“In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And 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, you shall not recover.”” Isaiah 38:1 ESV
Reflection: is it possible for us to change God’s mind and plans?
Have you ever made a plan that didn’t work as intended? I am sure we all have. In fact, there is a saying within the field of “project management” that goes “The plan never works, but planning does”. It means that, even with the best of plans we make, unforeseen stuff will probably happen, so we have to deal with that. Let me share a brief personal story.
Yesterday we had planned to make a long 1100-mile drive in one day. We left at 6:00am, in order to be able to arrive around 9:00pm at our destination. But when we had driven about 400 miles, the truck started acting up; felt like we had received some bad gas. But when the check engine light came on, it went from concerning to serious. Thankfully this happened only a few miles outside of our Alma Mater city of Laramie, Wyoming. And for those who have driven through Wyoming in the winter, you know how desolate the state is, possibly dangerous to get stranded with a broken down car in most of that state. We took the truck to the Ford dealer, which was not only open, but had a service department who just happened to have room in their schedule to take the truck in right away. After a few hours of waiting and a critical repair, we were back on the road again. What is the likelihood of that happening this perfectly? While we arrived safely at our destination much later than planned, we were so thankful to the Lord for the ability to see His hand at work.
In Isaiah chapter 38, we learn that the Lord had made a plan for the end of Hezekiah’s life. We read “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover.”” Isaiah 38:1b ESV. That is a pretty firm plan, right? And who are we to go against the plans of the Lord God? But let’s look a bit further here, a bit deeper at Hezekiah’s response to this plan for his death. We read “Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, and said, “Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” Isaiah 38:2-3 ESV. We believe the Lord hears our prayers, our cries and pleas for help, for grace and mercy. But the Lord’s response to Hezekiah’s cry is pretty surprising. Let’s read.
“Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city. “This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.”Isaiah 38:4-8 ESV. This is so amazing that you might have to read the Lord’s response and action several times. He added 15 years to Hezekiah’s life. He delivered the city, protecting them. And, He changed time, turning the sun back, as a sign that it was the Lord doing this.
God did change His mind, His plans, all from the prayers, the pleading of a man.
So, what can we learn from Hezekiah? First of all, as we have seen, Hezekiah followed and trusted the Lord in all matters, even when it made no sense. And, today we also see a clear demonstration that Hezekiah’s heart was close to the Lord’s heart; they had a close relationship. His cry and plead with the Lord touched the Lord heart to the point that the Lord changed His mind and plans, extending Hezekiah’s life. Changing the heart and mind of the Almighty God is amazing to think about! And Hezekiah gave the Lord all the glory, even wrote a psalm in His honor that we still can read today, found in Isaiah 38:10-20. Of course we need to plan, and keep planning. We get little done otherwise. But, perhaps we should not be so fixated on whether or not our plans always work out perfectly as we think they should. Perhaps we should be more open for a supernatural intervention by the Lord, giving us a glimpse of His hand at work, and be able to better glorify Him.
