God Can Turn it Around - Celebrate New Life Tabernacle

38 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, "Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover." 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 and said, "Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 "Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and will defend this city. 7 "This shall be the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he has promised: 8 Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps." So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined. ESV

Introduction

What do you do when you’re faced with a desperate situation that can easily turn into a life crisis? Every day people have to deal with unexpected financial challenges that they cannot handle due to job terminations, failing health issues, divorce, and mounting consumer debt. Hezekiah, king of Judah, had to deal with three situations that put him in a desperate position: terminal illness, foreign invasion, and no heir to succeed his throne in his pending death. The good news in the midst of your desperate situations is that "God can turn your desperate situations around for your good." Therefore, the question remains “What do you do when you find yourself in a desperate situation?” Today, I want to make three observations from our selected passage of study (Isaiah 38:1-8) concerning this issue.

The first observation is that Believers will sometimes face desperate situations in life (Isaiah 38:1)

In some Christian circles, there is the misplaced belief that nothing terrible should befall a believer. Nothing can be as far from the truth than this faulty notion. Christians are not exempt from the perils of life. What is even more ironic, according to Jewish tradition, the author of this book (Isaiah) was brutally martyred by being sawed asunder (Hebrews 11:37). The apostle Paul had to deal with many trials and challenges (2 Corinthians 12:22-28). Additionally, when our country faced one of the most tragic events in our history on September 11, 2001, and over three thousand Americans died as a result of terrorist attacks from hijacked airliners, many who died on that tragic day were Christians.

Hezekiah was told by God through the prophet Isaiah to get his family affairs in order, for his sickness was terminal. To make matters even worse, Hezekiah did not have an heir who would ascend to the throne at his untimely death. Further, Hezekiah is being threatened by Sennacherib, king of Assyria, with invasion. Hezekiah was faced with a desperate situation: he was terminally ill, without an heir to his throne, and on the brink of invasion by Assyria. God had promised King David that He would establish the king’s throne forever through his descendants (2 Samuel 7:11-13); therefore, there must be an heir to the throne for God’s promise to be fulfilled. Thus, in the midst of our desperate situations, we must stand firm in God and trust Him. The question that is now on the floor is how does Hezekiah handle his personal crisis (desperate situation)? Our second observation gives us the answer.

Believers must face desperate situations with earnest PRAYER (Isaiah 38:2-3)

Hezekiah dealt with his desperate situation through earnest prayer! James informs us through his book that “the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16d KJV). Our forefathers coined the expression “Prayer changes things.” What do we know about Hezekiah’s prayer? Isaiah cites several features to Hezekiah’s prayer that is most interesting. First, Hezekiah reminded God of his obedience to the truth of His Word; second, Hezekiah possessed a whole-hearted devotion to the things of Go; and finally, Hezekiah was a faithful servant.

Hezekiah’s prayer can be validated by his actions from Scripture. Let’s examine 2 Chronicles 29. Hezekiah was one of Judah's greatest kings (2 Kings 18:5). In the very first month of his sole reign (in 715) he opened the temple doors to repair them and to restore the Lord's house since Ahaz, his wicked father, had barred the temple (2 Chronicles 28:24). Hezekiah gathered the priests and the Levites before the temple (on the east side) and commanded them to consecrate themselves to the work of purifying and repairing the temple, which, in the years of Ahaz especially, had fallen into an unimaginable state of deterioration. The LORD in His anger (cf. 28:9,25) had sent judgment on the nation, so much so that some of them had gone into captivity to the Arameans, Israelites, and Edomites (cf. 28:5-8,17).

God spoke to Isaiah before he could leave the court of the king and gave him a word for Hezekiah. Isaiah told Hezekiah that the Lord had heard his prayer and had seen his tears God extended his life by 15 years. If we find ourselves in a desperate situation, what will we say to God in prayer? Can we call Him into remembrance of our service and heart’s spiritual disposition before Him? We can’t demand God to move on behalf of our service, but we sure can remind Him of it.

Prayer is a powerful tool in the hands of the saints. One of the most powerful prayers ever prayed by a saint is recorded in Scripture, “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30) uttered by Peter. Three simple words spoken (prayed) in earnest in a desperate situation saved Peter’s life. What’s the point? Pray, Saints, pray! Pray until God moves on your behalf. Jesus told the story of a very harsh judge who would not address a widow’s complaint for justice. However, she kept worrying him. The judge decided to respond to her need because of her persistence (Luke 18:1-8). The moral of the parable is that Christ encourages us to stay before the Lord in prayer. Don’t abandon your petitioning of God. He’ll answer. Therefore, cultivate a lifestyle of consistent prayer. Now, let’s take a look at our final observation.

Believers must never lose HOPE in desperate situations while they trust in God for deliverance (Isaiah 38:4-8)

Our God is a miracle worker! After Isaiah gave Hezekiah a word from the Lord concerning his pending healing from his terminal illness, he informed him of the sign that God would perform to validate his promise of deliverance for him and the nation. Isaiah told him that the shadow on Ahaz’s sundial would reverse itself, moving backwards ten steps. This prophetic word to Hezekiah is astonishing. For a shadow to move backwards ten steps possibly implies that the Earth’s rotation was reversed or that God caused some type of refraction of the rays from the sun. According to scoffers, the former would be catastrophic for the earth to reverse its rotation; however, that’s why it’s a miracle and God is not limited to the natural laws of the universe that He created and controls. He can suspend those laws because He is omnipotent.

That’s the whole point of the miracle that God is in control and that there is nothing that He can do that contradicts His Divine nature. Therefore, if God can do this, He can certainly turn your situation around. What is it that needs turning around in your life? A terminal illness, a wayward child, a marriage that is on the rocks, a financial collapse you name it and He can turn it around! God specializes in performing miracles on behalf of His people. Can I get a witness? In the Old Testaments we see Daniel in the lion’s den; the deliverance of the three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Jonah in the belly of a great fish and more. Therefore, stand firm in your faith in God’s ability to deliver you, and you don’t need a sign. As New Testament believers, we have been called to walk in faith, which means we trust in God’s power and ability to bring His promises to pass, quiet assurance!

In closing, I am reminded of something I read about the prayers of a man named Harry Ironside.

Shortly after Dallas Seminary was founded in 1924, it came to the point of bankruptcy. All the creditors were going to foreclose at noon on a particular day. That morning, the founders of the school met in the president’s office to pray that God would provide. In that prayer meeting was Harry Ironside. When it was his turn to pray, he prayed in his characteristically refreshing manner: “Lord, we know that the cattle on a thousand hills are thine. Please sell of them and send us the money.” While they were praying, a tall Texan came into the business office and said, “I just sold two carloads of cattle in Fort Worth. I’ve been trying to make a business deal go through and it won’t work, and I feel that God is compelling me to give to the Seminary. I don’t know if you need it or not, but here’s the check.” A secretary took the check and, knowing something of the financial seriousness of the hour, went to the door of the prayer meeting and timidly tapped. When she finally got a response, Dr. Lewis Chafer took the check out of her hand, and it was the exact amount of the debt. When he looked at the signature, he recognized the name of the cattle rancher. Turning to Dr. Ironside, he said, “Harry, God sold the cattle!”