The Power of Prayer | How God Shapes Us Through Hardship | Isaiah 38:1-22

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a

couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun in

practical ways. You know how presumptuous that they think we're friends?

Who wrote it?

Yeah?

Who wrote that?

Who did write that?

Couple of friends? Yeah, you're my buddy, You're my buddy.

We have a good time to.

Get Welcome to the Bible Guys, where two friends Chris

and Jeff are talking about the Bible and fun and

practical ways.

Yes, which I think this is all we do. So

if we don't have fun doing this, well, I mean

we pastor, but we just do Bible stuff sure, all

the time. So if we don't have fun doing Bible stuff,

then we don't get to have fun.

Then you don't get to have fun because there's always

Bible stuff all the time.

That's right, It's all the Bible all the time.

Hey. And you know what, here's the thing. God gives

us joy and laughter for a reason. It's a gift,

which is why I believe that laughter should be in

the in the appropriate times, a part of even like

a Sunday morning experience.

Oh sure absolutely. Solomon talks about how laughter works good

like a medicine.

That's right, right, that's true.

Having a little bit of fun is good. And then practical.

Both of us are pretty pragmatic people, very practical people.

And so that's what that's what the where the God

the work will.

No good good, that's what you said.

Hey, that's what the word of God, that's a lot

of ws is for. That's what the word God is for.

For practical application.

Well, Jesus said that a wise person hears his words

and does them. That's the application. That's a foolish person

here's his words and doesn't do them. So it turns

out everybody hears the words, right, both sides. Here the words,

but a wise person applies them.

That's right.

So we're just wise Bible guys.

So we have to get onto our segment.

Well, well, you sound eager, you sound super excited. Everybody

knows it's Friday, which means everybody knows all your fans, well,

rumor has it?

Now? Do it on Friday? Well?

Almost always? When was the last time we didn't do

it on Friday?

No, I'm sorry, I said that wrong. We don't do

it every every Friday.

That's what everybody has a hope. So when we don't

do it is we disciput point in our fan base.

But everybody, everybody loves Chris Sarbaugh, and they particularly love

this segment. This is their favorite, the favorite segment, and

that is to do what made Chris mad this week. Yes,

and you immediately said, oh, I know.

Yeah, because I just had this conversation. I just had

this conversation.

And let me say this before you before you go.

You are not mad for you. No, this is what

we've learned, and this is why people love you. You

are mad on behalf of the world, all the rest

of humanity.

That's right.

So thank you in advance for your rage and outrage,

your voice. Yes, thank you speak up for those who

can't speak up for themselves.

This one goes out to specifically all the Michiganders, so

be careful. No, no, it's a good thing, Okay, because

I believe everybody will relate to exactly what I'm going

to say. Okay, I am mad. That spring really isn't spring.

It is a winter that goes directly in the summer.

That's what it is.

We get a little spring.

It's thirty something degrees today, thirty something. We're a few

degrees above freezing the water in my bird bath. I mean,

come on, it is crazy. And so you know, they

always say, if you don't like the weather in Michigan,

wait five minutes. And then the other saying that goes

along with spring is dressing layers. Well, guess what, what

if that's not my style? What if I hate layers?

And then also if you have layers, then you take

off a layer, then you have to carry the layer around,

and then you have to check the weather every morning.

And sometimes I get it wrong because I'm in a rush,

and so I'll go out one day and it's like,

oh my goodness, And legitimately this was two days ago,

sixty eight degrees that I run outside. I'm like, I'm

wearing a long sleeve. I'm gonna run back inside. I'm

gonna get a T shirt, come back outside. I'm like,

oh my goodness, sixty degrees almost seventy degrees, so amazing.

And then the next day I get up and I

forgot I forgot to check the weather. I walk outside

in a short sleeve shirt and it is forty six

degrees and I'm like, how did that happen? Right? And

so the spring is really not spring y'all. It goes

right from winter in the summer. And yes it does

rain a lot, and yes there are buds everywhere with flowers,

but it's winter, and then we get snows, late snows.

There's a good chance a little snow in May. It's

only April, and I bet you it might snow in May.

Well, I'm going to try to be as delicate as

I can in my response.

I don't going to defend Michigan.

Well, no, I don't think Liz is going to like this,

because who's in charge of the seasons?

God?

So who are you mad at?

Oh?

This is se this got you. We went to dinner.

We went to dinner before and Liz was you're not happy.

You're going to rehash with the fact that you were

mad at God about something and then now here we are.

You didn't learn your lessons the unhealthy food versus Yeah,

that's unhealthy food versus right, Why got to make all

the good taste and stuff fat?

I tried to keep it on the weather in Michigan,

and you are tying it back to God rehashing well.

Who made the weather?

Well, who made humanity? Instead of ultimately the system of everything.

I'm mad at Well.

God didn't make people sin, but he does make the sun,

the moon and the stars and everything in it.

Fine, fine, then I withdraw my Yes, I'm no longer

mad at the weather. No, no, no, no, no.

I do agree with you, though it can be mad

in the.

Well how about that? Well, how about this? I don't

have to live in Michigan. That's my choice.

Oh there you Yeah, blame yourself.

So I'm mad at me. Yeah, Chris mad.

God's like man madp Okay, Chris is taking responsibility. I'm

so mad taking responsibility for the fact that even though

he has an app on his phone, he doesn't look

at it before he goes outside.

Hey, listen, can I just say this. I'm mad at

the fact that I love everything about Michigan except for

the weather. So why can't Michigan have weather that's not

like this?

How long have you lived in Michigan?

Twenty years? Okay?

Yeah, so I lived here my whole life, except for

just a few years when I was out serving in

other states. You see how snappy your dresser I am?

Yeah, I see this.

I'm wearing this vest that's one layer. I wore a

light jacket over top of it. I've got this thin,

little long ste thing.

T shirts're hot in this room. I can take the

layers out, the layers.

Do you know what I do that? I do that

every day? Do you know? Do you know why?

Why?

Because it's April. I don't know if you heard, I

don't know if you heard weather changes wow.

Wow. So so usually you're very supportive of.

My Yeah, I'm going to it's mad.

Yeah, but you're not this one, not this one. You're

going to say you're not with me.

We love this. It's one of the advantages of living

in Michigan is the seasons.

Well, I'm still mad. I'm just I'm just.

I'm going to lean in. I'm going to lean in

and protect all the Michigan people. Where were you born, Chris, Ohio? Okay,

that's it, that's it. That's the problem. That's the problem.

You can't appreciate. Heaven problem.

I guess what. Ohio actually, believe it or not, has

better weather than Michigan. Slightly, it's very similar.

But it's like, I've never heard Ohio person say that

Ohio had anything a little less than Michigan. You guys

always tell us everything's just a little better than Ohio.

It's not true, not true. I can barely breathe in Ohio.

I have to hold my breath all the way through

the state. So anyways, that's it. No wonder, no wonder.

You're talking smack about Michigan's because you ain't from here.

You are something funny. We have to go, but you

can move on. But every time you make fun of Ohio,

my instinct is to come back at you and make

fun of something that you love. But the opposite of

people hating Ohio is people hating Michigan, because you know

Ohioans do that. But I live in Michigan, so I

can't put down Michigan. So every time you Ohio put

down Ohio, I have.

No defense because you are welcome to go back to

Ohio anytime you want, am I yeah, And then you

can speak freely there.

I see. Well I was awesome the end.

That's what you say? Yes, okay, speaking of saying things, wow,

I don't know. Do you have one? The Bible says,

do you have a transition into this one?

Well, I'll say this.

You know what makes me sick Ohio? Do you know

who else was sick?

There you go. I'll take that one. I had one,

but that one's better. That's good.

Okay, Okay, there you go.

So Hezekiah is about to get sick.

Right. He was very wealthy. He was highly honored. He

built treasury buildings for silver. He did all kinds of stuff, right,

And while they were under a siege by Assyria, he

dug a tunnel. He blocked up the guy Han it's

like a river, a creek, and then he built this

tunnel underneath the thing. I walked through it, which is crazy,

which is really really cool. Yeah, it's under the city

of Jerusalem. Walked from one end to the other. It

took I don't know, it took a long time. It's

very dark, and the walls were really tight, and they

literally they dug from two different directions at the same

time to keep the water flowing inside the city when

they were under siege, because if you don't have water.

Siege doesn't last very long.

Right, So he did that. He was very very prosperous.

And then they win. He wins this siege not because

he did anything, but because God came in and Wi

White wipes out one hundred and eighty five thousand Assyrians,

and Snacker believes and God did that with one angel.

And then the Babylonians come and they're like, wow, dude,

you are really impressive. And Hezekiah takes a little bit

of credit.

Credit.

Yeah, so when you look, you can look into second chronicles.

You can see it in second kings. And then also

you have here this happens in his own life, and

you have this piece in Isaiah chapter thirty eight. The

Bible says that God withdrew from Hezekiah and in order

to test him and to see what was really in

his heart. And it says in Isaiah thirty eight about

that time, Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah

son of Amos went to visit him, and he gave

the king this message, this is what the Lord says,

set your affairs in order for your going to die.

You will not recover from this illness. When Hazekiah heard this,

he turned his face to the wall and prayed to

the Lord, Remember, oh Lord, how I've always been faithful

to you and have served you single mindedly, always doing

what pleased you. And then he broke down and wept bitterly.

Then this message came to Isaiah from the Lord, go

back to Hezekiah and tell him this is what the Lord,

the God of your ancestor David says. I've heard your

prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years

to your life, and I will rescue you and this

city from the King of Assyria. Yes, I will defend

this city. And this is the sign from the Lord

to prove that he will do as he has promised.

I will cause the sun's shadow to move ten steps

backward on the sundial of Ah has so the shadow

on the sun dial move back ten steps. Is that

ten hours?

Oh? I think that's probably it's ten steps, right. Each

slime is a steps. Wow.

When King Hezekiah was well again, he wrote this poem.

I said, in the prime of my life, must I

now enter the place of the dead? Am I to

be robbed of the rest of my years? I said,

Never again while I see the Lord God, while I still,

while still in the land of the living. Never again

while I see my friends or be with those who

live in this world. My life is blown away like

a shepherd's tent in a storm, and has been cut short,

as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom, and

suddenly my life was over. I waited patiently all night,

but I was torn apart as though by lions. Suddenly

my life was over. Delirious, I chattered like a swallow

or a crane, and then I moaned like a mourning dove.

My eyes grew tired of looking to Heaven for help.

I am in trouble. Lord, help me. What could I say?

For he himself sent this sickness. Now I will walk

humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt. Lord,

your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health.

You restore my health and allow me to live. Yes,

this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued

me from death and forgiven all my sins. For the

dead cannot praise, They cannot raise their voices in praise.

Those who go down to the grave can no longer

hope in your faithfulness. Only the living can praise you,

as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness

to the next. Think of it. The Lord is ready

to heal me. I will sing his praises with instruments

every day of my life. In the Temple of the Lord,

Isaiah had said to Hezekiah's servants make an ointment from

figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover.

Hezekiah had asked, what sign will prove that, I'll go

to the temple of the Lord and God heals him.

Wow, good, that's great. There you go, and the life happen.

Kats and study. Bible actually has a photo of the

Hezekiah tunnel. Yeah.

Yeah, that's what made me think of it when I

start talking about it, and I forgot to mention it.

Yeah, that's really nifty. So so Hezekia becomes ill. And

then it says he when he heard this, he turned

to the face of the wall and praise the Lord. Remember,

o Lord, that I've always been faithful to you, and

I've served you single mindedly, always doing what pleases you.

And he broke down and wet bitterly. So he's feeling

bad for taking credit. He's feeling bad for, you know,

his entire life he has served God. And now he's

realizing that he's become ill at the end of his

life because he's been prideful, right, because he took some

credit for that which God did. And by the way,

what an opportunity that Hezekiah had when an angel comes

down and destroys eight hundred and eighty five thousand people

from an army and then delivers. That's a better story.

Then we're a great army, right, we have such a

great strategy of the we can defeat a what is

it called a siege? We can defeat a siege. It's

what's a better story, right? I would much rather brag

in the fact that I have the power of God

on my side and that God has come and he

is favored. Don't mess with me because or don't mess

with us because God is for us. You know. Again,

I referenced this last podcast, but the series David, the

series David, where when Saul's nation went before the Philistines,

they had the Philistine army captain say, because because they

had outnumbered them like ten to one or something like this,

or three to one, whatever it was. I forget the odds,

but they had outnumbered them. And so they came to

the captain. They said, Captain the guards, they said, we

outnumbered them. And then they had him respond and say,

when it comes to the children of Israel, outnumbering doesn't

matter with their God. He said, since when has that

ever mattered? Right?

That's good, and.

It was good because they sort of painted a picture

like your reputation has preceded you, right, So don't mess

with the children of Israel because their God is with

it now. Of course, in this case, we know how

the story goes if we read it. But but that's

that's really, that's really what I'm trying to say. It's

a better story, Azekaiah. Just give it to God. Just

brag that God was with you, that God gave you

the victory.

So this is kind of a it's amazing how you

can walk with God, walk with God, walk with God,

walk with God, and then one little thing or one

big thing just causes us to shift a little bit

and get off track. And so this story that we

just read out of Isaiah is also in Second King's

twenty and it's in Second Chronicles thirty two. And those

stories include all the stuff we read, but it includes

except Isaiah has this poem of praise from Hezekiah. But

it includes some other details in the other two as well.

So you know, he he turns to God, you know,

he turns away, turns his face to the wall, he prays,

And in Second Kings chapter twenty, it says, remember a lord,

how I've always been faithful to you and served you

single mindedly, always doing what pleases you. And then he

broke down a web bitterly. That doesn't say that in Isaiah, no, right,

it does. Well, it says that he broke down, but

I've always yeah, been faithful, Oh yeah, and served you

single mindedly. Yeah yeah, it's the same, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay.

And then the next verse, in verse four, it says

that he's leaving. Isaiah is leaving, and the message comes

as hey, go back to Hezekiah and tell him this

is what the Lord says, I've heard your prayer. Right,

So he goes back and tells him, and then make

an ointment of figs which comes at the end of

the chapter we just read, and so they do, and

then it says.

Oh, it includes his recovery in Second King.

Right, so then this will be what's going to be

the sign? He asks hez kaisis, so how do I

know this is really going to work? That's how it

ended for us. What will prove? What sign will prove that?

I'll go to the temple of the Lord. That's verse

eight in the Second King's Chapter twenty says Isaiah he

says to Isaiah, what sign will the Lord give to

prove that he will heal me and that I'll go

to the temple Lord three days from now. Isaiah replied,

this is the sign from the Lord to prove that

he will do what he has promised. Would you like

the shadow on the sandal to go forward ten steps

or backward? So God gives him the choice, and he goes, Oh,

the shadow always moves forward, so that would be easy.

Make go back. And so Isaiah the prophet escorted to

do this, and he caused the shadow and moved ten

steps backwards. So God gave him, Hey, what do you want?

And God moved the sun back ten hours.

Ten ten spots. I think it's ten hours. Yeah, yeah,

isn't that amazing?

Well, I mean it's ten steps. It has to be

an hour, right, because that's the way sundow works. Everybody

knows the sundow. The shadow of the sundow moves with

the sun, and you're able to tell what time of

the day and back. Then we know that they measured

hours just like we do right with numbers.

So then here for them, this says the notes say.

Egyptian sun dials in this period were sometimes made in

the form of miniature staircases, so that the shadows moved

up and down the steps.

Oh nifty and then cool wow yeah, so literally literally

ten steps.

So he's making go ten steps backward.

Wow, isn't that neat? Yeah? But either way, the sun moved.

Yeah, so the sun moves on his behalf. But then,

and this is why we like to sometimes use this

chronological study Bible.

Is in this case that was really helpful.

Not always is it easy to use a chronological study Bible,

because sometimes it can be hard to find passages. But

and so I always recommend get a regular Bible. But

that's a new piece of information that we didn't find

in Isaiah. But then you get to Isaiah or Second Chronicles,

and this is where I've been going the whole time.

Sat Chronicles, chapter thirty two. It says that about that

same time Hazeki became deathitely ill. It's all the same

stuff he didn't respond to. But look what it says.

He prayed to the Lord who healed him and gave

him a miraculous sign. It's interesting. It doesn't say anything

about the sun. Dial doesn't say anything about he turned

and wept bitterly.

But it's sort of like the gospel recordings, isn't it.

Yeah, yeah, So it doesn't say anything about how he

wept and said, God, I've always been faithful, right. But

verse twenty five says, but Hezeki did not respond appropriately

to the kindness shown him, and he became proud. So

God healed him. And as a result of this incredible

victory he just had and his healing, he becomes proud.

So the Lord's anger came against him and against Judah

and Jerusalem. But then Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of

his pride, as did the people of Drusalm. Solard's anger

did not fall on them during Hezekiah's lifetime. Then it

goes on and says he was very wealthy, and he

had lots of stuff. He built, lots of towns. He

blocked up the spring of Guihan. That's that river I

talked about that we walked through the tunnel. And then

all the people around the world, especially the Babylonian Empire,

which is the next big empire after Assyria. The Babylonians

now are there asking about the remarkable of events that

had taken place in the land they're here going, how

did you guys beat the Assyrians? They did. God withdrew

from Hezekiah in order to test him, to see what

was really in his heart. So there's times. Have you

ever felt this way? This is what I wanted to

talk about, and we just have a couple of minutes.

Have you ever felt like you were on top of

the mountain? Everything was great, God was close, He's answering

your prayers, You're seeing miracles, all these incredible things, and

then not long later, it just feels like, Where's God.

I've had a lot of those in my life, these

ups and downs, the mountaintops and the valleys and the

mountain tops vice And I think about this song called

God on the Mountain. There's a lyric that is in

one of our modern worship songs now, but this is

an old song, and it said life is easy when

you're up on the mountain, right, truth and faith comes easy.

But it's when you're down in the valley of trials

and temptations that's when your faith is really put to

the test. And isn't that true? So in this moment,

it wasn't the victory over one hundred and eighty five

thousand soldiers. And it wasn't the healing and being saved

for fifteen more years of his life. It was when

God pulled back and say, let's see who you really are.

Right.

God wasn't being a jerk. God was just testing him,

tests to make us stronger.

Yeah. It reminds me of Elijah, right, And he goes

from the prophet, you know, defeating the prophets of bail

to the very next chapter He's like, oh, no, does

of both them?

I just want to die.

I just want to die. Uh uh. And so yeah,

this was It's really incredible to cross reference a lot

of times, right, So thank goodness sometimes that the Bible

does these kinds of things, because it just goes to

show you that, you know, the different writers are highlighting

different things, and and it's the same in the Gospels.

I just love it, you know, so when you when

you do the work and you do the study, you're like, wow,

that's just some really great insight. Like you know, like

the Second Chronicles one, they're the ones that sort of

behind the scenes comments he repented of his pride, right,

he humbled himself. God did this for this reason that's

not on the other ones. Right. The Chronicles is literally

laying out the intent of God and why it's the why.

It's really neat. Yeah.

So I think there's a temptation for us to believe

that we are at our best when things are going well,

and the reality is I think Hezekiah is an illustration

to us that usually it's when we're when things are

going the hardest and we turn to God. Is when

we're at our best, when things are at the best,

they're going the best. It's a real temptation for us

to step back and start taking credit for us to

write and so, you know, we those of us that

are currently struggling. If you're currently struggling maybe financially, or

you're struggling in your marriage or whatever, and you look

at somebody who has a good marriage, you look at

somebody who has you know, really set up financially, you

look and goh, they got it all together. Man, life

would be so much better if I was over there, right.

But you are running to God. You're saying, God, I

need your help, I need you to rescue me, I

need you to protect me. And then you don't know

what they're doing in their home. You don't know, you

know they might have the appearance of a good marriage,

or they might have a appearance of being financially stable

or whatever, but that pride winds up tearing everything down.

And so it's not about the circumstances of your life

that is a measure of your character or a measure

of your success. The circumstances of your life are not

a measure of how good your life is. The circumstances

are neither here nor there. As a matter of fact,

there's temptations on both sides. There's a temptation when things

are going bad to blame God. There's a temptation when

things are going good to take credit. And so Hezekiahs

temptation was not to blame God when things were going bad,

he ran to God. His temptation was things were going good,

was to take credit for it in front of the Babylonians.

Well, it's what Deuteronomy says, right, So you're to go

into the promised land. And let me just warn you,

when things get well, when things get really good.

Yeah, you're forget me.

You're gonna forget me.

Yeah. And so we just have to be aware that

that our circumstances do not determine really who we are

or what our walk with God is, right, so they

those should when when things are bad we run to him.

When things are good, we need to give him all

the credit. And we all have a temptation on one

side or the other, either to blame him or to

take credit for the good side of it. And just

understand that God's not really again to God, your seventy

years or eighty years here on Arthur is that fast.

So it's not like that's the most important thing. The

most important thing to him is your walk with him,

your commitment to him, your relationship with him, because your

relationship with him will go on for eternity. Your circumstances

last for minutes.

Right, that's great. Well, that's a great wrapping up thought,

and that's our time. So hopefully we'll see you back

with us on Monday. On the Bible Gush