I Have Heard Your Call
Have you ever felt like you were under attack and began praying, but it didn't seem like the attack was stopping?
The last several weeks have been a whirlwind for our family with 3 family members being taken to ER by ambulance. We prayed, we cried, we prayed, we called, we drove to the ER, called prayer warrior friends. It was emotionally, mentally, and physically tiring.
In the midst of all this and a hectic workload with work, God jogged my memory. In 2 Kings chapter 20, we read the story of Hezekiah. Hezekiah was sick and near death. The prophet Isaiah comes to visit him and give him the kind of encouragement that only a prophet could deliver. Isaiah say to Hezekiah, "Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live."
The Bible says Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed "Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in the truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight." and then he wept bitterly.
We've been there these last few weeks, we've prayed, we cried, we've rebuked the devil, we've felt frustration and cried some more.
But wait, there's more.
Isaiah had delivered the message he was given, and he was out the door. But it says before he had gone out the middle court, God gave Isaiah a second message for Hezekiah. God tells him to go back to Hezekiah and tell him "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears: surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. And I will add to your days fifteen years."
Great news! Hezekiah has to be relieved after the first message, but wait there's even more!
God goes on and says "I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria..."
Hezekiah had received a message from God that he was about to die. What was Hezekiah's response? He prayed to God, asking God to remember his faithfulness and cried. His faith didn't waver in the face of bad news. He obviously felt the pain and was frustrated with the news. He couldn't understand why it was happening, but he still acknowledged God's supreme deity and God honored that.
When I re-read this story this week, I took comfort that God has heard our prayers and seen our tears. And whether I understand it all or not, He still has a plan. His plan is still good, and I can continue to trust that He will guide and protect our family, and that He will provide us the strength to carry on through these rough days to carry out the work He has called us to do.
Is there something you've been praying for that hasn't been answered and you're tempted to give up? Don't quit. Don't turn away from God. Trust Him. Even if you don't understand why things are going the way they are. He has a perfect plan and He will provide.
