King Hezekiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Scriptures tell us that King Hezekiah "trusted in the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth (2 Kings18: 5-7)." But there came a day when Hezekiah was sick, sick enough to die. The Lord sent Isaiah to the king with this message saying, "Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die and not live." Man knows not the time or the day when he shall depart from the sands of time. The preacher Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 9:4&5, "For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." King Hezekiah was joined to all the living and had hope. King Hezekiah, instead of bemoaning his mortal demise, turned his back to the world and turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, "I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now 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 (2 Kings 20:1-3).

Hezekiah, when found at the mercy seat of the throne of grace pleaded neither for more time nor to prolong his sickness and misery. Instead, the Spirit of God led Hezekiah in prayer to bring out of the treasure of his good heart the tender mercies God had graciously bestowed upon this vessel of mercy during his life. Hezekiah's walk was a walk of obedience as he followed the Lord. The truth was that whatever goodness Hezekiah found within him was there as fruit bestowed by the grace of God. The perfect heart that Hezekiah spoke of was not the stony heart of the natural man, but rather the heart of flesh given by the operation of God. And Hezekiah wept. God had been good to Hezekiah all his life.

The Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning told Isaiah, Turn again. "And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord" (2 Kings 20:4-9). The Father of lights had a good and perfect gift to bestow upon Hezekiah. The Great Physician would heal Hezekiah. God would manifest Himself again as Hezekiah's Saviour who abolished death and brought life. The Lord told Isaiah to go and tell Hezekiah that the Lord by grace added fifteen years to him and that in three days he would go up to the house of the Lord.

And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day? And Isaiah said, this sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that He hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees. And Hezekiah answered, it is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward. (2 Kings 20:9-11)"

Even time is a light thing to the Lord! Isn't prayer part of the sweet time a child of God spends in this world and an evidence of time of God's love (see Ezekiel. 16:8)? Prayer is an evidence of godliness and the outworking of the Spirit of adoption (see Romans 8:15). God never changes. The Lord was good to Hezekiah before he prayed. The Lord was good to Hezekiah after he prayed. The Lord continues to be merciful doing good to sinners in this world, and shall continue as long as there is world or a sinner. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. But do all those that have been made righteous and given a hope in Christ avail themselves of the blessings of prayer?  There is one good and that is Jesus Christ, the same yesterday today and forever. 7/27/2006 Elder M. Hoogasian