Go and tell Hezekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: ‘I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.’ ”
Isaiah 38:5
When we are experiencing God’s blessing, it is easy to believe that God knows what is best. But when He allows sorrow in our lives, we may be tempted to question His wisdom. The Lord told King Hezekiah that his life was coming to an end. God advised him to prepare himself for death and to make arrangements to turn over the kingdom. Instead, Hezekiah pled for his life, begging God to spare him from death (Isa. 38:3). God loved the righteous Hezekiah and, in His grace, granted him an additional fifteen years to live. During those added years, Manasseh was born, and he eventually succeeded Hezekiah as king of Judah. Manasseh, who reigned for fifty-five years, was the most evil king ever to rule over Judah (2 Kings 21:1).
Manasseh encouraged the worship of idolatry throughout the nation. He passed his own son through fire according to the abominable practices of idolatry. He shed much innocent blood during his reign; every part of the nation suffered from his cruelty. Manasseh’s wickedness provoked God to anger, but Manasseh ignored God’s warning (2 Kings 21:16; 2 Chron. 33:10). All these hardships were caused by Manasseh, a king who would never have been born if Hezekiah had accepted God’s will for his life! Furthermore, Hezekiah’s extended reign led to Judah’s eventual defeat by the Babylonians (2 Kings 20:12–20). So much suffering resulted from Hezekiah’s unwillingness to accept God’s will for him. God knows what is best. Whether your circumstances are easy or difficult, you can completely trust His guidance.
