What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
Isaiah 38:15
When you go through an unexpected crisis, your faith will be tested. Hezekiah is writing after he recovered from his illness (38:9). Looking back, he is full of thanksgiving: “He has spoken to me, and he himself has done it” (38:15).
The words God spoke are recorded in verse 5: “Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.” And God did what He said. God brought him back from the point of death (38:1).
When he recovered, Hezekiah rejoiced in answered prayer. But during the crisis, it was a different story. Hezekiah tells us honestly, “I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul” (38:15).
When this godly king suffered, he struggled with bitterness. “Lord, I have given myself to the pursuit of a godly life. I have served you, and now You allow me to be afflicted with a deadly illness. God, that’s not fair!”
He doesn’t say, “When trouble came, I just turned to the Lord and trusted Him.” He says, “I struggled with bitterness. Why me, Lord?” A battle raged within him. He trusted God, but in the crisis, trusting wasn’t so easy.
Perhaps when your faith was tested, you wish you had done better. It might help you to know that it was the same for the most godly king in the Old Testament. Hezekiah had to confess that when he suffered, his faith was not as strong as he thought.
That is the confession of a godly king. His faith was tested, and when you face an unexpected crisis, your faith will be tested too.
Think about a crisis you have experienced. What is one way your response was similar to Hezekiah’s? What is one way it was different?
