First Presbyterian
Church of Inglewood
100 North Hillcrest Ave
Inglewood, California
90301
Telephone numbers: (310) 677-5133 Fax (310) 330-8342
Electronic mail: PRESBYTS@SBCGLOBAL.NET
Sunday, October 25,
2009
Rev. Dr. Harold E. Kidd
Lupus Awareness Sunday
Isaiah 38: 1 - 8
HOLD BACK THE NIGHT
“In those days Hezekiah
became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, ‘This is what the Lord says: Put
your house in order, because you are going to die, you will not recover.’
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ‘Remember, O Lord,how I have walked before you faithfully and with
wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.’ And Hezekiah
wept bitterly.”
May the Lord bless our
understanding of these words. I would imagine that most of us are familiar with
the story of King Hezekiah. Of all the kings of
At the time of
Hezekiah’s accession to the throne,
Leadership with a heart
for God, leadership with a commitment to serve in the better interests of God’s
people will be a blessing to the people. But leadership that is only after
selfish gain with no consciousness of doing what is right in the sight of God,
will bring suffering and misery upon the people. And we see the truth in this Proverb (Proverbs
14:34) fulfilling itself every day in the world in which we live.
Hezekiah was a good
king, one who feared God and avoided evil. 2Kings 18:5 says, “He trusted in the
Lord God of
Youth and Young Adults of
today, give God the best years of your service while you are still young. The
Lord will get more out of you, and you will find that it pays to serve God in
the days of your youth because time passes in the twinkling of an eye.
Because of this young
king’s leadership,
It is estimated
somewhere in the middle of his kingship, around the fourteenth year of his
reign that Hezekiah became gravely ill. Sick unto death. Hezekiah became ill in
the prime of his youth. He would have been at this time about 39 years of age.
Some like Hezekiah may
have been diagnosed with an illness in the prime of life, in the season of their youth, in a time
when perhaps all the blessings and adventures awaiting you in life were before
you. Just when it appeared Hezkeiah had reached the
zenith of his career and when life was in the sunshine of living, he was
confronted with an unforseen enemy, illness.
It’s not just the
elderly who are prone to becoming ill, but the young as well. He was only 39.
What a blessing it is for us to appreciate our health, honor our health, take
care of our health, while we are in a season of good health. Amen. Because we
never know when our health might begin to fail. Whether we are 15, 39 or 82,
we’re all just living on borrowed time. Our tomorrows are not promised whether
we’re young or old, sick or well. So we have to maximize the stewardship of our
time and our health that God does give us upon this earth. Well, Hezekiah was a
righteous king he went about doing good.
Yet, no matter how good
we are, no matter how much we have going for us, sometimes we just can’t
predict why, some things befall us, changing our life plans in the season of
our youth, or middle age, or senior years.
But even then, God
knows and He cares. Because God sent the prophet Isaiah, to prepare Hezekiah
for this new season that was coming, saying, “Put your house in order for
tomorrow you are going to die and you will not recover.”
My understanding of this text is not that God
willed this disease upon the king, but God because God is Omniscient, meaning
God knows all things, God saw it coming even when Hezekiah did not. Even when
bad things befall us, we should take heart because our Loving God has already
seen it coming into our lives, and he will be with us. God never slumbers nor
sleeps. God told the prophet Isaiah to inform Hezekiah, “Put your house in
order because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
“Put your house in order,”
might be interpreted in at least two ways. It could mean, death is imminent,
make final arrangements, because there is no hope. But it could also mean, make
the most of the time you have. Reassess your priorities, within the context of
your limitations, live life to the fullest, love life, enjoy life, enjoy
family, do not worry about tomorrow, because God is our tomorrow. And tomorrow
is not promised to anybody whether they be well or sick.
Surely, this news of
impending death had to take Hezekiah by surprise, it had to have some type of
negative effect upon him as he came to grips with his own mortality, as he
viewed the future of his life now slipping away from him. It must have shaken
him. In the midst of all that his news did to him, Hezekiah turned to God, his
only true refuge, his only true hope, Yes, Hezekiah turned to the Lord God who
alone is omnipotent.
He turned to God and he
prayed. Now the text only tells us that he prayed. But what it doesn’t tell us how
long he prayed. I would imagine that Hezekiah prayed and he kept on praying. I
would just believe that this prayer was answered over many days and months. And
not just all at once. Because the Lord uses our trials to teach us how to pray
through. He teaches us how to pray until we have a breakthrough. There is
something about prayer that has a keeping power. That when everything else has
failed, when there seem to be no recognizable solutions, when man and woman
cannot help us; when the doctors have said we’ve done all we can do, God yet keep
us, through our prayers.
Verse 2 informs us that
Hezekiah didn’t just pray, but he wept bitterly. Well, who wouldn’t shed some
tear at the news their life is about to end? Who wouldn’t shed some tears in
response to the effects that illness can have on the mind, body and soul? And even our relationships with
those whom we love. Some just can’t handle the sickness of others. Lord have
mercy.
Who wouldn’t shed some tears at the reality
the life they once enjoyed is being exchanged for a cross of suffering. Yes, Hezekiah
prayed and he wept.
But God hears every
prayer and He will wipe away every tear. He is the God of all comfort (Is.40:1). And in response to Hezekiah’s fervent prayer,
God extended his life by another 15 years. It doesn’t matter what we’ve got, if
we pray to God, God can reverse the prognosis, God can hold back the night.
In one sense the night
symbolizes the evening of our lives. The night, when life is coming to closure
in our declining years. “I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is
day”, says Jesus, “because the night comes when no man or woman can work.” The
night, when one’s time is winding up. The night, when our resources have all
but dried up. The night, when the darkness of doubt and disbelief cover any
light of hope for the future. But God specializes in holding back the night.
God can make time work
for us and not against us. God can, if you will, give us a season of remission,
when whatever it is we are suffering from, or going thru go no further. God can
hold back the night, to give us the needed time in order that a new trial drug
is produced, a new procedure found, a specialist doctor discovered, a new
kidney identified, that will help us to keep on keeping on, until our healing
comes. And even when the healing doesn’t come as an illness free life, the
healing does come in that His Grace is Sufficient.
Hold back the night
God. Give us we pray thee, an extension of time that allows us and enables us
to complete your purposes for our lives. Hold back the night God, so that we
can continue to live life as victors rather than victims. Hold back the night
God, we pray so that we can bear witness to what your grace and mercy are doing
in the midst of the cancer, in the midst of the lupus, in the midst of the diabetes,
sickle cell, stroke, MS, or Parkinson’s.
Whatever it may be,
we’re praying, “Hold back the night God”, so that we can once again smell the roses.
Hold back the night, God, so that others may see in us your wonder-working power.
Hold back the night, God, there’s still some living to do. Hold back the night,
God, I want to see my children grow up. Hold back the night, God, so that
others might come to believe through my witness that you are the Lord God
omnipotent!
Well, in response to
Hezekiah’s prayer God gave him an additional 15 years. Hallelujah! It may not
sound like much to some, but one can do a whole lot of living in 15 years. And
King Hezekiah did just that. But with God, we’ll take whatever He’s willing to
give. This miraculous healing by God,
this addition of 15 years by God to Hezekiah’s life reminds us that it is God
who determines the length of our lives. God is the source and strength of our
lives. God is the one who keeps on making a way. Our lives in sickness and in
health, are in His hands.
Thank God this morning
that our lives are in His hands. Yes, many things about tomorrow we don’t seem
to understand, but we know who holds tomorrow and we know who holds our hands.