Week 31: The Gift
Weekly Reading:
Isaiah 31 - 57
Opening Prayer
Father God,
Thank you for the gifts You give to us every day. The gift of family, friends, air to breathe, a roof over our heads, birds chirping, and flowers growing. Father, You look after our needs and provide for us, You speak to our hearts providing us calm through Your Word. Father, we pray that others feel this same peace as they find You.
Amen
Study
In Isaiah 38 this week we see an incredible gift given to Hezekiah. Every day we live on this earth is a gift. Some days are blissful like our weddings, the birth day of our children, seeing our children grow, time with our parents as adults or when we finally understand each other. Then there are days on this earth that shatter us like the day we lose a spouse, parent, or child.
But for each day God gives us, what we do between our waking hours is full of choices, full of happiness, disappointment, stress, peace, knowing, and unknowing.
Hezekiah was feeling great pain as he became deathly ill (Isaiah 38:1). Isaiah told him to “set your affairs in order, for you are going to die.”
I can imagine that Hezekiah searches the moments of his life through the years. He would have seen the happy times at his mother Abijah’s feet, playing with his toys in the nursery, and watching his father Ahaz rule over Judah. He would have remembered hearing about his father sacrificing his brother, the firstborn son, in the fire (2 Kings 16:3) following pagan practices. He would have remembered that when he took over Judah at 25, he removed all the detestable ways of his father (2 Kings 18:4) even breaking the bronze serpent Moses made because people started to offer sacrifices to it. He would remember seeing the cities of Samaria and Israel fall to Assyria and the Israelites go into exile (2 Kings 18:9-12). He would remember that earlier in the year Assyria also came to attack Judah, speaking in Hebrew so that all the people in Judah could understand the threat, and be overcome with fear (Isaiah 36-37; 2 Kings 18-19). He would remember how he went to the Lord for deliverance and that the God of Heaven’s armies was faithful.
And now this. It was too early. He was only 39. How could he die so young? He had more to do.
Hezekiah reaches out to the Lord in prayer asking God to save him, one of the few kings of Judah who was faithful to God (Isaiah 38:2-3). The Lord spared Hezekiah and gave him 15 more years (Isaiah 38:5).
What a gift!
A 15-year gift!
What would we do if offered an additional 15 years on this earth?
Hezekiah celebrated by writing a poem and singing praises to the Lord (Isaiah 38:9 - 20). God listens to our prayers and what is in His will, He will make happen. God gave Hezekiah a new day, 15 years of new days.
Closing Prayer
Father God,
Thank You for watching over us, for protecting us, for giving us your mercy every dawn. Father, You are all-powerful and full of grace, You are our deliverer, our provider, our miracle worker. Praise You, Lord.
Amen
Homework
What would you do with a new day, a second chance?
