Ep 816 – Isaiah 38:1-8

You've probably seen the bumper sticker that says, "Prayer changes things." But the real question is whether prayer changes God – His mind that is. When we pray, do we have the capacity to alter the will of God? There are more than a few cases in Scripture where we seem to see it happen. And Isaiah 38:1-8 appears to contain one of them. Hezekiah has been given a message from God by Isaiah, telling him to get his affairs in order because he has only a short time to live. This bad news comes as Hezekiah was having to deal with the presence of the army of Assyria, camped outside the walls of Jerusalem. But upon hearing this shocking report, Hezekiah doesn't panic, he prays. And we're told that God hears his prayer and tells the king he will live an additional 15 years. In grateful response, Hezekiah writes a song of thanksgiving to God. But the question remains: did Hezekiah change God's mind or was it the other way around. It's a matter of perspective. And a case of the sovereignty of God.