"I HAVE SEEN YOUR TEARS" Bible Reading Thoughts for Sept 14th

“I HAVE SEEN YOUR TEARS”

            We read and thought yesterday about the anxieties of King Hezekiah over the Assyrian invasion and the potential fall of Jerusalem.  The king appealed to Isaiah to seek the help of the LORD.  Later he went into the Temple and “prayed before the LORD” [2 Kings 19 v.15] himself.  There is a progression in his approach to God – do we have the same experience as we seek to get closer to our Creator and His Son our Saviour?  It is natural that we should if we are truly spiritually minded..

            Today in ch. 20 we read of Hezekiah’s illness, one that he is told, will be fatal;  Isaiah comes with this message, “Set your house in order for you shall not recover” [v.1]    He makes an impassioned prayer to the LORD, “I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” [v.3]   His prayer is heard and answered – “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you” [v.5]  God hears and sees all things in the lives of those who truly seek to serve him.

                We should each meditate on whether we could utter such an impassioned prayer if we found ourselves in a life threatening situation -  when we feel we still have work we can do in serving our Lord.  It may not be a health situation as with Hezekiah.  Our world, especially in some parts, increasingly threatens us; potentially there could be extreme difficulties.  In our prayers could we say we have serve him with “our whole heart.”?

            This week we will read in Ezekiel how the prophet is told of God’s impending judgements, “Thus says the Lord GOD: None of my words will be delayed any longer…” [12 v.28]  The time is coming, we do not know how soon, when God will be saying the same about our godless world. 

            In Luke today we read the challenging words of Jesus, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I tell you” [6 v.46]  Let us not be guilty of reading God’s word but then failing to put into practice what we read.  We can talk and preach about it – and exhort each other – but this must not be only an outward show.  We are all building the “house” of our life: Jesus said, “the one who hears (reads) my words … I will show you what he is like:  he is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock …” [v.48] A lot of sweat and tears are involved in such earnest building: so in our building, can our Lord say to you, and me, “I have seen your tears.”