Unchanging Comfort

I was so encouraged this morning in my devotions as I read Isaiah 38.  King Hezekiah had been ruler over Judah for 14 years and he was the same age as I am now, 39, when he got deathly sick.  It was so bad that the prophet Isaiah came and told him that he better get his house in order because he was going to die.  Have you ever felt like you were dying?  Sometimes in the last few years as I have dealt with seizures and other health issues I have wondered if I was (although I don't think I was actually close to dying, I just knew something wasn't right).  It's not a fun feeling.  In fact, it's rather scary.  I can identify with Hezekiah's response.

When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you." Then he broke down and wept bitterly.

Isaiah 38:2-3

I love how God responded to Hezekiah's sorrow- it's such a comfort to know that God SEES ME!

"This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears."

Isaiah 38:5

Well, God added 15 years onto Hezekiah's life, and I can also identify with Hezekiah's thoughts concerning what he had been through.  My sickness the last few years has made me learn so much and deepened my relationship with God.

Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt.

Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health.

You restore my health and allow me to live!

Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death and forgiven my sins.

Only the living can praise you as I do today.

Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next.

Think of it- the LORD is ready to heal me!

I will sing his praises with instruments

every day of my life in the Temple of the LORD.

Isaiah 38:15-17,19-20.

It's amazing how something written almost 3,000 years ago is still so relevant and applicable to me today.  God never changes, and that is a comfort.