Hezekiah, King of Judah, could teach us a few things about prayer.
He knew where his power came from - God. He was a man of prayer who depended on the Lord to deliver his little nation from Judah's enemies.
In the face of huge odds, he helped turn his idol-worshiping people back to the Lord and then defended his kingdom against the overwhelming forces of Assyria.
His story is told in 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32 and Isaiah 36-39.
Hezekiah became King of Judah after a long line of ancestors had turned to idol-worship and desecrated the temple in Jerusalem.
The new king - just 25 years old - set about restoring worship of God and wiping out idol-worship. It may well be that he was influenced by the prophet Isaiah who played a large part in later events in his reign.
The young king demonstrated a deep faith in the Lord, turning to him in prayer in key developments in the next few years. Here is a brief summary of the role of prayer in Hezekiah's life:
He knew where his power came from - God. He was a man of prayer who depended on the Lord to deliver his little nation from Judah's enemies.
In the face of huge odds, he helped turn his idol-worshiping people back to the Lord and then defended his kingdom against the overwhelming forces of Assyria.
His story is told in 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32 and Isaiah 36-39.
Hezekiah became King of Judah after a long line of ancestors had turned to idol-worship and desecrated the temple in Jerusalem.
The new king - just 25 years old - set about restoring worship of God and wiping out idol-worship. It may well be that he was influenced by the prophet Isaiah who played a large part in later events in his reign.
The young king demonstrated a deep faith in the Lord, turning to him in prayer in key developments in the next few years. Here is a brief summary of the role of prayer in Hezekiah's life:
- He began by ordering the priests to return to worshiping God and cleaning the temple of idol-worship. Then, he called on the people of Israel and Judah to come to the temple and consecrate themselves to God. Next, he interceded in prayer to God for those who had not fulfilled all the legal requirements of purification for the restored Passover celebration, showing a loving and caring heart for his people. God responded to this prayer by healing the people;
- Clearly, his intimacy with God grew as the years went by as he sought God in prayer as soon as the invading Assyrian forces threatened Judah with destruction. Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, brought his hordes to surround Jerusalem, taunted Hezekiah, and tried to intimidate the people into surrendering. Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet cried out to God and the Lord promised Isaiah that he would defeat the Assyrians. More than 180,000 soldiers died and the seige was lifted; and finally
- Hezekiah fell seriously ill and Isaiah told him that the Lord informed the prophet that the king would die and he should prepare for this. But Hezekiah prayed to God, telling him that he had been faithful to the Lord and asking for more time on earth. God then told Isaiah that he had heard Hezekiah's prayer and would heal him, declaring he would prove it by causing the sun to fall back on the sundial by10 degrees. The sun fell back and Hezekiah was healed.
Writing in the 1800s, E.M. Bounds suggests in his book Prayer and Praying Men that we can draw these lessons from Hezekiah's prayer life:
- God hears prayer;
- God pays close attention to prayer;
- God answers prayer; and
- God delivers us from dark times as a result of prayer.
Prayer flowing from a heart dedicated to the Lord is powerful.
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