The power of Prayer; Part 1

Alright, so I've been reading this book and it has alot of good things in it that I would love to share. This is just one out of many. So this is part one out of three or four, I'll write the other parts other days.

The author is Janet L. Folger (so none of this is mine).

And why were you tagged? I felt like I was supposed to tag you! No scientific reason or anything :)



Hezekiah: God's 180

If you look at 2 Kings 20, you'll find that God told Hezekiah he was going to die. Isaiah delivered the message at the beginning of the chapter: "In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, 'This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover'" (v. 1)

Bummer. "You are going to die; you will not recover." Not a lot of room for negotiation. What would you do? You could shoot the messenger, but that only helped in the case of false prophets. And if you get a book in the Bible named after you, like Isaiah, I'm pretty sure that you're one of the real ones. God said it. That pretty much makes it a done deal-- right? Well, Hezekiah didn't think so; he petiitioned God for mercy.



Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD, I will add fifteen years to your life.'" (vs.2-6)



Did you see that? God had mercy and changed His mind! How incredibly cool is that? Now, Hezekiah could have done a better job with his fifteen-year bonus (see 2 Kings 20-21), but that doesn't change what happened. God heard his prayer and saw his tears and healed him. That's the same God we pray to--did ya know?