Context No. 2937 of 4322 · 2 Kings

2 Kings 20:1-6: in context

1In those days Hezekiah was sick and dying. Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “The LORD says, ‘Set your house in order; for you will die, and not live.’” 2Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD, saying, 3“Remember now, LORD, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4Before Isaiah had gone out into the middle part of the city, the LORD’s word came to him, saying, 5“Turn back, and tell Hezekiah the prince of my people, ‘The LORD, the God of David your father, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day, you will go up to the LORD’s house. 6I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.”’”

Hezekiah is sick and dying, and Isaiah brings him a hard word from the LORD: set your house in order, for you will die and not live. Hezekiah turns his face to the wall and prays, weeping, recalling how he has walked before God in truth with a whole heart. And before Isaiah has even left the middle of the courtyard, God's word comes back to him: return and tell Hezekiah, I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; I will heal you and add fifteen years to your life.

God had spoken a settled verdict, you will die, and Hezekiah prayed anyway, and God responded to the prayer and the tears. This is not prayer as a trick that overrides God's will; it is a window onto a God who genuinely hears and responds to the cries of his people, who sees tears and is moved by them. The dying king's honest, weeping prayer reached the heart of God. It is an encouragement to bring even our most desperate petitions to a God who truly hears.

Do I bring even my most desperate prayers to God, believing that he truly hears me and sees my tears?

Sources

2 Kings 20:5: "I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you."
Psalm 56:8: "You count my wanderings. You put my tears into your container."
James 5:16: "The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective."