DCLM Daily Manna 1 February 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Be Like Hezekiah
TOPIC: Be Like Hezekiah (DCLM Daily Manna 1 February 2024)
KEY VERSE: “And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore” (Isaiah 38:3).
TEXT: Isaiah 38:1-8 (KJV)
1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord,
3 And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4 Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying,
5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
6 And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
7 And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken;
8 Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.
MESSAGE:
Ted Williams was the highest paid baseball player during the 1950s. He was offered a whopping salary of $125,000 in 1959 even after he experienced a dwindling batting average due to a pinch on his neck. Surprisingly, Ted returned the contract to the Boston Red Sox and requested that his pay be reduced by as much as 25 percent. He said, “My feeling was that I was always treated fairly by the Red Sox when it came to contracts … now they were offering me a contract that I didn’t deserve.” His integrity made him a legend among the baseball players of his time.
Isaiah had been given an unpleasant message by God to a sick King Hezekiah; he was to set his house in order because he was going to die. Rather than resign to fate and accept the verdict as his destiny, Hezekiah presented his credentials before God and pleaded for a prolonged life. In consonance with the declaration that His people should “bring forth your strong reasons” (Isaiah 41:21), God answered Hezekiah’s prayer and added fifteen years to his life.
Hezekiah was confident enough to rehearse his life of righteousness before God despite the sentence of death pronounced on him. This credential is the totality of our walk with God. For it to be approved, we must live consistently holy life and maintain a robust relationship with the Lord. When our credentials are approved by God, we become conquerors on every side, enjoying His best at all times.
Believers must not resign to unpleasant fate in the belief that it is God’s will. Rather, we are to confidently walk acceptably before God even in the face of daunting challenges. Righteousness moves the hand of God to perform the seemingly impossible.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The confidence of the righteous shines brightest at the throne of grace.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Deuteronomy 1-3
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
