2 Kings 20:1–11
You who answer prayer, to you all people will come. (Psalm 65:2)
Throughout the Bible we find many examples that show us plainly that prayer becomes the cause of things happening that would never have happened without it. One of the most remarkable accounts is the prayer of King Hezekiah in 2 Kings, chapter 20. Clearly God wants us to know this story very well, since it is recorded in three places in the Bible — in 2 Kings 20:1–11, 2 Chronicles 32:24, and Isaiah 38:1–22.
At a certain point in his life Hezekiah falls ill with a deadly disease. The prophet Isaiah comes to him, and instead of foretelling a swift recovery, he predicts an unavoidable death and advises him to draw up his will as quickly as he can (2 Kings 20:1).
1 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 Kings 20:1)
What situation could be more hopeless than this? You are sick unto death, and at the same time God, through His servant, tells you that your time on this earth has run out. Can anything be done in such a case? Can anything change the will of God? The gracious answer to these questions is yes, and we see it in the actions of Hezekiah. If today someone you regard as the highest authority prophesied defeat over you, you would probably resign yourself to it and say, “What can be done, such is the will of God…” But not Hezekiah. He knew his God, and he knew that God hears and answers prayer.
Today it may not be a prophet, but the doctors, who diagnose you with an incurable disease and give you the news. What will you do then? Will you resign yourself to your circumstances and your “fate,” or will you turn to God with your whole heart?
FAITH AND MEDICINE — HAND IN HAND
As Christians we respect doctors and medicine. In the Old Testament we see that many of the laws had to do with hygiene, with placing the sick under quarantine in order to protect the rest (Leviticus 13:1–59). Other divine ordinances taught the people to live healthily by eating properly (Leviticus 11:1–47). Therefore we can state categorically that the Bible and faith in God should not be set against doctors and medicine. They complement one another.
This is confirmed in the New Testament as well. For example, one of the Gospel writers — Luke — was a physician (Colossians 4:14), and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, even though He performed countless miracles, declared that “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Matthew 9:12; Luke 5:31). Faith and miracles, then, are in no way opposed to medicine, since both the one and the other are given to us by God.
In the story of King Hezekiah, God performed a heavenly sign to confirm that He would answer his prayer. But together with this, the prophet Isaiah ordered that the inflamed place be treated with a poultice of dried figs. This is one more testimony that faith and medicine do not contradict each other, but go hand in hand (2 Kings 20:7).
Sadly, however, no matter how hard we try to live healthily, and whatever preventive care we practice, because of the fall of man sickness almost always comes. What are we to do in such cases? Are we to resign ourselves to our diagnosis, or to pray for a miracle?
TURN TO GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART
How did Hezekiah act? First, he turned his face to the wall. This showed that Hezekiah resolved not to look at the circumstances around him, at the illness and the bad prognoses, but only at God. This is the first thing for us to do as well, if we want a miracle in our life — to turn our back on the evil reports that attack us from every side. To cast out of our minds the thoughts of despair and the sense of doom, while at the same time we fix our gaze and our expectation solely and only on God. This is how faith works.
This does not mean that we should stop having our tests done and following the doctors’ instructions, but that we should rely on and believe not only in them, but also in the biblical promises of healing. God not only guides doctors and gives them wisdom. He created the universe and mankind, and for Him nothing is impossible! One of His names in Hebrew is Yahweh Rophekha — “I am the Lord, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). God is our chief Physician. He works miracles. Trust in Him with your whole heart!
PRAY EARNESTLY
Second, Hezekiah prayed and “wept bitterly” (2 Kings 20:2–3).
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. (2 Kings 20:2–3)
When we want something from God, we pray. Prayer is not something complicated. It is simply a conversation with God. But for it to be effective, prayer must meet certain conditions — first, it must be spoken in faith, and second, it must be earnest.
The condition of faith is understood, since Hebrews 11:6 says:
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)
It is only natural that, when you turn to God for help, you must believe in His existence and in the fact that He answers prayer!
And concerning earnestness in prayer, the apostle James says (James 5:16):
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
Hezekiah weeps not only for himself, but also for his people and for the future of his kingdom. In the poem he writes after his recovery, he reveals how fervent and persistent his prayer was (Isaiah 38:14):
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! (Isaiah 38:14)
To pray earnestly does not necessarily mean to shed tears, but to pray with focus, with persistence, and with our whole heart.
PRAY IN THE NAME OF JESUS
Besides requiring faith and earnestness, prayer must also meet one more condition in order to be heard — the one who prays must be in a right relationship with God. In our example King Hezekiah pressed for an answer because he had walked before God “faithfully and with wholehearted devotion.”
Unfortunately, if we are honest, we cannot say the same about ourselves. We are sinners. Why? First, because we are born in sin (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12); second, because we have not believed in God (John 16:9; 1 John 5:10); and third, because we have broken the greatest of God’s commandments — the one to love Him with all our heart (Matthew 22:36–38).
Then is there any hope that our prayers will be heard? To our greatest joy, there is hope! God loved us so much that He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. By shedding His blood, He paid the ransom for our sins. And today, through faith in Jesus Christ, we can stand before God with heads held high.
But in order to take advantage of this incredible privilege, we must receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, by believing in Him and inviting Him to be God and Lord of our life (John 1:12).
Offered in the name of Jesus, prayer has incredible power. Here is what the Lord Jesus Christ Himself says in confirmation of this spiritual truth (John 14:13–14; 16:24):
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:13–14)
24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 16:24)
I HAVE HEARD YOUR PRAYER, I HAVE SEEN YOUR TEARS!
Hezekiah’s prayer, spoken in faith, with earnestness, and with a right heart, changed the situation (2 Kings 20:4–6).
4 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler 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. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life.’” (2 Kings 20:4–6)
This is what prayer does. It calls forth the mercy of God. He has compassion on us and answers us. “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; I will heal you… and I will lengthen your life!”
But here we are obliged to say one more thing. Prayer does not work automatically. Whether or not our life is prolonged through medical help and divine healing, the most important question remains for us — our relationship with our Creator. Sooner or later, we will all stand before Him. If you have faith and have received Christ into your heart, you have nothing to fear. But if today you have turned your back on God and are living in sin and unbelief, you are doomed not only to temporary suffering on earth, but also to eternal punishment in hell. Therefore, do not delay! Repent of your sins, receive Christ as your personal Savior, and begin to live in close fellowship with our Heavenly Father!
God hears and answers prayer. As Psalm 65:2 says, the Lord is the “God who answers prayer.” He is living and active. He does not change. He is the same today. If we ask Him in faith, with earnestness, and in the name of Jesus, He will not remain silent; He will answer us. So lift up your head! Choose the blessing that prayer gives us — to call upon our God and to have Him answer us. And when He does, let us not forget to give Him glory. In this way we will fulfill the biblical verse that many believers call “God’s telephone number” — Psalm 50:15:
15 and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. (Psalm 50:15)