“Then he turned his face to the wall…And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” 2 Kings 20:2-3
As we begin Chapter 18, we’re introduced to King Hezekiah. We read that “He was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 29 years” and “He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done”. But we’re also told that “He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him”. Hezekiah was a Great King!
However, after exhibiting the utmost faithfulness, and Amazing Stand and Victory against the Assyrians, Hezekiah is confronted with his imminent death. In the beginning of the Chapter we read “Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live’””. He is utterly devastated, and while lying on his death bed, weeps bitterly to God.
There are times when we are brought to the same brink of despair. We have done all that is possible, but in the end, find ourselves at God’s complete Mercy! Though Hezekiah’s prayer was answered, that is not the lesson. The Lesson is, that sometimes God brings His People to a place of total trust and dependence before He helps them. May we find that “grace to help in time of need”!