learn that God always knows what is best to do to prosper us.

From God’s response to King Hezekiah, we learn that the answers to our prayers are a demonstration of His grace, and what He would do would often exceed our expectations. It is just as the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 3:20-21, that He will do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or imagine. He knows what is best for our lives, not only for now but also for the future.

Two things to motivate us to pray. Firstly, be assured that God always hears the sincere prayers of His people. Especially when we seek to make amendments to a wrong and come before Him in contrition. Be assured that His answer to our prayer will often exceed our expectations. Secondly, know that God would go to great lengths to meet the needs of our life if we let Him do it in His way. God will not lead us to where His grace cannot sustain us. Trust Him and be diligent in prayer!  

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