Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life. Isaiah 38:2 – 5
As Amy said last week about her 4 year old, I feel the same now. I am in awe of the faith of the heroes of the bible. Hezekiah thought his number was up. Heck – God told him it was. But, his act of faith – the simple prayer – showed God that Hezekiah was worth it. His tears must have truly been bitter.
I sit and worry that my faith could never match theirs. But then I think – aside from the fact many of them were kings, or Prophets, or (like Paul) apostles, they were still human. As am I. They all sinned. they all had baggage of some sort that, in some cases, drove wedges between them and God. But, God still loved them – and He loves me. I know I grieve Him sometimes when going back to my sin, but, I am confident that my faith will preserver – that God will not relent in His pursuit of my heart – that Jesus will intercede on my behalf – that the Holy Spirit will guide me every day.
The mystery for me is why God constructed it this way. Why did He give us free will to choose faith or not? I’ve read several things on this subject and they all say it has to do with the fact that because God is a loving God, if he forced His will on us, even though He knows it would be for our benefit, that would nullify His true nature. OK, but it’s still a mystery. I’ll take it though! I wonder if God is sad that not everyone will take it?
Faithful Father – Thank you for Faith. Thank you that you allow us to choose faith. Thank you for showing me that my faith can be as strong, as wide, as deep as those I read in your Word (and those of a 4 year old). In Jesus name. Amen.
Jim (jmitch1)
Sixty-six books in a year 