No Middle Man - King Hezekiah

When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.

2 Kings 20:2-3

Faced with an important, potentially life-altering decision, a man stood up at his weekly couples’ Bible study, told his friends what was going on, and asked them to pray for him. When one particularly forward woman in the group asked him how he was praying, he had no answer.

He had spent hours thinking his situation through and had sought the advice of several friends, but he had forgotten to go directly to his heavenly Father, who has all the answers.

Hezekiah was a godly man who knew how to cut out the middle man and go directly to the Source of all good things, even when he received terrible news.

Hezekiah had been deathly ill for some time, and the prophet Isaiah’s prognosis wasn’t encouraging. The king was to set all his affairs in order because his illness was terminal (see 2 Kings 20:1).

Hezekiah knew that Isaiah the prophet had a special connection to God, so it may have been tempting for him to plead his case directly with Isaiah to see if he would ask the Lord to change his mind.

That’s not what Hezekiah did.

When Isaiah told him he was about to die, Hezekiah went to his private place of prayer and talked directly to the Lord. Hezekiah didn’t plead with God to extend his life, but he reminded God that he had been a good and faithful servant who always did what pleased the Lord.

God decided to extend Hezekiah’s life. Before Isaiah had even left the palace courtyard, the Lord sent him back to Hezekiah to announce that he had heard Hezekiah’s prayer and would heal him.

Hezekiah’s willingness to go straight to God saved him time, and it saved his life.

You save time and energy when you take your needs, concerns, thanksgivings, and praises straight to your heavenly Father. He will freely give you everything you truly need.