Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
JESUS CHRIST WHO HEALS
Bible portion : 2 Kings 20: 1-11“….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.” 2 Kings 20: 5
Devotional Text
One of Micheal Jackson’s famous songs ‘We are the world’ which he wrote in 1985 with singer Lionel Ritche is telling the world to come together to help the sick and dying from poverty, and hunger in Africa. I was reminded of this song from a Christmas carol service last year. When 45 of America’s top singers sang to bring healing to the world it became an instant success. We only later knew how many of them including Micheal Jackson needed healing in their own lives also.
True healing can only come from the Lord. The sort of healing that comes from Him is for the body and our soul. Here in this passage, we see one such example of God’s healing to Hezekiah. It is not just any ordinary healing that he asked for. The prophet Issiah had just told the king that he should put his house in order. Imagine us being in the place of the king and getting such a message like that in our lives. After being in shock for some time, we would rush to find out what we could do to overcome this diagnosis. Maybe after a realization, we would start planning things to finish or people to meet. This is not what Hezekiah did. He ‘turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord’. The Lord rewarded him with 15 more years.
Hezekiah’s prayer and subsequent healing have two important things that we can find resonance with our own lives. The first is just the fact that he got up and prayed and got healed. As the king, he did not use his power and influence to find the best physicians or look for outside cures. He first looked to the Lord in prayer and his prayers were answered. However, we should also note that Hezekaih had lived a life pleasing to the Lord and obeyed His commands even before that. When the times are good, are we living a life that is pleasing to the Lord? When faced with challenges in life do we look to Him in prayer and ask for healing?
The second thing we see here is the fact that there is nothing too big for the Lord and that His plans for us are much more than a temporary improvement in our situation. We just have to ask. Hezekiah’s prayer was for healing from certain death and the Lord healed him and rewarded him more. He was given 15 years in his life as king to reign. As proof of God’s power, he also did not hesitate by asking the easier way of the shadow going forward by ten steps, he asked for it backward by ten steps. Again, this goes on to show how nothing is too big for the Lord and nothing too big that we cannot ask in faith. Just like Hezekiah, let this be a reminder that whether in comfort or in sorrow, our first instinct is to always look up to the Lord.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we look to you and thank you for all everything we have. In times of sickness and grief we know that you are the only one who can provide us with the healing we need. We look up to the heavens knowing we can ask anything from you, we know that nothing is too big for you. We ask that You give us the strength to live each day always remembering that you are our Father. Let us not be tempted by the sinful ways of the world but by your grace that redeems us. We ask all this in Jesus’ most precious name. Amen.
Thought for the Day
“True faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to His Promises.”—Francis Chan
Gary Thomas George, Long Island MTC, NY
One of Micheal Jackson’s famous songs ‘We are the world’ which he wrote in 1985 with singer Lionel Ritche is telling the world to come together to help the sick and dying from poverty, and hunger in Africa. I was reminded of this song from a Christmas carol service last year. When 45 of America’s top singers sang to bring healing to the world it became an instant success. We only later knew how many of them including Micheal Jackson needed healing in their own lives also.
True healing can only come from the Lord. The sort of healing that comes from Him is for the body and our soul. Here in this passage, we see one such example of God’s healing to Hezekiah. It is not just any ordinary healing that he asked for. The prophet Issiah had just told the king that he should put his house in order. Imagine us being in the place of the king and getting such a message like that in our lives. After being in shock for some time, we would rush to find out what we could do to overcome this diagnosis. Maybe after a realization, we would start planning things to finish or people to meet. This is not what Hezekiah did. He ‘turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord’. The Lord rewarded him with 15 more years.
Hezekiah’s prayer and subsequent healing have two important things that we can find resonance with our own lives. The first is just the fact that he got up and prayed and got healed. As the king, he did not use his power and influence to find the best physicians or look for outside cures. He first looked to the Lord in prayer and his prayers were answered. However, we should also note that Hezekaih had lived a life pleasing to the Lord and obeyed His commands even before that. When the times are good, are we living a life that is pleasing to the Lord? When faced with challenges in life do we look to Him in prayer and ask for healing?
The second thing we see here is the fact that there is nothing too big for the Lord and that His plans for us are much more than a temporary improvement in our situation. We just have to ask. Hezekiah’s prayer was for healing from certain death and the Lord healed him and rewarded him more. He was given 15 years in his life as king to reign. As proof of God’s power, he also did not hesitate by asking the easier way of the shadow going forward by ten steps, he asked for it backward by ten steps. Again, this goes on to show how nothing is too big for the Lord and nothing too big that we cannot ask in faith. Just like Hezekiah, let this be a reminder that whether in comfort or in sorrow, our first instinct is to always look up to the Lord.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we look to you and thank you for all everything we have. In times of sickness and grief we know that you are the only one who can provide us with the healing we need. We look up to the heavens knowing we can ask anything from you, we know that nothing is too big for you. We ask that You give us the strength to live each day always remembering that you are our Father. Let us not be tempted by the sinful ways of the world but by your grace that redeems us. We ask all this in Jesus’ most precious name. Amen.
Thought for the Day
“True faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God’s fidelity to His Promises.”—Francis Chan
Gary Thomas George, Long Island MTC, NY