The Ten Greatest Prayers of The Bible

Chapter 2 - Hezekiah's Prayer

Chapter 2

Hezekiah’s Prayer for Healing

The Prayer

“I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.” 2 Kings 20:3

What was Hezekiah Praying for?

Hezekiah was praying to be healed of a boil which had brought upon a sickness from which he was going to die from.

Background Information about Hezekiah

Hezekiah was king of Judah and a very godly man. When we look at the life of Hezekiah, we see that he was no stranger to prayer and doing God's will. 2 Chronicles 31:20 says that everything Hezekiah did throughout Judah was good, right and faithful, before the Lord. This means that he was righteous in the sight of God and to those who knew him. 2 Chronicles 31:21 continues with how he sought God and worked wholeheartedly in everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and commandments. In the first month of his reign he purified the temple by removing everything that was defiled or unclean. (2 Chronicles 31:29). In 2 Chronicles 30, 31:4-7, we read that Hezekiah restored celebrations, feast offerings and called on the people of Judah to return to the Lord. He ordered the Israelites to bring tithes and offerings in accordance to the Old Testament law to support the temple and priests. He destroyed the high places and restored worship at the temple. All of these activities show that he valued his role as a spiritual leader just as much as being a political leader. Because of all of the good deeds he did in God's sight, he prospered greatly.

Hezekiah had already made a great prayer to God and received miraculous deliverance from Sennecherib, the king of Assyria, as described in 2 Chronicles 32:1-22 before he became so sick that he was going to die. After this great victory, 2 Chronicles 32:23 says that many brought gifts to unto the Lord in Jerusalem and Because of his great victory, Hezekiah was magnified in the sight of all nations from that point. He had everything a person could dream of before sickness suddenly came upon him: wealth, power and a fantastic relationship with the Lord. When Isaiah he prophet came to tell him to set his house in order because he was going to die, it would have seemed as if he had lost everything that was important to him in this world.

Key Elements of Hezekiah’s prayer

1. Hezekiah reminded God of everything good that he had done. Some say that our works do not matter because God justifies and saves us by faith alone. This is simply not true. This is what James says concerning faith:

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:17

When Hezekiah became sick and knew that he was going to die, he wisely reminded the Lord in prayer that he had proved his faith based on how he had lived his life. Hezekiah was known for his steadfast righteousness when facing trials in his life. He did not allow himself to bow to political pressure but stood steadfast and unwavering in his commitment to make all of Judah godly again. As a king, Hezekiah led reformations in his country to restore the true worship of God so everyone knew what he stood for. When faced with invasion the king told his people not to trust in military numbers but to trust in God to deliver them. (2 Chronicles 32:6-8) This was something no one, not even God, could deny. Hezekiah simply had to offer the prayer and God remembered his righteousness. By doing this he was letting God know that he deserved to continue living because he was an example of righteousness to others.

Having been in this situation myself, I know that Hezekiah told the Lord that if he extended his life, he would not only continue to exalt the name of the Lord, as he had in the past, but that he would do even more for him because of his great mercy. How could God refuse such a bargain? Hezekiah had already proved trustworthy in life, so God knew that he would keep his oath and give him more glory, praise and honor in the sight of men.

2. Hezekiah Humbled Himself to Make his Prayer. After everything he had done for God, Hezekiah could have become frustrated and bitter because God allowed him to become sick. But no, he didn’t. As someone who has dedicated his life to serving God, and experienced a life threatening sickness, I can relate to Hezekiah’s situation. I know the humiliation and distress that comes from being a man of God stricken with sickness. Those who do not believe in God mock you with lies that God, who is supposed to have everything in control, could not control your sickness. Those who at one time believed in you now have doubts because they see that your life and everything you have done is in now jeopardy. Others may wonder about you as a leader just because they saw things before they happened in others lives, but you did not see this in your own life. As a leader, this can be an extremely frustrating test of your faith. Everything, especially your very life is at stake if God does not heal you. Either God heals you and you live, or you die and your legacy is finished. Most people choose to give up on God at this point however, here we see Hezekiah’s display of great faith by offering up one last prayer—or what many would consider a "Hail Mary" to see if God will answer. It worked because Hezekiah's continuing faith showed that he trusted God and did not resort to bitterness. Because of this, God answered him.

3. Hezekiah was Broken and Contrite. In 2 Kings 20:30, it tells us that Hezekiah "wept bitterly". He had no shame in letting out all of his emotions and concerns. On one's deathbed, most people have a tendency to get low or honest about everything they have done or who they are. The deathbed is no place to hide things from God and Hezekiah used his last opportunity to plead his case to God for an extension on his life. God loves it when people are completely open, honest and emotional with him in regard to their present state.

The psalmist says this:

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” Psalm 34:18

The heart that is broken and contrite draws the Spirit of God to it because it no longer has pride, guile or stubbornness residing within it anymore. Because of this, it is now easy for the Lord to penetrate and work. Anything that once stood against God has spilled out through every broken area of the heart and now God can finally get through and have his way. When the stony wall of our heart is broken down, the Lord can enter and do the wonderful and miraculous things that he has always wanted to do. Hezekiah’s situation allowed a completely open and honest dialogue with God that was sure to be answered.

Result of Hezekiah’s Prayer

This prayer is great for several reasons. First, God reversed a previous decision he had made about letting Hezekiah die. The Lord speaks to the prophet Isaiah and tells him to turn around, go back to the king and tell him that he would not only be healed, but would have fifteen additional years of life added. (2 Kings 20:4-6)

Second, God does another great miracle by turning the shadow of the sun dial back ten degrees as a sign that Hezekiah would be healed. (2 Kings 20:8-10) An interesting note about Hezekiah's miraculous healing was that God did not simply make the sickness disappear, but rather he had the prophet Isaiah give him a prescription through which he would be healed. This shows us that God does sometimes work his miraculous healing through the marvels of modern science. God can directly heal someone without intervening through men, or he may choose to work through people. God did work through men in Hezekiah’s case in the form of lump of figs that was placed on the boil that had caused Hezekiah's sickness. (2 Kings 20:7)

If you are interested in purchasing this book, please visit http://www.amazon.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com or http://www.sevenyearsuntileternity.com