6 insights on praying through Pain

Read Isaiah 38.

In what he felt was the "middle" of his life (v.10), good King Hezekiah became severely ill.  The LORD sent Isaiah to inform the king that he would die.  It is obvious from the king's prayer that this sickness was not because he had done anything wrong.  Indeed, with quite a degree of confidence he was able to say to God that he had been faithful (v.3).

God heard his prayer and extended the king's life for fifteen more years.  The prophecy came with a miraculous sign (vv.7-8).  As it turned out, this episode was a test of Hezekiah's faith.  How would he respond under this threat?  Would he blame God or thank God?  Would he curse or pray?  Hezekiah made an A on the test.

What do we learn from this story?
1. Not all sickness is the result of sin or wrongdoing.
This was a faithful, godly man.  Passing this personal, life-threatening stress prepared him to trust God even more during the national threat.  God's tests are designed to strengthen us spiritually.

2. All healing is temporal.
Sooner or later, everyone will die.  Even Lazarus died again.  Hezekiah's healing simply gave him fifteen more years to serve the nation in a time of great need.  God answered his prayer in order for the LORD to fulfill His plan.  God was not through with him.  With 15 years of added life, history records that Hezekiah died in 686 B.C.  That places this stressful time in 701 B.C., the same year the Assyrians invaded.

3. It was for his welfare.
In verse 17, Hezekiah could see how this turned out for his benefit.  The Apostle Paul wrote: "All things work together for good" (Romans 8:28), but we have to look for and trust God for the purpose in pain.  This is a difficult task when it does not make sense to us.  The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:71: "It was good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes."

4. It is the mercy of God that we do not receive what we deserve.
High stress causes all our impurities to rise to the surface.  The king was grateful in verse 17 that the LORD "cast all my sins behind your back."  Acknowledging one's sins and receiving God’s forgiveness helps us understand His compassion on us.  It is also the basis for us to understand the sin of others and our ability to forgive them.  Those who know the mercy of God become merciful people.

5. Trust God and take your medicine.
Isaiah came with a treatment for the boil that cured the illness.  This was not a lack of faith on Hezekiah's part but thankfully receiving God's provision for him.

6. There is a promise for every pain.
God gave Hezekiah two promises in verses 5 and 6.  His life was extended and his people would be protected from this enemy.  How crucial it is for our well-being and spiritual growth to know the word of God!  His written promises sustain us, come what may.

Will you trust Him when things get Worse?

Read Isaiah 37.

The Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem with an overwhelming show of force.  They not only demanded immediate surrender, but they mocked the LORD saying that trust in Him was vain.  King Hezekiah said, "This is a day of distress, or rebuke, and of disgrace" (v.3).

The test of faith was on.  The question: Whom do you trust?  Judah did not have the resources to fight and win.  God had promised to protect them.  He even said through Isaiah that the Assyrians would be defeated and go home.  How could that possibly happen?  There was no answer but to cast their total dependence on the faithful LORD who had promised.

What did Hezekiah do?
1. He asked for prayer. (v.4)
The king first turned to his number one prayer warrior to ask for God's help.

2. He sought godly counsel. (vv.5-7)
In those days, the word of God was delivered through the prophets.  Isaiah provided advice straight from the LORD.  First, "Do not be afraid."  Fear is the opposite of faith.  Confidence in God pleases Him.  Second, God has a plan to fulfill His promise.  Most often He uses us in His plan, but, as in this case, He does not need us.  He is in total control

After those two major steps in the process, things became worse!  That is not an uncommon experience.  We think if we pray and do what is right, everything will be fine.  The reality is that the test of our faith may become harder.  When God acts in an impossible situation no one else can take the credit.  It also provides an unprecedented opportunity for personal spiritual growth.

What did Hezekiah do when things got worse?
3. He "spread it out before the LORD." (v.14)
Having received Sennacherib's threatening letter, the king physically laid the letter down in front of him as he prayed for God to intervene.  The Assyrians' biggest mistake was to assume that the God of Israel was just like all the man-made gods of other nations.  This had become a spiritual war.  The motive of Hezekiah's prayer was "that the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD." (v.20)

In verse 28, God said He heard every word.  God saw the complacency of some toward Him and the outright rage of others.  185,000 Assyrian soldiers died without one arrow having been shot from Jerusalem.  Sennacherib went home in disgrace and was assassinated by his own sons.

This actual, historically verified account cannot be dismissed by any naysayer.  Our God is all-powerful.  Our God is faithful to fulfill His every word.  Do not be afraid.  Spread it out before the LORD in prayer and trust Him.

Faith, when facing an overwhelming Situation

Read Isaiah 36.

The fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign places this event in 701 B.C.  Twenty-one years prior to this they defeated the northern kingdom of Israel. The Assyrians marched down the coast conquering city after city.   The last significant piece left standing in the land was Jerusalem.

Sennacherib sent thousands of troops to surround the city and demanded its surrender.  One of his field commanders, with the military rank of Rabshakeh, stood to negotiate the final terms.  King Hezekiah dispatched three of his most trusted men to the meeting.

 With enormous confidence and sarcasm, the Assyrian spokesman presented his case in no uncertain terms.
He began in verse 4 with the question that everyone must answer when facing an overwhelming situation.
"On what do you rest this trust of yours?"  Then, he made five pronouncements.  Some of these may sound familiar.

1. Hope is not a strategy. (v.5)
Positive thinking and words of affirmation about a crisis will not resolve the problem.  This is a war.  Just saying, "We will do the best we can and hope things will all work out" won't win the battle.

2. You cannot trust your neighbor to help you. (v.6)
In this case, Egypt was not the powerhouse of the past.  They could not be depended upon to come to Judah's rescue.  Isaiah had already said this in his messages.

3. You cannot rely on your own gods. (v.7)
Two things are at work in his point here.  One is that every city Assyria had systematically destroyed had their own faith systems.  None of them proved effective because they were false gods.  The big mistake by this spokesman was that he lumped the One true God along with all the others.  He, perhaps, thought that Hezekiah had lost his faith due to the removal of all the false altars to strange gods.  The truth is that the king had purged the land of all but worshiping the LORD.  (2 Kings 18)

4. You do not have enough resources to win. (v.8-9)
He even bet them that if they could come up with enough riders, he would give them 2000 horses.  But evidently he knew Judah did not have that many.  Even if they did, he sarcastically said that all of those could not win a fight with one of his captains.

5. This is what God wants. (v.10)
The pagan who did not know God at all tried to bully Judah by claiming to speak for the LORD.  He was lying and using it as a manipulative tactic.  Beware when someone who does not profess a personal relationship with the LORD and who has never read and studied God's word endeavors to quote God.

This encounter caused the three men to return in near despair.  Much of what the Assyrian had said was true.  What could they do?  How could they respond?  How could they survive?

But God in His faithfulness had already delivered His word through the Prophet Isaiah.  Jerusalem would not be conquered by the Assyrians.  Indeed, the Assyrians would be defeated and go home.  That required a ton of faith.

Jeff and Sherri Easter sing a wonderful gospel song that says:
"Over and over, again and again, God is faithful.
Over and over, again and again, through it all He's made me able
To stand and survive, to come through alive, when it sure looked like I could not win.
But Jesus is with me, so I'll claim the victory, over and over again."

A picture of peace in the World

Read Isaiah 35.

After all the prophesied devastation in chapter 34, the message continues with the rest of the story.  What a difference Jesus will make when He rules during the kingdom age!

1. The land. (vv.1-2, 6b-7)
In that day of Messiah's reign, the desert areas of Israel will flourish with abundant agriculture.  But notice that it is not the crops that will cause the rejoicing.  The glory of the LORD in all His majesty will be visible to everyone.  He will receive full credit due Him for these blessings.

2. The weak. (vv.3-4)
Those who endured the hard times and those who folded in fear, will be strengthened and encouraged.

3. The infirmed. (vv.5-6a)
All physical maladies will have been remedied by the Great Physician.

4. The redeemed. (vv.7-10)
The righteous will make their way to Jerusalem to worship the King.  Even the road will be called the Way of Holiness.  The pilgrims will journey safely, singing praises along the way.

Oh, how we look forward to this time of world peace.  Individually, those who know the Savior enjoy peace with God right now and can enjoy the promise of Jesus' personal peace.  "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27)

Is the God of the Old Testament different in the New Testament?

Read Isaiah 34.

Years ago, a man tried to tell me that the God of the Old Testament was a God of hate, while the God of the New Testament was a God of love.  The error of that false statement is immediately evident to anyone who has ever actually read the Bible.  At the root of such heresy is the concept that God has changed His character over time.  "For I the LORD do not change." (Malachi 3:6)

When Jesus returns it will be a day of worldwide judgment upon the nations, especially on those who sought to annihilate Israel.  "For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion" (v.8).  In this chapter, Edom is used as Exhibit A.  Israel's neighbor to the southeast was a constant enemy.

The descriptions in this chapter parallel with the Great Tribulation judgments as the seals are broken in Revelation.  These events then culminate in Revelation 19.  "From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.  He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty." (Revelation 19:15)

Therefore, the time of earthly peace and blessing will only come after the returning Christ has decisively dealt with His enemies.

At the root of all current actions of man's inhumanity against others is sin.  It is not possible to negotiate that away.  There is only one cure in the universe for sin.

For now, we look forward to the day when Messiah will right every wrong and bring true justice to this world.  The Apostle Paul wrote: "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."

Looking for stability in times of Trouble

Read Isaiah 33.

God delivered a series of judgmental "woes" against those who rejected and ignored Him.  Judah knew better, but they chose to place their faith elsewhere.  In verse 1, the LORD called them traitors.  They betrayed the God who loved and cared for them.  The betrayer will be betrayed by those they trusted.  Placing one's faith in anyone or anything other than the LORD will ultimately prove to be in vain (vv.11-12).

All their efforts to negotiate alliances and bring peace to their land would not work.  When the Assyrians invade, they will make everything desolate.  But Jerusalem and the remnant of those who turn to God will be spared.

Like many of the prophetic passages, the message blends the historic happenings with future hope.  The prophets could not see the gaps between the two, unless God revealed to them an exact amount time.

In trouble, there would some who will cry out for God's grace and deliverance (v.2).  When the LORD is exalted, "he will be the stability of your times" and provide the "salvation, wisdom, and knowledge" they so desperately needed.  However, it came with the stipulation that they respond in obedience to God's word.  Such holy fear, or respect, for the LORD is called "Zion's treasure" (v.6).

In that day when Messiah reigns, things will be different (vv.13-24).  The godless will be afraid.  The righteous will openly demonstrate their faith by what they do and do not do.  They will dwell securely and with abundance.   The focus will be on the Jesus.
"Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty..." (v.17)
"...there the LORD in majesty will be for us..." (v.21)
"For the LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our king; he will save us." (v.22)

In the meantime, we are "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

8 characteristics of the Millennial Kingdom

Read Isaiah 32.

Both Old and New Testaments look forward to the literal, earthly reign of Messiah.  The prophets often provide details of such a kingdom.  This chapter, like many others, is a message to Judah of that future time.  Part of the proof that this indeed still remains unfulfilled is the fact that there has been no Jewish kingdom over that land since 586 B.C.

Jesus will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem.  What will be the characteristics of that kingdom?
1. Righteousness. (v.1a)
God's standard of what is right will be upheld absolutely.

2. Justice. (v.1b)
all wrongs will be made right.  The Righteous Judge will be on the throne and His decisions will be carried out perfectly.

3. Security. (v.2)
those who govern with the King of Kings will provide genuine safety and shelter for those in need.

4. Truth. (v.3-4)
in a previous message the people were chastised because they had closed their eyes and stopped their ears from the truth.  But in that day all will all see, hear, and communicate God's word with clarity.

5.  Generosity. (vv.5-8)
No longer will foolish and sinful decisions be tolerated.  No longer will leaders be in power who lie, especially about the LORD, devising "wicked schemes", and taking advantage of others.  In that day, those with influence will be "noble" or known for being generous with their service to people.

6. The Holy Spirit. (v.15a)
Verses 9-14 warn against complacency about God’s announced judgment.  Most likely, this is a reference to the immediate crisis of the Assyrian invasion into Judah and ultimately the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians.  "For the palace is forsaken and the populous city deserted..." (v.14a).  "Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high..."  This not a reference to what happened in Acts 2.  Several of the Prophets (Ezekiel 36-37; Joel 2; Zechariah 12) looked forward to a time when all of Israel would personally experience the indwelling of the Spirit of God.  He would be the One to give them the spiritual understanding and ability to live a godly life they lacked.

7. Productivity. (v.15b)
Many prophetic passages predict that even Israel's deserts will flourish with agriculture.

8. Peace. (vv.17-18)
Since the establishment of the political state of Israel in 1948, there has been no peace in that land.  Indeed, throughout history, some satanically energized leader and/or peoples have announced their intent to annihilate the Jews.  But in that day, with the Prince of Peace ruling over this world, genuine peace will come.

For those of us who have a personal relationship with Jesus, we will rule and reign with Him.  Given the current state of affairs around the world and in Israel today, we pray with the Apostle John, "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20)