READING:
One-year plan: Isaiah 38-42
Two-year plan: Isaiah 37, Colossians 1:1-14
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Here’s one of the stories in today’s reading. Hezekiah was the king, and he became terminally ill. The prophet Isaiah even told him to get his house in order, for he was about to die. In great grief, the king wept bitterly and prayed to God. The Lord heard his prayers and sent a response through Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add fifteen years to your life’” (Isa 38:5).
There is so much in this verse that ought to amaze us. First, God heard Hezekiah’s prayer. The king spoke, and the One who rules over kings heard him. God was tuned in to the prayers of His leader. Second, God saw Hezekiah’s tears. Not a tear fell that God did not see; not a sob echoed from the king’s lips without God’s paying attention to it. Third, God not only heard the prayers and saw the tears, but he also granted Hezekiah 15 more years of life. He did so not because Hezekiah had earned it, but because He was gracious and loving. God gave the king more life simply because He saw it best to do so for His own glory and purposes.
I remain amazed that the true God who created all things had an ongoing conversation with Hezekiah about his miraculous healing. In some ways, though, God’s willingness to hear our cries, see our tears, and respond to our requests is equally miraculous. Be amazed at God today.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Are you amazed by a listening and responding God?
PRAYER: “God, I praise You for hearing the cries of Your children.”
TOMORROW’S READING:
One-year plan: Isaiah 43-47
Two-year plan: Isaiah 38-40, Colossians 1:15-2:3
MEMORIZATION VERSE (August 1-15)
“Trust in the Lord forever, because in the Lord, the Lord himself, is an everlasting rock!” (Isa 26:4)
