"Our good, his glory"
But 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. (Isaiah 38:15-17 NLT)
Hezekiah has been sick. He was sick to the point of death & again God answered his prayer. God granted him 15 more years of life.
But Hezekiah's perspective on his sickness is not common. He actually says that his sickness was a good thing. He praises God for allowing him to be sick. He does this because of what it produced in him. He recognized that it came from God. And if God saw fit to allow it into his life, it must be for his good.
His sickness actually brought him closer to God. It helped his relationship with God not hurt it. He saw the positive affects of a horrible situation. This bad circumstance was for his good.
How many times do we perceive our difficulties in life this way? I don't tend to view negative circumstances in my life as gifts from God. I don't tend to see tough times as positives. Mostly I think they are from Satan not God. But this cannot be the case & Hezekiah's life gives us a much needed perspective on God's role in our suffering. Because his perspective is actually one of trust. He says, "God this doesn't feel good or seem right but I know you are here so I'm just trusting." Hezekiah lived 15 years more but we aren't promised that. What if the answer to our prayers is not yes? What if we don't get 15 more years? What then?
It's difficult to answer. But what we must keep in mind is that God doesn't waste anything. He uses everything in our lives for our good & his glory.
And that's worth trusting.
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