EXTENSION GRANTED
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that yours is a love that will never let me go; that yours is a love that is invested in everything I am and do.
Read ISAIAH 38
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Hezekiah’s Illness
38 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.”
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, 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.
4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
7 “‘This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: 8 I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.
9 A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
10 I said, “In the prime of my life
must I go through the gates of death
and be robbed of the rest of my years?”
11 I said, “I will not again see the Lord himself
in the land of the living;
no longer will I look on my fellow man,
or be with those who now dwell in this world.
12 Like a shepherd’s tent my house
has been pulled down and taken from me.
Like a weaver I have rolled up my life,
and he has cut me off from the loom;
day and night you made an end of me.
13 I waited patiently till dawn,
but like a lion he broke all my bones;
day and night you made an end of me.
14 I cried like a swift or thrush,
I moaned like a mourning dove.
My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens.
I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”
15 But what can I say?
He has spoken to me, and he himself has done this.
I will walk humbly all my years
because of this anguish of my soul.
16 Lord, by such things people live;
and my spirit finds life in them too.
You restored me to health
and let me live.
17 Surely it was for my benefit
that I suffered such anguish.
In your love you kept me
from the pit of destruction;
you have put all my sins
behind your back.
18 For the grave cannot praise you,
death cannot sing your praise;
those who go down to the pit
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19 The living, the living—they praise you,
as I am doing today;
parents tell their children
about your faithfulness.
20 The Lord will save me,
and we will sing with stringed instruments
all the days of our lives
in the temple of the Lord.
21 Isaiah had said, “Prepare a poultice of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
22 Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the temple of the Lord?”
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What items sit at the top of your to-do list right now? How will you prioritize the right things?One of the most perplexing questions in life is why God allows some people to suffer and die while others experience his miraculous intervention. Seldom do we get even a glimpse of the divine purposes at work.
But in Hezekiah’s case, we can take an educated guess. As a king in a lineage notable for its horrific idolatry, pagan practices, and God-shaming leadership, Hezekiah stands out for his—albeit patchy—record of devotion and doing what was good in God’s eyes (v. 3). His father, Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:1–4), and his son, Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:1–6), were completely and utterly contemptible. In giving him an additional 15 years (vv. 4–6), God was extending the period during which his wrath is not incurred, and all could live in the light of his favor. 2 Chronicles 32:26–33 records this as an era of peace, prosperity, and spiritual devotion.
It is quite understandable that we plead with God to extend our lives and those of our loved ones. Sometimes he will grant an extension; often he won’t. All we can do is accept his gift of time, however much of it we are given, and use it as well as we can.
Apply
The Westminster Shorter Catechism says, ‘Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.’ How does this line up with how you see your life’s main purpose?
Closing prayer
Almighty God, give me a heart set on bringing you glory and overflowing with gratitude for who you are and all that you do. Help me to make my life one that testifies to your grace and mercy.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
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