Hezekiah’s Prayer
Open Your Bible
2 Kings 18:1-37, 2 Kings 19:1-37, Numbers 21:4-9, Isaiah 9:6-7
BY Kaitlin Wernet
I remember waking up at night when I was a little girl and feeling the heat of a Florida summer in my grandparents’ house. Tiptoeing down the hallway that held childhood photos of my mom, her siblings, and a painting of Jesus (we’d always joke that He was the favorite child), I’d sneak into the bathroom for a sip of water, only to realize the adults were still awake. Quietly scurrying down the hallway and pausing where the carpet met the hardwood floors of the living room, I’d hide behind the entryway and listen in.
My Grandmother and Papa were almost always reading the Bible aloud to each other, taking turns reading chapters and nodding heads. Then, they’d bow their heads in prayer. I always felt an urge to leave when this happened, feeling that it was too intimate of a moment to secretly witness, but I was also extremely curious. What did adults talk about after the kids went to bed? What do they ask God for?
Sometimes I feel the same way when I read prayers in the Bible, and Hezekiah’s is no exception. He’d already declared, “Today day is a day of trouble” (2 Kings 19:3, NLT), and he was in deep mourning after receiving a report that confirmed the enemy’s dedication to to the destruction of Jerusalem. But as we read this account and get to peer into how someone else handles the darkness, there are two things that stand out.
First, Hezekiah doesn’t sugarcoat his situation. He doesn’t ignore how bad it is or try to find the silver lining right away. He is in trouble, and he is honest about it. Second, he immediately takes it to the house of God. He doesn’t spend time strategizing solutions or wondering, Why me? He doesn’t try to clean up the situation before he invites God into the mess of it.
God does not call us to deny our circumstances, nor does He ask us to sit in them alone. The words of Hezekiah’s prayer weren’t as important as the act of his asking. The same goes for us when we want to take note of the eloquent phrases our loved ones use in prayer, or when we feel like we don’t have any words left. Prayer is not a one-sided speech; it is an ongoing invitation to conversation with God. May we approach our own prayers in the darkness in the same way. May we see them as an opportunity to invite God into our daily lives and ask Him to intervene on our behalf. And may we pursue God in prayer, seeking to glorify Him and acknowledge His goodness, even when both seem hidden to us.
18 thoughts on "Hezekiah’s Prayer"
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Thank you for this insight! I needed to hear this reminder as a mother, as well. Your comment really resonated with me.
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Sometimes I feel like, “well, I did this to myself, with my own poor decisions to build those altars to false gods even though I should have known better… God doesn’t want to deal with my mess.” But no matter how many times I stick my foot in my mouth or my hand in the cookie jar or go after that forbidden fruit despite knowing better – God is still there waiting for me, hoping I call out to Him, ready to meet me where I crumpled.
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Hezekiah relied on God…Oh my Father that I might turn to you in my time of distress. That I might rely completely on You and not my intellect. That I would come to trust you wholeheartedly and not be afraid.
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“Pursue god in prayer”
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Kathy I am praying for Macy and all the faculty, staff and students at your school. May our Mighty God be near to all of you and open eyes to what He will do through this whether it is to heal here or bring her to Himself for healing. May He pour out His love and mercy on you all and show you the way He is speaking to the hearts of all those who need Him. And may the name of Jesus be glorified. Our God is faithful and He is working. Hugs to you Kathy.
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These passages were like a breath of fresh air after reading about the downfall of Israel. I couldn’t help but notice that Hezekiah’s mother was mentioned directly before “He walked with God like David his father.” Whenever a woman is mentioned, take note. I have noticed several times throughout these books that their mothers names are mentioned before the synopsis of whether or not they followed after God. It’s like God is pointing out that we as mothers have a monumental role to play in the faith and life direction of our children. It was a reminder to me to continue in my role as a mother—to guide and lead my children to the Cross, to Jesus, to follow hard after God even as our culture says that God is nothing and cannot save us (as Sennacherib believed). Such a sharp convicting reminder this morning.
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I love this section of scripture. Hezekiah’s prayer, his seeking of God as he hears threats from his enemies. I hear threats from my enemy every day, but my enemy is not really a person. My enemy, enemies are inside my head shouting words of accusation, failure and questions. Sometimes I too hear those words as in 18:19- on what are you basing your confidence, on whom are you depending. Each day when I open the scripture I am once again Reminded that My God fights for me and I have nothing to fear. It’s a daily struggle at times and even at times a moment by moment fight. Today I am grateful that our Father fights for us and the victory is already won, we just need to let go and let God fight.
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❤️ Me too, Janet.
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