When a Heart Becomes Proud

Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the LORD, and he answered him... But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud.2 Chronicles 32:24–25Why did Hezekiah not do what he said he would? God gives us the explanation of the extraordinary contradiction in this man’s life: “His heart was proud.”Remember that Hezekiah is described as the best king Judah ever had—none like him before and none like him after (2 Kings 18:5). He was a true believer. His prayers had been heard and answered by God. But pride lurked even in the heart of this godly king.When God gave this man’s life back, his heart became proud, and he lived for himself. “Hezekiah had very great riches and honour, and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of costly vessels… He likewise provided cities for himself, and flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very great possessions” (2 Chron. 32:27, 29).Here is a man who says to God, “I will walk humbly all my years” (Isa. 38:15). And what happens when God gives his life back? Precisely the opposite. It was all about Hezekiah. His heart became proud, and what he did was all “for himself.”The question that reveals your heart is not: Will you pray in a crisis? It is: What will you do with your life when this crisis is over? What will you do when your prayer is answered?What does this question reveal about the priorities of your own heart?