The word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.’”
Isaiah 38:4-5
Let’s look at the happy ending of Hezekiah’s story. We will see what God did and how He did it. What we find in these verses speaks clearly to any crisis we may face today.
Hezekiah is at the point of death. So, he prays to the Lord, and God says, “I have heard your prayer. I will heal your disease. You will live 15 more years, and I will deliver the city from the enemy who seeks to destroy it” (38:5-6, author’s paraphrase).
Don’t miss the big picture of this chapter. Beginning at verse 9, we have a testimony written by Hezekiah after he recovered from the sickness. He gives us the inside story of his journey through this unexpected crisis—what he felt, what he feared, and how he prayed.
Then at the end of this chapter are two verses that are almost like footnotes, but they are really important.
Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?” (38:21-22).
These verses illustrate a principle that is vital for Christian wisdom, and it speaks directly to any crisis we face today: God normally works through means, but there are some things only God can do.
How have you seen God work “through means” in your own life? What things could only have been done by God?
