A Right Prayer Brings Healing

Hezekiah was a good king.

That sounds like a simple statement to make. But the truth is, he was the first good king in a lineage of many corrupt kings. His father, Ahaz had committed many evils and had led the people of Judah away from God. So far away, in fact that he closed the temple which Solomon built. 

And, there was no place for God.

In effect, God had been banished from a land He had given, to a people He had chosen. Can you imagine? What if you gave someone a house to live in, but you were never welcome there? I mean, like what if you custom built a house for them, and paid for it. And it was a place you expected to hang out with them. But then they boarded it up, moved out and chose not to live in it. How ungrateful would that be? 

So I imagine Hezekiah growing up in that culture with a boarded up Temple of God and all sorts of idols and altars built for worship to foreign gods all around him. But he had a heart to seek after the God of Israel... the God of his ancestors. So on the first day of the first month that he was king, he reopened the temple. And he sought to educate and restore the people to God.

And God was welcomed home.

Even though many of the people had been raised without knowing God, many were eager to learn. So they came to the festivals, they brought their offerings, they did the best that they could no matter if they knew all the 'rules' or not.

Although most of the many people
who came from Ephraim,
Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun
had not purified themselves,
yet they ate the Passover,
​contrary to what was written.
But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying,
“May the Lord,
who is good, pardon everyone
who sets their heart on seeking God...
the Lord, the God of their ancestors
even if they are not clean
according to the rules
of the sanctuary.”
And the Lord heard Hezekiah
and healed the people.
2 Chronicles 30:18-20 NIV

And God healed the people.

Because of the prayers of Hezekiah, an entire nation was healed. They didn't have to know how to act. They only needed someone to lead the way... someone to pray for them and encourage them. They needed someone bold enough to show them what righteousness was all about.

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
James 5:16 NIV

Let us pray for one another.

For there is much healing that we need. We may not always know all the 'rules' of God, but we don't have to. We simply need a right heart... one that desires to know Him. And if we will pray with that heart to Him, seeking wisdom, seeking change, seeking healing... He will answer.

Hezekiah didn't come from a perfect family that always did things right. He had to just stand up one day and make a change. He had to go against the grain, against the culture, against the societal norm. And I'm sure it wasn't easy at first. But an entire nation was changed because he opened the doors to the temple... because he prayed.

Let us open the door

If we too will be bold enough to go counter culture, we can open the door for someone else who needs to find their way to God... someone who needs healing. It doesn't have to be some grand gesture. It can be a simple act. 

So let us open the way
with our words
with our prayers
with our influence
with our instagram
with our smile
with our work
with our service
with our posture
with our praise!