From 2 Kings 20:5 we read, “Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee…”
TURN AGAIN. Have you ever gotten halfway down the road and suddenly reached into your pocket and realized, “I left my phone at home!” It’s amazing how quickly we turn around for a phone. Forget your sunglasses, you think, “Well, I’ll just squint my eyes.” Forget your umbrella, “Oh well, I won’t melt.” Forget your shopping list, “I think I can remember what I need.” But forget that phone and suddenly it’s an emergency! “I gotta turn this car around!” There are all kinds of reasons we have to turn around and go back. Sometimes it’s because we forgot something. Sometimes it’s because we missed a turn. Sometimes it’s because something has changed since we left. And that last one is exactly what happened in our verse for today. Isaiah was walking away from Hezekiah when God stopped him and basically said, “Turn around and go back. Something has changed.” That’s where Hezekiah found himself. He was sick, and the prophet Isaiah came to him with a message directly from God: “Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.” You really can’t get much more final than that. Isaiah delivered the message and walked out. As far as Isaiah knew, there was nothing more to say. But here’s what I want you to see. While Isaiah was walking away, Hezekiah did something that changed everything. He prayed. The Bible says, “Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD.” Then we read, “And Hezekiah wept sore.” There are some wonderful truths here for us. FIRST, PRAYER CAN CHANGE THINGS. God told Isaiah, “Turn again…and tell Hezekiah…I have heard thy prayer.” Hezekiah couldn’t heal himself. He couldn’t change the prophet’s message. He couldn’t control what was happening to him. But he could pray. And so can we. Sometimes we spend so much time worrying about what we cannot do that we forget what we can do. We can pray! Never underestimate what can happen when a child of God gets serious about prayer. While Hezekiah was praying in one room, God was stopping Isaiah in the palace courtyard. Think about that. Hezekiah couldn’t see Isaiah. Isaiah couldn’t see Hezekiah. But God was working between them both. You may not see anything changing while you pray. The person you’re praying for may be miles away. The situation may appear exactly the same. But that doesn’t mean God isn’t working. Somewhere between Hezekiah’s prayer and when Isaiah left the room and courtyard, God said, “Turn again.” SECOND, GOD SEES THE TEARS BEHIND OUR PRAYERS. God said, “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears.” What a beautiful statement! God not only heard what Hezekiah said; He saw what Hezekiah felt. Sometimes our deepest prayers aren’t prayed with beautiful words. Sometimes they come with a trembling voice and tears running down our face. Sometimes we don’t even know what to pray. But God understands tears. There are tears nobody else knows about. Tears over our children and grandchildren. Tears over sickness. Tears over a broken heart. Tears over someone who has walked away from God. Tears shed late at night when nobody else is around. Others may never see those tears. But God does. The Psalmist said to the Lord one day with a broken heart in Psalm 56:8, “…put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” Not one tear escapes His attention. Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, but God was looking over the wall. And because God heard his prayer and saw his tears, He said to Isaiah, “Turn again.” FINALLY, GOD CAN TURN ANY SITUATION AROUND. Isaiah had walked into Hezekiah’s room with a message of death. Now he was turning around with a message of life. God said, “Behold, I will heal thee.” Then God added fifteen years to Hezekiah’s life. Now, this passage doesn’t teach that God will always answer every prayer exactly the way we want. Sometimes God changes our circumstances, and sometimes God gives us grace to walk through them. But it does teach us something we should never forget: Never count God out! The doctor may have given a report.
The circumstances may look impossible. The door may appear closed. The person you’ve been praying for may seem farther from God than ever. Everything around you may be saying, It’s over. But God is still God! And as long as God is involved, He can still say, “Turn again.” Those may be two of the most encouraging words in this entire story. Isaiah was headed one direction when God turned him around. The message was headed one direction when God turned it around. Hezekiah’s life was headed one direction when God turned it around. So whatever burden you’re carrying today, don’t quit praying. You may be closer to a “Turn again” moment than you realize. God hears your prayer. God sees your tears. God knows your need. And God is still able to turn things around. When God says, “Turn again,” what looks like the end may just be the beginning. Think it over…🙏