2 Kings 18-21

It took me 21 minutes to read this passage.  Sometimes I feel that God is slow to answer my prayers.  Sometimes it looks like God’s answers to the prayers of his people is always; “Wait.  No yet.”  Many years ago I believed that God always answered the prayers of Christians with one of three answers; “Yes”, “No”, “Wait”.  As Hezekiah prayed on his death bed I don’t know if he expected any answer at all.  He may have been struggling with the death sentence that Isaiah had delivered, or just the saddened realization of finality.  Whatever his thinking, God saw in Hezekiah’s spirit something that led him to change his plans.  I picture Isaiah’s entrance as a sudden, spur-of-the-moment event.  He spoke God’s pronouncement.  Abruptly turned and exited the king’s chamber.  As he walked down the hallway he could hear the wailing of the king’s family.  Some of his children may have even followed Isaiah pleading for him to intercede on their father’s behalf.  But while Isaiah was exiting the palace Hezekiah was pouring his heart out to God.  I think that as soon as Hezekiah finished his peach Isaiah stopped in his tracks as God’s familiar silent voice flooded his soul.  Once again Isaiah turned on his heels and walked back to the king with the same intensity as he had left.  There must have been a number of tear-filled, angry eyes glaring at the prophet has he headed back into the room filled with people whose lives he had just left in turmoil.  He entered the room again.  I see the room growing silent, and they listened to Isaiah echo God’s words: “I’ve listed to your prayer and seen your tears…..”  God’s plans had changed.

Stuart