Lisa Skaria
MTC Staten Island,
NY
5 “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah prince of my people, Thus
says the Lord, the God of your ancestor David: I have heard your prayer, I
have seen your tears; indeed, I will heal you; on the third day you shall
go up to the house of the Lord.
Sometimes in life we are faced with overwhelming
stress and worry that often we feel ignored by God. However, the truth is
that it is in our weakest moments that we are able to see God’s grace,
mercy and favor. If we rely on God our hearts will be opened to what God has
planned for us.
Relationships are built on trust and in order to have a strong
relationship with Christ we must have faith in him. Through prayer our
relationship can grow. What keeps our relationship strong is the trust we
place in our prayers to God.
Hannah prayed for many years before God gave her a son; Daniel
prayed while in a den filled with hungry lions; David’s psalms are filled
with prayers that affirm both the communion-seeking and kingdom-seeking
prayers. The triumphant victories of Hannah, Daniel and David are a result
of their persistence in prayer.
One particular individual that proved to be a faithful servant
and king was Hezekiah. When the prophet Isaiah came to Hezekiah bearing a
message from God stating that he (Hezekiah) will not get better and will
die eventually, Hezekiah did not get angry or doubt God. Instead he
immediately looked away and prayed to God asking him to remember how
Hezekiah has faithfully served the Lord, and then he just cried out to God
(verse 3).
How many times in our life have we received horrible news, faced
failure, watched our plans not go our way and instead of praying/crying out
God, we have ignored God, or strayed away from God? Right after Hezekiah
heard his future, he prayed to God. He sought to find comfort in his master
without asking for anything. The result: God heard Hezekiah’s cries and
chose to heal him (verse 5).
As long as we believe in what God promises us, he will not fail
us. This life we live in can be full of worry but if we remain hopeful in
Christ and be persistent in prayer, we will see just how amazing God is
towards our life. Having that personal conversation with God allows us to
break down our walls and let him in.
Just like Hezekiah, God wants to shower us with his love. He not
only gave Hezekiah his life back, but he added 15 years to it and delivered
the city from the Assyrians (verse 6). Hezekiah’s faith allowed God to open
doors that no one thought would happen.
As we step out into the world today, let us remember all that
God has done, and is going to do in our lives. Let us be persistent in our
prayers and keep hope; as Isaiah assures us: “those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength...” (Isaiah 40:31)
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PRAYER
Heavenly father, thank you for our everyday blessings
and your unending grace and mercy. Father, we ask that you give us strength and
wisdom to follow a righteous path and have a daily relationship with you
through prayer. We pray that in your time my prayers will be answered, and
while we wait we ask for your strength to remind us of all that you have done
for us. Amen.
THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY:
“Prayer is the window that God has placed in the walls of our world. Leave
it shut and the world is a cold, dark house. But throw back the curtains and
see His light. Open the window and hear His voice. Open the window of prayer
and invoke the presence of God in your world.” (Max Lucado)