Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, the word of the Lord that you have spoken is good for he thought there will be peace and security in my days.
– Isaiah 39:8
This is such a sad moment in Hezekiah’s life as he hears a word from Isaiah that comes from God, that in the days to come, the people of God are going to experience suffering. And not just the people of God. Verse seven says, “Some of your own sons who will come from you whom you will father shall be taken away. They shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Like he’s just heard horrible news about the coming generation of God’s people, including his own family. And Hezekiah says, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good, for he thought there will be peace and security in my days.”
Isaiah 39:8 challenges our tendency to self-centeredness.
Hezekiah is so self-centered that he rejoices that things are going to be okay for him even though his sons are going to suffer. And there’s a lot to think about to consider here when we see Hezekiah’s self-centeredness. And I just want to encourage us to examine our hearts and to see any ways in which this kind of self-centeredness is present in us, that’s concerned about our good and is callous toward others’ good. This can play out in so many different ways in our lives. On a daily basis, today you have opportunities to live for others’ good above your own.
So what does that kind of life look like? By the power of Jesus inside of you, who gave his life on the cross for us, who sacrificed himself for our good, who came to serve us. The son of man came not to be served by us, but to serve us. How can we live today with the Spirit of Jesus, not the spirit of Hezekiah, to live, to serve others. Around us today, I just think of opportunities to share the gospel today to put others’ good above our fears or desire for comfort or to protect our reputation. God, help us to share the gospel today in ways that lead to others’ good and may be costly for us.
Isaiah 39:8 challenges us to live in step with the Spirit of Jesus.
And not just today, but to think about in light of Isaiah 39:8, the generation that comes behind us. How are we living for the good of those who will be here when we are gone? What does that look like in our lives? There are so many different tentacles of this verse to reach into our lives, our hearts, our minds, and our motives today. So we pray… God, help us to live according to the Spirit of Jesus in us, not the spirit of Hezekiah. That we are so prone to live according to God.
We pray that you help us to love others as ourselves today. Help us to look for opportunities all day long, to serve others, to care for others, to promote others’ good. To pray for others, to encourage others, to speak your Word into others’ lives for their good. Both followers of Jesus help us to build them up today and those who are not followers of Jesus. God, we pray that you’d help us to be faithful to share the gospel today.
God, help us to do Philippians 2 today. In light of the Spirit of Christ to help us to, in humility count others more significant than ourselves. To look not only to our own interests but to the interests of others. Help us to have this mind among ourselves today, which is ours in Christ Jesus. To love and lay down our lives for others today. Specifically so that the people behind us, the next generation might know you. Love you. Walk with you and thrive in you, in the next generation, and among the nations.
Prayer for the Chauhan People
Oh God, we pray for the Chauhan people of India. This people group of 35,000 Hindu men, women, and children. God, we plead for the spread of your love, grace, and glory among the Chauhan people of India. That they might know the peace and security that are found in Jesus alone. Oh God, we pray. Save us from ourselves today, from self-centeredness today. Help us to love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love others as ourselves. We pray this according to your Word in Isaiah 39:8. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
