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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?

The son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys… to Hezekiah for he heard that he had been sick… And Hezekiah… showed them his treasure house.Isaiah 39:1-2Babylon was the rising superpower of the day, and Hezekiah wanted to impress the envoys. He couldn’t resist showing off his treasure.The envoys tell their crown prince, “There is serious money in Jerusalem.” And the crown prince says, “One day that treasure will be ours.”Isaiah the prophet warns Hezekiah, “The days are coming, when all that is in your house… shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD” (39:5-6). Good people can make disastrous decisions. And Hezekiah’s folly sowed the seed of his kingdom’s destruction.When Hezekiah heard this, he spoke one of the saddest statements in the Bible. Isaiah had also told the king that his sons would be taken away (39:7), which meant that the plundering would be in the future. And Hezekiah knew that he would only live another fifteen years.“Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘The word of the LORD… is good.’ For he thought, ‘There will be peace and security in my days’” (39:8). That is sheer selfishness! “Who cares what happens to the next generation? Judgment is coming, and I don’t care as long as I am not caught up in it.”God has told us that a day of judgement is coming on the world. And it is easy to think, “That’s all right as long as it doesn’t come near me. The world can end up in hell as long as we don’t go with them.”What Hezekiah said and what Hezekiah did were very different. He said to God, “If you give my life back, I will walk humbly all my days.” But what he did was all about exalting himself.Where would you place yourself on a scale of (1) humbly thinking of others, to (5) living for yourself?

I walk slowly all my years.Isaiah 38:15God healed Hezekiah and added 15 years to his life. Now here’s the question: What use did he make of those 15 years?Hezekiah was quite clear on what he would do: “I walk slowly [humbly] all my years” (38:15). “Lord, if you give me another 15 years I will walk before you in humility.” What would that look like?A humble person seeks to glorify God “The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day” (38:19). “Lord, no one in the pit of destruction praises you. But You have promised me life, and I believe your promise. So I praise you today, and I will live in gratitude every day you give me.”A humble person seeks the good of others “The father makes known to the children your faithfulness” (38:19). Hezekiah was not yet a father, but he believed that God would be faithful to His promise. He makes this commitment: “I will make sure my family knows that You are God and that Your faithfulness endures to all generations.”Notice that this circle of praise keeps expanding. It starts with one man praising God. Then his family joins him. Then the entire community is drawn in. “The LORD will save me, and we will play my music… all the days of our lives, at the house of the LORD” (38:20).This is a marvellous commitment: “Lord, if you answer my prayer, here’s what I will do: I will walk humbly, I will glorify you, I will seek the good of others.” That’s what he said. But what he did was very different!If you have been facing a crisis, what will you do with your life when you get it back?

In love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.Isaiah 38:17When you face an unexpected crisis and your faith is tested, you can say, “I am loved” and “I am saved.” Here is the third thing you can say:I am forgiven“You have cast all my sins behind your back” (38:17). Here’s what God has done in love so that you would be saved from the pit.Godly people know that their sins are many. The closer your walk with the Lord, the greater your awareness of your own sins. The question that will determine your eternal future is not whether your sins are few or many, but whether they are before God’s face or behind His back.Think about the word cast here. “You have cast all my sins behind your back.” In Christ, God removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). He flings them out of sight, behind His back.Matthew Henry says, “When we cast our sins behind our back, God sets them before His face. But when we set them before our face in true repentance, God casts them behind His back.” When God casts your sins behind His back, you can cast them behind your back as well.Life is much less certain than we like to think. We make our elaborate plans, and an unexpected crisis throws everything up in the air. How marvellous it is to know that on the darkest day, you can say with confidence, “I’m forgiven! I’m saved! Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” With such a saviour, you can face any crisis.Would you say you are more likely to cast your sins behind your back or to set them before God in true repentance?

In love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.Isaiah 38:17When you face an unexpected crisis and your faith is tested, there are three things you can always say for sure. Here are the first two:I am loved“In love you have delivered my life” (38:17). Literally, “You loved me out of the pit.” Nothing is surer in life than the love of God for you. He has proved that forever by giving His only Son for you. On your darkest day, you can say with confidence, “The Son of God… loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).There was no obligation on the Son of God to leave heaven and go to the cross. He chose to lay down His life. And He did it in love, for you. Nothing in life, death, or eternity will ever separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:38-39).I am saved“You have delivered my life from the pit of destruction” (Isa. 38:17). There’s more here than Hezekiah recovering from sickness. This is a destruction, a tearing apart, that never ends (2 Thes. 1:9).Hezekiah is a godly king, and the worst thing he can imagine is to live and die in his sins, and then to find himself in the pit of destruction forever. He says, “Thank God, He has saved me from that!”Jesus Christ came to save you from the pit of destruction—from the hell to which our sins would rightly consign us. At the lowest point of your life, you can say to God, “In love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction” (38:17).Spend a few minutes thanking God that you are loved and you are saved.

Oh restore me to health and make me live!Isaiah 38:16Hezekiah responds to the promise of verse 5 with the prayer of verse 16. God said, “I will add fifteen years to your life” (38:5). Hezekiah prays, “Oh restore me to health and make me live!” (38:16).Faith prays for what God has promised. “Lord, do what you have said! Heal me! Give me those 15 years!”My pastor, Derek Prime, would often say, “Pray with an open Bible.” When you see what God has promised in His Word, the right response is to pray that you will know what He has promised in your own experience.So, you read in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” What do you do next? Do you say, “Oh that’s nice: God gives strength,” and then carry on? No! You pray that what God has promised will be yours. Lord, I need the strength that only you can give. Give this strength to me today.Or you read in 1 Peter 1:8, about how people who love and believe in Christ rejoice with an inexpressible joy. Do you say, “Isn’t it nice that some Christians have more joy than they can put into words”? No! You say, “If this is possible for them, then it is possible for me.” Lord, increase my joy.Then you will look at why they had such joy, and you see it is because they have a risen Saviour, a living hope, and a glorious inheritance (1:3-4). So, you ask God to increase your joy in these things.Faith turns God’s promises into prayers. So, pray with an open Bible.What would keep you from praying God’s promises more?

O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live!Isaiah 38:16It’s hard to be sure of the precise order of events in Hezekiah’s life, but here’s the most likely reconstruction:Hezekiah became sick to the point of death (38:1)Despite being a godly man, he struggled with bitterness (38:15)Isaiah said, “Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover” (38:1)The king turned his face to the wall. He prayed, and he wept bitterly (38:2-3)When Isaiah left, the Lord told him to go back (38:5)Isaiah spoke the Word of God: “I have heard your prayer… I will add fifteen years to your life” (38:5)Hezekiah prayed with new faith and confidence: “Oh restore me to health and make me live!” (38:16)Notice the pattern: God speaks in verse 5. Hezekiah prays in verse 16. The King says, “He has spoken to me” (38:15), saying, “I will add fifteen years to your life” (38:5). So Hezekiah prays, “Oh restore me to health and make me live” (38:16).Hezekiah had been struggling with great bitterness. How did he overcome it? When a crisis comes and you discover that your faith was not as strong as you thought, what will help you?The answer is that faith is strengthened by the Word of God. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Mat. 4:4).Reflect on a time when God used a particular verse or passage to strengthen your faith.

It was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction.Isaiah 38:17Notice what Hezekiah says here: “It was for my welfare that I had great bitterness.” How could God use this man’s bitterness for his good? The answer is in verse 15: “I walk slowly all my years.” “Walk slowly” means “walk humbly.” Hezekiah is saying, “I used to think that my faith was strong, but when crisis came, I didn’t do so well. There was bitterness in my soul. But God used this for my welfare. I’m done with priding myself on the strength of faith. From now on I will walk humbly.”Pride lurks in all of our hearts, and spiritual pride is its worst form. God may use a crisis to humble you by showing you that your faith is not as strong as you think.This is what happened to Peter. He told Jesus, “I will lay down my life for you” (Jn. 13:37). Peter thought his faith was strong, but when a servant girl asked if he was a disciple of Jesus, his faith was not as strong as he thought.God used this to humble Peter so that he would become the gentle pastor who could write, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Pet. 5:6).An unexpected crisis will test your faith. And God can use this to make you more like Jesus. Let the crisis show you how much you need Jesus, and then thank God that you are not saved by the strength of your faith but by the strength of your Saviour.When has God used a test of faith to humble you and show you the strength of your Saviour?

What shall I say? For he has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.Isaiah 38:15When you go through an unexpected crisis, your faith will be tested. Hezekiah is writing after he recovered from his illness (38:9). Looking back, he is full of thanksgiving: “He has spoken to me, and he himself has done it” (38:15).The words God spoke are recorded in verse 5: “Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.” And God did what He said. God brought him back from the point of death (38:1).When he recovered, Hezekiah rejoiced in answered prayer. But during the crisis, it was a different story. Hezekiah tells us honestly, “I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul” (38:15).When this godly king suffered, he struggled with bitterness. “Lord, I have given myself to the pursuit of a godly life. I have served you, and now You allow me to be afflicted with a deadly illness. God, that’s not fair!”He doesn’t say, “When trouble came, I just turned to the Lord and trusted Him.” He says, “I struggled with bitterness. Why me, Lord?” A battle raged within him. He trusted God, but in the crisis, trusting wasn’t so easy.Perhaps when your faith was tested, you wish you had done better. It might help you to know that it was the same for the most godly king in the Old Testament. Hezekiah had to confess that when he suffered, his faith was not as strong as he thought.That is the confession of a godly king. His faith was tested, and when you face an unexpected crisis, your faith will be tested too.Think about a crisis you have experienced. What is one way your response was similar to Hezekiah’s? What is one way it was different?

I am sure that neither death nor life… will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 8:38All Christians will experience anguish. But when you experience anguish, what are you to do? Here are two situations that can lead you to Jesus:1. When you fear being cut off, let your anguish lead you to JesusJesus knows what it is to be cut off. Isaiah says, “He was cut off out of the land of the living” (Isa. 53:8). Our Lord died at age 33. He could say with Hezekiah, “In the middle of my days, I must depart” (38:10).But death could not keep hold of Jesus. And for those who trust in Him, death will be a translation into a new life that will be better by far. Nothing in life or death will ever separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:38-39). When you fear being cut off, let your anguish lead you to Jesus.2. When you fear that God may be against you, let your anguish lead you to JesusTo fear that God may be against us is the worst anguish of all. What chance would we have? If you are resisting Christ, think about what you are doing. You resisting God? You cannot possibly win!When Jesus died for us, He was “cut off” from the Father’s love. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mat. 27:46). He was forsaken so that you would be welcomed. He was condemned so that you could be forgiven. He was cast out so that you would be brought in. If you fear that God may be against you, let your anguish lead you to Jesus.Do you fear being cut off? Do you fear that God may be against you? Let your anguish lead you to Jesus.

He [Jesus] has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”Hebrews 13:5Jesus knows what it is to be separated from loved ones. At the Last Supper, He said to His disciples, “I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Mat. 26:29).No one ever loved with a more perfect love than Jesus. With all His heart, He would have wanted to care for His mother. But on the cross, He had to trust her care to someone else. Jesus said to Mary, “Woman, behold your son!” And to John He said, “Behold your mother!” (Jn. 19:26, 27).When you are separated from loved ones, let your anguish lead you to Jesus. There is only one person who is able to say, “I will never leave you. I will never forsake you,” and that is the Lord Himself (Heb. 13:5). If the Lord is your Shepherd, you will not want.Even though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you need fear no evil, for He will be with you. His rod and staff will comfort you. His goodness and mercy will follow you, and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (see Ps. 23).When you fear being separated from your loved ones, let your anguish lead you to Jesus.Is something threatening to separate you from a loved one? Turn to the One who has promised never to leave you or forsake you.

I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones.Isaiah 38:13Hezekiah feels as if he is being mauled by a lion, and he fears that the lion may be God Himself! And if God is against him, what hope does he have?Why would this godly king fear that God might be against him? A godly man knows that even at his best, he falls far short of what God calls him to be.We can be thankful for the honesty of these verses. Hezekiah does not say, “Well, I was sick, and I prayed, and God healed me!” No! He tells us how he felt. “I felt fragile. I was anxious. I was weary.”And he tells us what he feared: “I feared being separated from loved ones, I feared being cut off, and I feared that God might be against me.” This teaches us something important: Christians experience anguish! If Hezekiah, the most godly king, felt this way, so will we.This was the experience of a man who walked with God, and you find the same in the New Testament. Paul says, “Our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within” (2 Cor. 7:5). If the Apostle Paul knew what it was for fear to rise up within him, so will we.Even the Son of God said, “Now is my soul troubled” (John 12:27). At the Last Supper, we read, “Jesus was troubled in his spirit” (13:21). And in the Garden of Gethsemane, His soul was “very sorrowful” (Mat. 26:38).If Jesus, the holy Son of God, knew what it was to be overwhelmed by sorrow, so will we.Reflect on this statement: “If Jesus, the holy Son of God, knew what it was to be overwhelmed by sorrow, so will we.”

In the middle of my days I must depart… like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end.Isaiah 38:10, 12Your life is like a piece of fabric being formed on a weaver’s loom. The threads are woven together, some of them bright, and some dark. But all of them are woven by God.One day the weaver cuts the fabric from the loom. That’s it! It’s done! “He cuts me off from the loom” (38:12). Nothing more will be added. That’s what Hezekiah fears.Hezekiah became sick, and suddenly everything changed. It all happened so quickly: “From day to night you bring me to an end” (38:12).He was not an old man: “In the middle of my days…” (38:10). He had assumed that he would live for many more years, and now he is in anguish. “I am out of time. I had so many good intentions, but none of them will now get done.”You do not have forever to do what God has called you to do. Make the best use of the time you have (see Eph. 5:15-16). Jesus said, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4).Robert Bruce says, “A man must be out of his mind to invest his future happiness in a place where he cannot remain and where he has no idea when he will be called on to depart.” Use your time in this world to prepare for this world to prepare for the next.What is one way you could make better use of your time in this world by preparing for the next?

I said, I shall not see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living; I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.Isaiah 38:11Hezekiah knows that he will see the Lord in the world to come. His point is that that he will no longer see the Lord as he has in the past when he has worshipped with God’s people in the temple.When we worship, we behold the beauty of the Lord. David says, “I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory” (Ps. 63:2). When we worship, we anticipate by faith what we will one day enjoy by sight.Hezekiah could say, “I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the LORD!” (Ps. 122:1). The thought of no longer meeting with God’s people for worship was hard to bear. “I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world” (Isa. 38:11).Hezekiah fears leaving his loved ones. “I’m not ready to say goodbye to the people I love!” Hezekiah is a godly man, and ahead of him is eternal life. But it is really hard to say goodbye.Paul says of Epaphroditus, a brother who was dear to him, “He was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and… on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow” (Phil. 2:27). Paul is not saying, “Oh well, if he dies, he goes to heaven.” No! To lose him would have been sorrow upon sorrow!This is what Hezekiah feared. “I’m not ready to say goodbye.” You may know this anguish. God has taken someone you love. You look on them no more. And you miss them.Value the loved ones you have. Love them well. A day will come when you will no longer have them.Think of three ways you could show your loved ones how much you value them.

A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness.Isaiah 38:9The beginning of Hezekiah’s crisis was shock, the end was hope, but the middle was anguish.Perhaps this is where you are today. You have moved through the shock of being disrupted by a crisis. You have affirmed your hope in God. But now you are feeling the anguish, and it looks like it will only get worse.Looking back, Hezekiah gives us the inside story of what he experienced.He felt fragile“My dwelling is plucked up… from me like a shepherd’s tent” (38:12). This crisis confronts Hezekiah with the reality that his life is fragile. He lives in a palace, but his body is like a tent. Are you feeling fragile? Feeling fragile is part of the anguish of an unexpected crisis.He felt anxious“I calmed myself until morning” (38:13). Anxiety is always worse at night. The hours creep past, and the mind won’t rest. This man walked with God. And he was anxious. Are you feeling anxious? Anxiety is part of the anguish of an unexpected crisis.He felt weary“My eyes are weary with looking upward” (38:14). Notice why he is weary: from “looking upward.” He had been calling on God, and he was tired of waiting for an answer. How long, O Lord? Are you feeling weary? Growing weary is part of the anguish of an unexpected crisis.Maybe you have thought, I am a Christian. I shouldn’t be feeling fragile or anxious or weary. But this was the experience of a godly king. Don’t be surprised if it is the same for you. This is not a failure of faith. It is part of our humanity.Which of these feelings—fragile, anxious, or weary—are you facing today?

The word of the LORD came to [Isaiah]: “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah… I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you.”2 Kings 20:4-5Here in 2 Kings, we get a fuller picture of what happened. Hezekiah is at the point of death, and Isaiah says, “Set your house in order, for you shall die.” Hezekiah turns to the wall and prays (20:1-2).Isaiah leaves, but God says, “Turn back, and say… I will heal you” (20:5). Isaiah hadn’t even left the palace, so this was an immediate answer to prayer!Isaiah says to the king, “God will heal you, and on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord” (20:5). When Hezekiah asks for a sign, Isaiah says that God will do something only He can do. He will turn back the sun’s shadow (20:9).So, what we have here is the story of a godly king at the point of death. God heard his prayer and raised him up on the third day.The whole Bible points to Jesus Christ, the great king. He wasn’t just at the point of death. He died! Raising the dead is something that only God can do, and on the third day, God raised Him up!Friend, a day will come when life is slipping away from you. Only one question will matter: “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?” (Isa. 38:22).Jesus said, “This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn. 6:40).That is the hope of the gospel. And it can be your hope if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.Do you have this hope and assurance that when your days are done, you will go up to the house of the Lord?

Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”Isaiah 38:22Hezekiah was sick and “at the point of death” (38:1). It must have been hard to believe that God would heal him. So, God gave him a sign.“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 (38:8).In the ancient world, people used sundials to tell time. It seems that Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, had built steps, and as the sun was setting, the shadows would creep down the steps.God said to Hezekiah, “I will give you this sign. I will make the shadow move up the steps. I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.”Imagine Hezekiah lying in his bed, at the point of death. And he looks out of the window… The shadows are lengthening, but then the shadow moves in the opposite direction. Only God could do such a thing, and Hezekiah thinks to himself, Maybe there is hope!Why did God give this extraordinary sign? “This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has promised” (38:7).God is saying, “Hezekiah, I am going to heal you. And I want you to know that I am the One who did it. I don’t want you thinking it was the figs! So, I am going to give you a sign by doing something that only I could do.” There are some things only God can do, so trust what He has promised.What promise of God do you need to trust today?

Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you.”2 Kings 20:5There are two ways to lose the path of wisdom. One is to forget the means that God uses. The other is to forget that it is God who uses the means.Isaiah said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil” (Isa. 38:21). But God said, “Behold I will heal you.”So, when Hezekiah recovers, he is not going to say, “That fig paste is the most marvellous potion!” No, he is going to give thanks to God, because he knows that it was God who made the fig paste effective. When you know that God works through means, you will be grateful for the means, but you will give glory to God who used them.These words will help you pray for yourself and others:Health: If you are ill, use the means God has provided, and pray that He will work through the means. Lord, use this medicine to make her well. Lord, use this chemotherapy to heal his cancer.Employment: If you lose your job, use the means available to find a job, and pray that God will work through the means. Lord, help me to persevere in networking with others, and use the connections that you have given me to open a door for new work.Parenting: Lord, use these parents to guide their children.Church leaders: Lord, grant wisdom to the elders and enable them to effectively guard the church.When you grasp that God works through means, it will shape how you pray. You will be grateful for the way God works through the means, and you will give glory to Him.How are you praying about your own situation? What are you asking of God? Remember to give glory to Him when He works through means.

Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.”Isaiah 38:21What would you think of a person who said, “God will give strength to my body, so there is no need for me to eat”? Or, “God will keep me warm, so there is no need for me to wear clothing”?God gives strength to your body by means of the food you eat. God gives warmth to your body by means of the clothes you wear.God works through means: Nurses, doctors, and medicine are God’s means of restoring health. Builders are God’s means of providing homes. Farmers are God’s means of providing food. Teachers are God’s means of giving us wisdom. Parents are God’s means of training children. Elders are God’s means of guarding the church.When you see this, it will give you a proper sense of Christian responsibility. It will open your eyes to what God has called you to do. When you see that God works through means, you will always be asking, “How can I be the means God uses to bring help and blessing to others?”This is a vital principle of Christian wisdom, and it speaks to any crisis that we face today. What should we do? We should pray. And we should use whatever means are available to solve the crisis.How could you be the means God uses to bring help and blessing to someone you know who is facing an unexpected crisis?

Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.”Isaiah 38:21This gives us a clue about Hezekiah’s illness. There was a boil, evidence of an infection raging in his body. And Isaiah told the king to apply a dressing on the infected area, using a cake of figs.Hezekiah did not have the blessing of modern medicine, but this was the means that was available. God normally works through means, so use the means God has made available. Hezekiah prayed to God and he applied a cake of figs, and the Lord healed him.You may have heard the story of the drowning man. A great storm came, and the riverbanks were about to burst. Everyone was ordered to evacuate. But the man said, “I trust in God. He will save me.”The neighbours begged him to leave, but the man refused. Sure enough, the river burst its banks, and the man had to climb onto his roof. Then came a man in a rowboat to take him to safety. But the man said, “I trust in God. He will save me.”The next morning, a helicopter dropped a rope ladder to pull the man to safety. The man refused. “I trust in God. He will save me.”But the following day, waters rose higher than the house, and the man drowned. At the gates of heaven, the man said to an angel, “I believed in God. Why didn’t He save me?”The angel replied, “God was the One who sent you the warning. He sent you the boat. And He sent you the helicopter!” God normally works through means, so we should use the means He has made available.Are you making use of the means God has made available to you?

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.’”Isaiah 38:4-5Let’s look at the happy ending of Hezekiah’s story. We will see what God did and how He did it. What we find in these verses speaks clearly to any crisis we may face today.Hezekiah is at the point of death. So, he prays to the Lord, and God says, “I have heard your prayer. I will heal your disease. You will live 15 more years, and I will deliver the city from the enemy who seeks to destroy it” (38:5-6, author’s paraphrase).Don’t miss the big picture of this chapter. Beginning at verse 9, we have a testimony written by Hezekiah after he recovered from the sickness. He gives us the inside story of his journey through this unexpected crisis—what he felt, what he feared, and how he prayed.Then at the end of this chapter are two verses that are almost like footnotes, but they are really important.Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?” (38:21-22).These verses illustrate a principle that is vital for Christian wisdom, and it speaks directly to any crisis we face today: God normally works through means, but there are some things only God can do.How have you seen God work “through means” in your own life? What things could only have been done by God?

“You have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.”Isaiah 38:17Maybe you will say today, “I have not sought God in prayer, and I don’t have a clear conscience. I can’t say that I have walked before God in faithfulness. I have not served Him with my whole heart. I have not done what is good in His sight. So how can I get a clean conscience? How can I seek the face of God in prayer?”This is the reason why Jesus Christ came into the world. Jesus lived the good and righteous life. He trusted in the Lord, and there was none like Him, either before Him or after Him. He stayed the course and did not depart from following God. The Lord was with Him, and the will of the Lord prospered in His hand.King Jesus did die, and through His death He made the way for Hezekiah’s sin, and ours, to be forgiven, so that our conscience could be cleansed and our prayers could be heard and answered.If you will turn to Jesus and submit to Him as your king today, you will be able to say with Hezekiah, “You have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back” (Isa. 38:17).Hezekiah was the best of the Old Testament kings. But Jesus is the greater king to whom he points. This king triumphed over death by the power of His resurrection. This king always lives to intercede for us. And when your life on earth is done, this king will welcome you home.Have you submitted to Jesus as your king? If not, why not ask Him to cast all your sins behind His back and to cleanse your conscience today?

Hezekiah wept bitterly.Isaiah 38:3When Hezekiah faced this unexpected crisis, the first thing he did was to pray, and the second thing he did was seek to live with a clear conscience. Notice what happened next: “Hezekiah wept bitterly” (38:3).Why did he weep bitterly? Why did Hezekiah not say like Paul, “To depart… is far better” (Phil. 1:23)? Or, “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (1:21)?One reason is that Hezekiah did not have the clarity of hope that we enjoy on this side of the resurrection of Jesus. Yet even in the Old Testament, Job was able to say, “I know that my Redeemer lives… And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:25-26).There is likely something more here: Hezekiah was convinced that his life’s work was not yet done. God had promised that the king who would bring hope to the whole world would be born into the line of David (2 Samuel 7). Hezekiah was in that line, but at this point he had no son.We know this because after he recovered from this illness, God gave him 15 more years (Isa. 38:5). And when he died, his son became king at the age of 12 (2 Kgs. 21:1).The reason this godly king had such a strong desire to live was his profound conviction that his life’s work was not yet done. If he has no son, how can the line of David continue? And if the line of David does not continue, how can God’s promise be fulfilled? Hezekiah must have a son, and if he is to have a son, he must live!So, he prayed. And God heard and answered his prayer. Hezekiah lived and he had a son. And so, the line of David continued, and Jesus Christ was eventually born into the world.What work might God be calling you to complete before your life is over?

“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.”Isaiah 38:3Hezekiah’s first response to the crisis was to seek the face of God in prayer. His second response was to seek to live with a clear conscience.Look again at Hezekiah’s prayer. Is he holding up his faithfulness as leverage in his prayer? Some commentators suggest that, but Hezekiah was a godly man, and godly people know that they are sinners.Hezekiah seems to be saying, “Well, if I am going to die, I am at peace with God.” He had a clear conscience, and in this unexpected crisis, a clear conscience brought him great comfort.What Hezekiah says is like what Paul said at the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).Notice why Hezekiah had a clear conscience. It wasn’t because he had never sinned. He says to God, “You have cast all my sins behind your back” (Isa. 38:17). “So, if it is time for me to go, I am ready.”Sooner or later all of us will leave this world and enter, fully conscious, into the presence of the Lord. Live in such a way that you are always ready for that day!Paul says, “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man” (Acts 24:16). In other words, “I always strive to live in such a way that if God calls me home I am ready to go.”That’s what Hezekiah did. He had a clear conscience, and when the crisis came it brought him great comfort.A prayer: “Lord, help me to live through crisis in such a way that I am always ready for the day you call me home. Help me to walk before you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and to do what is good in Your sight.”

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD.Isaiah 38:2How did Hezekiah respond to this unexpected crisis? How will you respond in a crisis?The first thing Hezekiah did was to seek the face of God in prayer. When Isaiah comes with grim news, Hezekiah turns to the wall and prays. There were any number of questions that the king could have asked. “How long do I have to live? Why is this happening? Where is God in all this?” But Hezekiah does not go there.The natural question is always to ask, “Why? What is God doing?” But wise Christians will remember Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”The secret things belong to the Lord! Hezekiah knows he can’t find what God has kept secret. But he takes hold of what God has revealed, which is that in any circumstance we can pray.Sometimes it is helpful to close our eyes when we pray, because it keeps us from being distracted. That’s the point here. Hezekiah turns away from Isaiah to seek the Lord in prayer.When we face crisis, may it be our first response to follow Hezekiah’s example and get serious about prayer. Prayer can change the course of history. Do you believe that?God is sovereign in all things, and His sovereignty includes the prayers of His people. We do not claim to know what He is doing. But the first instinct of a godly heart in any crisis is to turn towards God and pray.Do you believe that prayer can change the course of history? Do you believe it can change the course of your life?

In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death.Isaiah 38:1We are looking at the story of a godly king. And yet of this man we read that he became sick and was near death.This was a painful affliction. And it happened at the worst possible time. The king and all of God’s people were suddenly plunged into an unexpected crisis.Anyone who has become sick knows that it changes everything. Perhaps you are going through cancer treatment or receiving kidney dialysis. Or maybe you are experiencing pain when you move because of an injury.Why would God allow a godly king to become sick? What will happen to the people if this king dies? “We need him! Lord, please don’t take him from us!” Perhaps you have felt that about someone you love.Then Hezekiah receives a pastoral visit. “Isaiah the prophet… said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover’” (38:1). Imagine the shock for this godly king. There was no doubt about this: Thus says the Lord!Spoiler alert! This story has a good ending. Hezekiah recovers and God gives him another 15 years of life. But the value of the story for us is that it takes us through the stages of Hezekiah’s crisis: shock, hope, anguish, faith, and gratitude.At some time in your life, you may find yourself in crisis. Or you may be facing the shock of a crisis right now. Suddenly, your life that seemed so sure and plannable seems vulnerable and uncertain.What will this crisis mean for your family? What will it mean for your job? What will it mean for your finances? How will you get through it? How long will it last?Are you facing a shock that has left you feeling vulnerable and uncertain about the future?

[Hezekiah] did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.2 Kings 18:3Hezekiah was one of the best kings God’s people ever had. He was the son of Ahaz, who was one of the worst (16:1–4; 18:1). This reminds us that God can redeem people from the worst background and move their lives in a totally different direction.Here’s what the Bible tells us about Hezekiah:He lived a good and righteous lifeHe did what was right in the eyes of the LORD (18:3).He had great faithHe trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him (18:5).He stayed the courseHe held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses (18:6).God was with himThe LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered (18:7).You can’t get a better commendation than that. If someone were to say about you that you did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, that you trusted God and held fast to Him, that the Lord was with you, and that whatever you did prospered, you would be greatly blessed.How have you seen God redeem parts of your background that have brought you pain?

In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death.Isaiah 38:1“Those days” is a reference to a time when God’s people were under attack. The king of Assyria had invaded the Promised Land. He began in the north, where 10 tribes had broken away from the line of David. The northern kingdom was overwhelmed, and its people were scattered.This is a story about an unexpected change in the life of King Hezekiah. He was a direct descendent of David and he ruled in the south. And when the northern kingdom collapsed, the King of Assyria moved against the south, and demanded the king’s surrender. Hezekiah took the letter into the temple and spread it out before the Lord. This is how he prayed:“O LORD, our God, save us, please… that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone” (2 Kings 19:19).God answered Hezekiah’s prayer, and you can read the story of how the Lord delivered His people from the power of the Assyrian army in 2 Kings 19. It’s a great story, but then we read in 2 Kings 20, and here in Isaiah 38, that “in those days” Hezekiah became sick. The great king whose prayer was heard, was suddenly staring death in the face. God had delivered him from one crisis and now he was facing another!Think about a time you were delivered from one crisis only to face another. How did you respond?

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.Proverbs 11:24This seems counterintuitive. Surely if I give freely, I will have less. How does this principle work out in practice?Think about farming. The farmer has a sack of seed. What does he do? He scatters it freely. Then, when harvest comes, the seed comes back to him in greater abundance.The New Testament takes up this picture: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6).So here are two farmers, and they both have a sack of seed. The first one says, “This seed is very precious. I need it to make bread. I can’t afford to throw it around.” So he holds back most of his seed. When harvest comes, there’s not much for him to reap.The second farmer says, “This seed is very precious. I need it to make bread. But I know that if I sow this seed, it will multiply. So I will hold back only what I need, and everything else I will sow.” He sows bountifully, and when the harvest comes, he reaps bountifully.No one ever gave more freely than Jesus. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). “The Son of God… loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).What comes from His self-giving? The Father is honoured. We are blessed. And Jesus Christ Himself will see the fruit of the travail of His soul and be satisfied (Is. 53:11).That hasn’t happened yet. But it will. The day is coming when all the redeemed will be gathered, and Christ will stand before the Father and say, “Behold, I and the children God has given me” (Heb. 2:13).Are you holding back, or are you giving freely, so that what you have can be multiplied in God’s hands?

Honour the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty.Proverbs 3:9–10“Honour” means “give weight to.” Give weight to the Lord with your wealth. You do this by laying aside a portion of all that God has given you and giving it back to Him.What should you put aside?“The firstfruits of all your produce.” Firstfruits are the first part of whatever comes to you. God is honoured when what we set aside for Him is our first commitment, not what’s left when our other costs are met. What we give comes first. It is to be taken off the top.Perhaps this is what you have been doing, and you can testify to the blessing of it. You wonder, “How are we going to manage?” And by God’s grace and with wise planning, you do.How much should you give?In the Old Testament God’s people gave a tithe, 10 percent of all that God had given to them. But there is no place in the New Testament where God tells us how much we should give.Charles Bridges says, “The law dealt with us as children and prescribed the exact amount. The gospel treats us as men, and leaves it to circumstance, principle, and conscience.”“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).God does not command you with regard to how much you should pray. It should arise out of a desire for communion with God. A law about how much you should pray would kill that.The same is true for giving. God wants our giving to come out of love for Him. The choices you make will reflect your heart. And as you grow in Christ, your desire for giving will increase.Are you giving “weight” to God, honouring Him with your giving?

Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.Proverbs 30:8-9Proverbs warns us about four temptations that will come with money.1. The temptation to controlThe people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it (11:26). God has blessed this merchant with a good crop, but he holds it back to drive up the price. To only consider the bottom line, and not to weigh the common good, will be cursed. To subordinate your own interest to the good of others will be blessed.2. The temptation to cheatUnequal weights are an abomination to the LORD (20:23). A merchant pours grain on the scales with a weight that says 10 pounds. But it’s actually 8 pounds. The customer gets shortchanged. There are so many ways this can happen. What’s hidden in the small print. The added costs that are not mentioned. Money will tempt you to cheat.3. The temptation to credit yourselfA rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out (28:11). A distinctive temptation that money brings is to credit it to ourselves. “Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth” (Deut. 8:18).4. The temptation to deny the LordGive me neither poverty nor riches... lest I be full and deny you” (Prov. 30:8-9). This is the only prayer in Proverbs, and it is a prayer of wisdom. “All I want is to have what I need.” Notice why: If I am too poor, I may be tempted to steal. But if I prosper, I will be tempted to say, “I really don’t need God.” That is the temptation that success will bring you.Of these four temptations, which are you most vulnerable to?

No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and money.Matthew 6:24If money is a blessing, how can it also be a danger? Because money is a power. It lures us as a rival god and then makes increasing demands. It will seek to take control of your life. Money is a great servant, but it is not a good master.We must all give an account for what we did with the money God has entrusted to us. The more we have, the greater our responsibility. So, we need to know the dangers. What dangers does money bring?Money can ruin youAn inheritance gained hastily in the beginning will not be blessed in the end (Prov. 20:21). This proverb focuses on the dangers of money that comes quickly. What would be the effect on your children if suddenly they inherited a large amount of money? Think about the capacity of a person to handle the responsibility that comes with it. The same applies to lottery winnings and lawsuits, other ways to gain wealth hastily.Instead, Proverbs commends the value of money saved over time. “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it” (13:11). As your money grows, your wisdom can grow with it.Money can’t save youRiches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death (11:4). Money makes us comfortable in this world. It distracts us from the reality that none of us will be here for long. “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mk. 8:36).Money is fleeting. The only solid and lasting things are things that are unseen! “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is” (Col. 3:1).Which of these two warnings about money did you need to hear today?

A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich… The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.Proverbs 10:4, 22Solomon affirms the reward of hard work. But then he goes on to say that the blessing of the Lord makes one rich. So, which is it, Solomon? Does it depend on our hard work, or does it depend on the Lord?If you put these two statements together, they remind us of the important truth that God works through means. And the normal means by which God prospers us is the diligent work of our hands.So, while our work may be the means of blessing, God is the source of blessing. “The blessing of the Lord makes rich.” Psalm 127 says, “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain” (Ps. 127:1).Sometimes people who have money are not able to enjoy it. Some sorrow came with it—either they have guilt over how they got it or they have fear over how they might lose it.But when you know that what you have came through the blessing of God, you have freedom and peace to enjoy it, and no sorrow is added. Proverbs celebrates the blessing of money as a good gift from the Lord.Reflect on this statement: “While our work may be the means of blessing, God is the source of blessing.”

“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”John 17:4If we want to have the joy that Jesus had, we need to live like Jesus lived. This was His approach to the work the Father gave Him to do:Jesus began earlyThe sluggard was slow to start but at the age of twelve, Jesus was in the temple (Lk. 2:49). He gave Himself to the Father’s business, and He did it out of love for the Father and out of love for us.Is there something you’ve been putting off? Are you aware of your need to get right with God and seek the new life Jesus offers? C. S. Lewis says that the devil has many ways of ruining souls, and his most effective way is to make people think that they have plenty of time. But the Bible says, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart!” (Heb. 3:15).Jesus stayed focused“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work” (Jn. 9:4). Where in your life do you need to stay focused and to persevere? Jesus set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. When you are discouraged, do not be distracted from doing the will of the Father no matter how costly it may be.Jesus completed His workI glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do (John 17:4). Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and He has done it. Everything that is needed to bring you from where you are to the eternal joy of heaven has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ.Jesus entered His restRight now, He is seated at the right hand of the Father where He is ready to save all who look to Him in repentance and faith. May it be that each of us becomes like Him.Is there something God is prompting you to do? Start early, stay focused, and persevere until you enter His rest.

Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.Galatians 6:9Author and professor Rebecca DeYoung describes laziness or sloth as “resistance to the demands of love.” Then she talks about what can all too easily happen in a marriage—a husband and wife get into an argument, and they retreat to different parts of the house. It’s easier to stay at a miserable distance than to do the hard work of reconciling.As DeYoung says, “Do they want the relationship? Yes… But do they want to do what it takes…? Well maybe tomorrow. For now at least, each spouse wants the night off to wallow in his or her own selfish loneliness.”Look honestly at your own life: Where are there sins that need to be confessed? Where do the broken walls of trust need to be repaired? Where have you neglected the care that God has called you to give, the work He has called you to do?Repentance is hard work. You may say, “There’s no point. Nothing I do will make any difference.” But God says, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (6:9).It is a great sin to let love die because you are too lazy to do what it takes to keep it alive. And it is a tragic loss to miss eternal life because you are too lazy to do what it takes to find it.Is there a relationship in your own life that needs repair? Are you willing to do what it takes to keep it alive?

I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.Proverbs 24:30–31Picture a wise man walking in the countryside. First, he goes past a field of ripening corn. Then he goes past a vineyard with clusters of grapes on the vine. Then he goes past a little vegetable garden. It’s going to be a good harvest, he thinks, and when it comes, these people will be blessed.But then he comes to a property that looks very different. This field is overgrown with thorns, and the stone wall is broken down.The tragedy of the neglected field is not just that the sluggard has failed to provide for himself but that he is not able to contribute to the needs of others.“The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labour. All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back” (21:25–26).God gave the sluggard a field that would produce all that he needed for himself and more that he could have given to others. But he did not use what God had entrusted to him, so the field became overgrown, and the wall was broken down.Love is the great biblical motive for work. “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph. 4:28).Love is the great motive for all of our work, and it begins with our love for God.How might your attitude toward work change if you were motivated by love for God and for others?

The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.Proverbs 20:4Here is how Proverbs describes the sluggard, or the unproductive person:He is slow to startThe sluggard does not plough in the autumn (20:4). This draws attention to the long-term effects of putting off the things we need to do. There is a season for ploughing, for sowing, and for reaping. Ploughing is hard work, and the sluggard does not want to do it. He procrastinates. “It’s not good weather today. I’ll get around to it tomorrow.”He is easily distractedHe who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty (28:19). The sluggard lacks focus. The person who is fascinated with everything achieves nothing. Through a thousand small concessions to his own flesh, he never gets around to doing what God has called him to do.He doesn’t finishWhoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth (12:27). Clearly, the person who is slow to start and is easily distracted won’t be able to finish. The pattern of his life is that he is always moving on to something else. Something new catches his eye and off he goes, leaving a trail of unfinished business.He never restsThis is surprising because he is hinged to his bed! But the irony is that the person who keeps putting off what needs to be done never rests. God rested when He had completed His work. And the price of putting off what God has called you to do is that you never really rest.“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied” (13:4). Laziness will empty your wallet, but it will do something worse: Laziness will destroy your soul.Would you say you struggle more with getting started, being distracted, or finishing the job?

The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.Proverbs 19:24We are looking today at the theme of work, or more precisely, its opposite.The book of Proverbs introduces us to a tragic character whose life ends in ruin. The name of this character is the sluggard. He is referred to 14 times.The sluggard is presented in comic terms, like when you see a caricature of a politician or a celebrity. Some aspect of their face is exaggerated, but you immediately know who it is.So, for example, we read “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth” (19:24). The sluggard loads the food onto his fork, but lifting it to his mouth is just too much effort.Then we read, “As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed” (26:14). The problem is not just that he likes to lie in bed, the problem is that he is seemingly hinged to his bed. He turns one way and then the other, but he can’t get up!The sluggard is also full of excuses. He always has a reason for not doing the work that needs to get done. The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” (22:13).We are meant to smile at this, but we are also meant to be warned about the dangers of laziness. If you are a person who works hard, your natural reaction will be, “This is a message for others but not for me.” Well, not so fast! There is something here for all of us.What is your initial reaction to the sluggard?

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.Psalm 19:14Your words will be a blessing when you have:An open earLet every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger (Jas. 1:19). Having an open ear means listening to the words of others. It also means listening to the Word of God. “Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips” (Prov. 22:17-18). The “words of the wise” are the words of Scripture. What are you listening to? Open your ear to the wisdom of God.A pure heartThe heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips (Prov. 16:23). Our words reveal the state of our hearts. Angry words are the fruit of an angry heart. Gracious words are the fruit of a grace-filled heart. No human can tame the tongue (Jas. 3:8). Only God can do that, and God changes the tongue by changing the heart. That is why David said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10).A cleansed mouthWhen Isaiah saw a vision of God, he was overwhelmed by His holiness. He felt his own sin as never before, especially his sins of speech. “I am a man of unclean lips” (Is. 6:5).An angel picked up a burning coal from the altar of God and pressed it onto Isaiah’s mouth. Jesus died on the altar of the cross for all of our sins, including the sins of our lips. And God’s provision for sin touched Isaiah where he needed it most. “This has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” (6:7).Ask God to open your ears to His Word, ask Him to purify your heart, and ask Him to touch your lips with the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood.

“What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart.”Matthew 15:18The Proverbs encourage us to speak in certain ways, and to avoid speaking in other ways. Let’s frame four prayers from the book of Proverbs, asking for God’s help with our words.Lord, help me to speak with restraintThe heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things (15:28).Words pour out of the mouth of the wicked, but the heart of the righteous ponders how to answer. Self-expression is a leading idol in our culture. “I must say what I think. I must say what I feel!” Must you? “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back” (29:11).Lord, help me to speak with humilityLet another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips (27:2).Lord, help me to speak with wisdomTo make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is! (15:23). What you say may be right, but if the way you say it is harsh, it will do no good. The right word spoken at the right time in the right way is a thing of great beauty.Lord, help me to speak with graceGracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body (16:24). Don’t ever fall for the idea that soft, gentle, or gracious means weak. “With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone” (25:15).Try to take this in: A soft tongue, a gentle tongue, a gracious tongue, is stronger than bone! Grace can change a heart of stone. How did God change your heart? Was it not His grace that won you? Was it not His kindness that led you to repentance (Rom. 2:4)?Lord, help us speak with restraint, humility, wisdom, and grace.Which of these prayers would be most helpful to you today?

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.Proverbs 18:21What you say comes out of you, but it also goes down inside you. It goes to the stomach (18:20). Your own cursing will go deep down into your own soul. They are bitter fruits, and they will make your soul sick. You will eat your own words.The tongue is the means by which we bring great help or harm to others and to ourselves. Speaking life words or death words will have a profound effect on others, but it will also have a profound effect on you.We all eat our own words, and what we eat will either be sweet or bitter. What brings help to others will bring help to us. What brings harm to others will bring harm to us.Consider this: “On the day of judgement people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Mat. 12:36). God will hold us accountable not only for what we did but also for what we said. Freedom of speech is a wonderful gift and an awesome responsibility. One day, we will have to give an account for every careless word that has come from our lips.God hears and knows every word that you have ever spoken (Ps. 139:4). He knows every word you say in private, and every word you write online is known and weighed by Almighty God.God holds us accountable not only for what we do but also for what we say, and when you see this, you will know how much you need a Saviour.When have your words to others tasted sweet to you? When have your words to others tasted bitter down into your soul?

Death and life are in the power of the tongue.Proverbs 18:21We have looked at the way of wisdom in relation to friends and family, and today we come to wisdom in our words. There are more proverbs on what we say than on any other subject. The tongue is the means by which we bring the greatest help or harm to others.There is death in the power of the tongueThere is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts (12:18). The tongue is a weapon that can wound another person deeply. If you carry a weapon that can wound, you have to carry it with great care. Words that burst out can bring deep wounds. You may have felt the power of this: “You’ll never amount to anything.” Death is in the power of the tongue.There is also life in the power of the tongueThe tongue of the wise brings healing (12:18). Christian counsellor Larry Crabb says that as a youngster, he developed a humiliating problem with stuttering. One Sunday Larry found the courage to lead a public prayer for the first time.“Stuttering throughout, I finally thought of the word Amen… said it and sat down… solemnly vowing never again to pray or speak aloud in front of a group.“When the service was over I darted for the door… An older Christian man named Jim Dunbar intercepted me… ‘Larry,’ he said… ‘Whatever you do for the Lord, I’m behind you one thousand percent.’“Even as I write these words, my eyes fill with tears… Those words were life words. They had power. They reached deep into my being. My resolve never again to speak in public weakened instantly.”Can you think of a time when someone’s words brought healing to you? Look for opportunities to bring life to others through your words.

My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live.Proverbs 7:1-2The only commands that are life-giving are the words and commands of God. But here is a father who has made God’s words his own: “My teaching. My words. My commandments.” What he commends to his son is what he pursues himself. That is the power of example.If you are a parent, a great motivation for living a godly life is to give your children a credible example to follow. “God’s words are the words I believe. God’s way is the way that I follow.”How are you going to do that? The way to walk in obedience is to walk by faith. A life-giving relationship with God is based on trust. Solomon says, to his son, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (3:5).You can’t say that to your children unless you are doing it yourself. So, trust in the Lord with all your heart, especially when it comes to your children!Scottish pastor William Still never had the joy of being a father, yet he gave this wise counsel to parents: Bring your children up in faith, not fear. Trust God with your children. You fear what sin can do to them. Trust what God can do in them. You fear the pressure of school, media, and culture. Trust what God can do through His Spirit and His Word.Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Give your children reason to think, “My father and mother trust God, even when it comes to me!”Who can you be an example for in the next generation?

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.Proverbs 22:6Remember that the Proverbs are not promises. Still, this is a stunning statement: Your influence in the lives of your children goes deeper than you may think. It will still be with them, even when they are old!The thief on the cross lived his life in rebellion against God, yet he said to the thief on the other side of Jesus: “Do you not fear God?” (Lk. 23:40). Where did that come from? Some awareness of a God to whom we must give account had been planted in his soul.So, if you have a rebel son or daughter, don’t despair. The living seed of God’s Word has been planted. Who knows what God may yet do with it?Your children need restraint as well as affirmation. “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him” (Prov. 22:15). Parents who believe that folly is deeply rooted in the human heart will focus, not only on affirmation but also on restraint.Is the Bible telling us to beat our children with sticks? No! Bible scholar Christopher Wright points to Psalm 23:4: “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Why would David say that the rod was a comfort to him?The shepherd used the rod to fend off wild animals. The sheep had the comfort of knowing that they would not be left at the mercy of enemies that would destroy them. You will bring your children great comfort if they know that you will not allow them to follow destructive impulses.If you have children, ask the Lord to help you bring them up in faith, not in fear. If they are far from God, ask Him to bring them back.

A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.Proverbs 10:1You might be surprised to hear that the largest number of proverbs relating to family life are addressed to parents and to children. Let’s begin with God’s wisdom for children.Always seek to bring joy to your parentsHonour your father and your mother (Ex. 20:12). The word honour means “give weight to” or “regard as heavy.” So, to honour your parents means to give weight to what they say.If someone asked you to name the sins on which Romans 1 says the wrath of God will come, would you say “disobedience to parents”? It’s there (1:30). Paul says that in the last days people will be lovers of self and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and one of the signs of this is that they will be “disobedient to their parents” (2 Tim. 3:2-4).Always be willing to learnA wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke (13:1). When you are young, you can easily feel that you know it all. But as you grow older you realise that you don’t know as much as you thought you did.Solomon says, “Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (26:12). Why is there more hope for a fool? Because the fool knows that he needs to learn.This is why the Bible says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (9:10). Wisdom begins when I see that I don’t have it and I need to receive it from the Lord through His Word.Recognise that you need to learn, and listen to those God has placed around you, starting with your parents.How would you rate yourself on a scale of (1) “I have all the wisdom I need” to (10) “I still have plenty to learn”?

He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord.Proverbs 18:22Your spouse is a gift from the Lord. These are the words of Solomon to his son Rehoboam, and this wise father commends marriage to his son as a good thing. Marriage is a good gift from the Lord.We live in a culture that flaunts freedom. “Who wants to be tied down?” The Bible has a very different view of marriage. Solomon says to his son, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband” (12:4).The book of Proverbs ends with a poem in praise of a good wife: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all” (31:29). The wise husband appreciates his wife. He tells her where she excels.Ray Ortlund points out that when the word “husband” is used as a verb, it means “to cultivate.” When we talk about “husbandry” we are talking about care and cultivation.If God has trusted you with the gift of a wife, your job as a husband is to create the conditions in which she can flourish. That’s what it means to be a husband. “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25).Likewise, Solomon speaks of a wife’s responsibility to her husband: “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life” (Prov. 31:11-12).“Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favour and good success in the sight of God and man” (Prov. 3:3-4).If you are married, how could you help your spouse flourish?

A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.Proverbs 18:19If you have a good relationship with your brother or sister, cherish it and guard it, because Proverbs reminds us that close relationships are vulnerable to deep wounds that don’t heal easily. “A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city.” You see this in the Old Testament. The first children born into the world were two boys, Cain and Abel. One was jealous of the other and, in the end, he killed him. Then you have the story of Joseph and his jealous brothers, who sold him into slavery.And in the New Testament, two brothers came to Jesus because they were quarrelling over an inheritance (Lk. 12:13). We are also told that the family of Jesus—that is, His brothers and sisters—said that He was out of His mind (Mk. 3:21; also see Mk. 6:3). So, if the jealousy of a brother or sister is a trial in your life, Jesus has been there. He knows what this is like. “A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle” (Prov. 18:19).The closer the relationship, the stronger the bars that keep you apart when it has been strained. Here’s why: When a close relationship breaks down, the offended brother will say, “Well, if something that seemed so good proved hollow, what is the point of trying to restore it?”Close relationships are vulnerable to deep wounds, so handle them with special care. Another proverb says, “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out” (17:14).If there are “bars of a castle” in your heart right now, ask God to take them down. If they are in your sibling’s heart, ask God to help you do what you can to make things better.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.Proverbs 18:24The Lord Jesus Christ is the best friend you can ever have.1. Jesus will always be with youHe says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:4). No one else can say this to you. In every adversity, in life and in death, Jesus is the friend who will always be with you.2. The words of Jesus are sweetWhen others were abandoning Jesus, He asked His disciples, “Do you want to go away as well?” Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn. 6:67-68). The words of Jesus make the heart glad. They are sweeter than honey (Ps. 19:10).3. The love of Jesus will never let you goHe loved you before the world began, and He will love you forever. “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3). Consider what a friend the Son of God can be to you!It was love that caused Him to come into the world and stand with us in adversity. He came near to us to make us His friends.It was love that led Him to take on flesh, to experience the heavy heart for Himself, and even to lay down His life. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13-15).Now Jesus is in heaven, where in love He intercedes for you. In Him you have unrestricted access to the Father. His love will cover all your sins. And you will never wear out your welcome with God.So, open your life most fully to the friend you can trust most deeply. There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother, and His name is Jesus.Are you holding back from Jesus? Or are you opening more and more of your life to Him?

Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend, and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbour who is near than a brother who is far away.Proverbs 27:10What are the qualities of a true friend? How can you be a better friend? Proverbs gives us a profile of a true friend.1. A true friend is presentDo not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity. Better is a neighbour who is near. (27:10). When calamity comes you can’t show up at your brother’s house if you only have a distant relationship. Cultivate friends who are nearby. These are the people who will be there for you when trouble comes. A true friend will be present in times of trouble.2. A true friend brings sweet counselOil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel (27:9). A true friend speaks into your life in a way that always does you good. Because the true friend has deep access to your life, he or she is able to tell you things that others would not. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (27:6).3. A true friend loves at all timesA friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (17:17). When Jesus came to Gethsemane, the friends who loved Him forsook Him. When Paul first stood trial, no one stood with him. But he says, “The Lord stood by me and strengthened me” (2 Tim. 4:17).How can you be a true friend? By your presence, your words, and your love. To become that kind of friend, you need to walk with someone who can be that kind of friend to you.In which of these three areas could you become a better friend?

Let your foot be seldom in your neighbour’s house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you.Proverbs 25:17Proverbs gives us two ways to guard our friendships:First, by being considerateThe easiest way to kill a good friendship is to become demanding. Here is a person who becomes friends with his neighbour, but then he overdoes it! Eventually the neighbour has had enough.Be considerate not only of your friend’s time but also of his or her mood. “Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda” (Prov. 25:20).Here we have a person who is insensitive to the feelings of others. It’s like taking off a garment on a cold day. It will have a chilling effect on the friendship. And more than that, it can produce an explosive reaction like vinegar on soda. Your singing can make your friend’s sorrow worse.How wonderful then that our Lord Jesus Christ knows us completely. He knows what it is to have a heavy heart. He was once in a garden when his heart was sorrowful to the point of death. He is able to “sympathise with our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15).Second, by being discreetWhoever covers an offence seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends (Prov. 17:9).A close friend is someone who trusts you enough to open up his or her life to you. If you have been given that trust, you must honour it. Nothing kills a friendship more quickly than repeating to others what was trusted in private conversation to you.How can you have good friends? Seek friends intentionally. Choose your friends wisely. Guard your friendships carefully.Thank God for a friend who has been considerate of your needs or discreet with a trusted secret.