What do you do when you receive bad news?
Your life is good, you have money, you are healthy, your family is well, but suddenly you receive bad news. You’re laid off your job, your money is gone… You are poor now. The doctor comes and says: I’ve bad news for you! You’re sick. You’ve got a disease, you’ve become weak, you have maybe 3 years to live… Or someone of your family is in trouble, someone you know is struggling and you don’t know how to deal with it…What would you do?
Bad news come all the time. Fear and unsafety knock at our door asking for a place in our hearts. What should we do?
Today we are studying about a man called Hezekiah. He was king of Jerusalem and He faced many battles and bad news in his reign. But he managed to deal well with all of them, trusting in God. Let’s see.
The book, of Isaiah 37, says that…
Someday, King Hezekiah received a letter from Sennacherib saying he would destroy Jerusalem. When Hezekiah read it, he chose to do the right thing. He didn’t get despair, He didn’t run away, He didn’t try to fix that situation with his wisdom… He prayed and trusted in God.
Read Isaiah 37:16-17 and 20 with me.
“Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.”
Vs 20: “Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God. “Isaiah
My brothers, when He received bad news saying that all his kingdom would be destroyed, He didn’t trust in men, but he trusted in God. He prayed.
The bible says that we have to pray and believe that Jesus is powerful to answer and deliver us from the evil one.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
There is power in the prayer in Jesus’ name. Do you believe that?
After Hezekiah prayer’s, God sent an angel and the enemy’s army was totally destroyed by God’s power. Hallelujah! You can read it in Isaiah chapter 36 and 37, later.
Well, after that, Everything was good now; Jerusalem was delivered by God and the people were safe. They back to their normal lives.
But look what happened following that in the chapter 38 and here we start our message today.
Read with me: Isaiah 38:1-3
“In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”
Look, Hezekiah was receiving bad news again, but now this time the bad news were only for him, not for his kingdom.
Think: He had won a battle a few days before, he was probably still celebrating that, he was in peace… But suddenly bad news come again: Hezekiah, you’re gonna die.
Could you imagine hearing that?
You’re gonna die. It’s over. There is nothing you can do to live. Be ready, your life is over.
God says to Hezekiah: Put your house in order. Put your house in order.
The message today is: Put your house in order. Put your house in order. This is what God is saying, He is shouting it to the world and to his church through this situation we’re facing.
Some days ago, everything was probably going well for you, you were working, you had plans, your children were at school, you had trips to go on.
You were celebrating achievements, setting goals… But suddenly a small virus appears and puts the world on its knees.
Everything’s changed now. Your routine, churches are closed, your job, the economy of the world etc…
Please. Tell me: What is your reaction?
God didn’t send this virus to the world; this is a consequence of the sin of mankind. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God uses all things to bless his children, to wake up the world and give an opportunity to repent and to follow Jesus!
Like Hezekiah, God is calling you to Put your house in order.
Can you imagine God shaking the whole world only to get your attention? This is the father’s love! He is using the chaos to bring a chance to people return to Him! This is a strong message from God today to his church. Look, the churches are closed, the buildings are closed, but our hearts are open and our souls are free to praise God! Bad things can touch the body but nothing can touch your soul! Praised be Jesus! Nothing can separate us from his love! As the bible says:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
And because He loves us, He is telling us: The time has come to put our house in order.
Think ahead, prepare your family, Jesus is coming back soon!
Jesus is coming back and is your house ready for this?
How is your house? And the word house here means (relationship, Family, fellowship with your church, what God asked for you to do? Are you doing? Jesus is caming back soon…
Actually, Jesus came to over 20 thousand people who died of coronavirus. Their time came, but for you the message from God is: Put your house in order. You don’t know about the day of tomorrow. As the bible says:
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
I don’t know how you are dealing with this piece of bad news, some people are afraid, others are depressed…
It is interesting to see the reactions of each person. Some Business Man think they will lose money with the stores closed, hospitals think that doctors may be infected by the virus, workers imagine what they will do without jobs? The great truth is that God allowed all this to stop the world! God I telling to the world: Stop what you are doing! “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
The world needs to stop walking the way it is walking. Everyone is always busy, with no time for God, for family, to serve in the church. There are so many commitments that God and the family were left behind.
Do you want to think a little? Do you remember what God told you a few years ago? What gift did he pour out over you? what call and invitation did He give you? What’s your calling? In the past, How active were you doing in the church? How did your family have priority in your life?
It’s time to reflect on your life. What are you doing with the hours of life you still have? Put your house in order. That’s what God is saying to you and to me today.
But We can learn from Hezekiah. When he heard the bad news, he didn’t run away…. this is what he did, look:
Vs 2 and 3:
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.”
What did he do? He prayed, he turned his face to the wall and prayed for God’s mercy! Hallelujah!
He turned hi fax to the wall. Why he did that?
When he was looking to the wall he had no contact with people, he got a silence moment to reflect, to think about his life, to beg for mercy.
My brothers, I invite you to turn your face to the wall.
Go to your room, close the door and seek God! TEAR your heart in the presence of God, shout, cry out, ask for mercy for the way you are living and Christ will see you and secretly He will reward you, He will help you to get through this crisis and put your house in order. This is the time to organise everything to live this life well and look ahead, it’s a time to wait for changes in your life and act for the change to happen!
After he turned his face to the wall he prayed. Hallelujah
There is the way to deal with bad news! With PRAYER!
A prayer in the name of Jesus moves God’s hand, praying touches God’s heart. A prayer in the name of Jesus blesses a whole nation, prayer brings miracles, prayer changes lives, prayer opens up doors, prayer feeds people in the desert, prayer brings fire from heaven, prayer makes a bad man become a man of God, prayer delivers us, prayer brings God’s mercy to earth. There is power in the name of Jesus and by prayer we are more than conquerors! We can conquer everything! By Prayer!
As Hezekiah, I invite you to turn your face to a wall and pray!
It’s the right time to get a strong relationship with God by prayer and the Bible.
It’s a time to put your house in order.
God told to Hezekiah to put his house in order. It means to think ahead, who would reign in his place, to prepare for a successor, to bless the nation.
When He prayed to God, The Lord listened to him,
Look: “Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.”
Hallelujah! Hezekiah, I have heard your prayer. Be healed and don’t forget to put your house in order! You have 15 more years.
God is good! He healed Hezekiah and gave time to put this house in order. To prepare a king, a successor and take care of Jerusalem.
My brother, I can tell you: If you pray on these hard days, God will listen to you. He will answer you and give strategy to conquer these days… But he is waiting to see you organise your life and act like a man a woman of God. You have a short time to do that.
Hezekiah was healed and after it he would have to prepare his son named Manasseh to be a strong king, a Son of God. He had 15 years to do that, to put this house in order.
But Do you know what happened?
Read with me in 2 King 21:1-3
“Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them.”
Manasseh, son of Hezekiah was one of the worst kings in Jerusalem. He rebuilt altars to false gods, he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. He was a bad king.
Hezekiah heard God and he knew that he needed to raise up a man of God to reign in Jerusalem, but he didn’t it. He didn’t spend time with his son to teach the law of God, he didn’t invest time to develop his son’s character, to teach him principles, he just enjoyed the 15 years that God gave him.
God told to Hezekiah, put in order your house. Hezekiah was healed but didn’t fulfil God’s plan to his house. He didn’t put his house in order.
Dear, I don’t know what you are asking for God, what’s your prayer today. But I can tell you: Better than an receiving an answer from God is starting to obey him and taking care of our family!
You don’t know about tomorrow. Be the best father today! Be the best mom today! Be the best son now! Be a good servant of the Lord today, not tomorrow!
The bible says: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”
What did God ask for you? What did he put in your hands?
A gift? Talent? Money to bless others? A family to take care of? He called you to live for him, but you still haven’t answered him?
Come on! Do it today! Do it now!
Do whatever your hands finds to do, do it today! Do it with all your might!
The world needs you:
The Bible says: “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”
Hallelujah, Maybe there are hundreds, thousands of people waiting to see Jesus in your life, Jesus in your actions, Jesus in your family!
They are waiting in eager expectation to listen about the truth from you! What are you waiting for?
Please, my brother, turn your face to the wall, pray. I’m sure that God will listen to you. This hard time will end, this virus will be over soon, in Jesus’ name, but the most important thing in this time is to put your house in order. Get expectation!
I invite you to Call your family to have a prayer meeting together!
Listen to your children and bless them through the bible!
Show your love to your wife today, not tomorrow! Take care of her! Ask for forgiveness, change your heart, look to Jesus, decide to follow him with all your heart today! Don’t leave it until tomorrow to start changing. Do it now!
If you are facing a disease, pray and God will deliver you. He is the God of miracles! What’s is impossible for men is possible with God.
If you are in trouble with someone, ask for forgiveness and fix it.
“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.”
If you are afraid about the future, trust in Jesus. He told:
““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.””
You can receive your blessing ok? I want it, But when you receive your blessing, when God answers you, don’t forget what he asked for you:
Put your house in order! Take care of the precious family God gave to you and live for Jesus, do more for His kingdom, starting right now.