Preparing for the unpreparible
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There are many things in life we can and do prepare for.
We prepare in school for exams by studying hard.
We prepare for a career by working terrible jobs to get experience.
We prepare for a baby by getting all the neccesry things before the baby is born.
We can prepare for these things because we know they are coming.
You know when the exam is set and so you prepare.
You know when the baby is coming and so you prepare.
You kno when the wedding is happening and so you prepare.
So long as we know when something is happening, we have time to prepare.
Whether good or bad, we can prepare.
But there is something rthat we cannot really prepare for. We cannot really prepare for it because we have no idea when or how or even if it will happened.
That is called a crisis.
A crises is something that comes out of the blue, it can happen antime, anywhere, anyhow.
A single call from the doctor after routine blood tests. A single call from managment about a branch closure. A single reveal of marrital betrayel.
We simply cannot see these things coming, last year Bella was in bed, i was playing with my dog and Kim went to let the cat out, a single missed step sent Kim crashing down the stairs, uncouscious and seshing in a pile of blood at the bottom.
A year ago us umbilo folks, watched TV on a sunday night to hear what the president would say and in a single camera shot we saw our food, clothing, medacine being stolen live on TV.
What do we do when in a single moment life changes?
Today i want to share with you a man who had such a single moment.
Because what that man did, in that moment was incredibly wise - and his actions saved him.
So even thoufgh, in one way we cannot prepare for a crises, in another way we absolutly can.
We can prepare because no matter what the crisis is, whether is sickness or death, job loss or divorce, no matter what it i, there is something than i know you ar going to do when it happens, and because i know that no matter what the crisis, you will do this thing, we can prepare to do thins thing now.
What is this thing that when a crisis comes you will do?
You will Pray.
Today i want to look at how King Hezekiah responded when he had a terrible crisis.
The Crisis:
1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
The king was very ill, and God reveal to the prophet Isaiah that he would die. Isaiah came and delived to the king the terrible news.
Thats a crisis. A single moment where you life changes forever.
Thats the doctors call, thats the call from HR, thats the call from the police. thats the call from the school principle.
For these things we cannot prepare, but for what happens next we absolutly can.
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
Now church we have all prayed. And depending on the prayer ou ernestness is different.
I may pray for good weather for un upcoming brai, but the request is not totally sincere because though it would be nice to have sunny weather, its not a matter of life or death. We can sit inside if it rains.
But a crisis prayer, that is a true sincere prayer. This was the kind of prayer the king was praying.
Now just a note:
God is at liberty to answer our prayers however He pleases. God own no man nothing. And in prayer we cannot manipulate God.
If yes is the Lords will then yes it shall be, if no, then no it shall be too.
However, the Lord is clear that the prayers we pray can and will be hindered.
And in a crisis, the worst thing is to be in a crisis and have hindered prayers.
The bible tells us that strive between a husband and wife hinders both theur prayers.
7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
The bible tells us that living selfishly hinders our prayers:
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
The bible tells us that living with unrepented sin hinders our prayers:
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
So when King Hezekiah prayed to God look what he said:
3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
Hexekiah’s crisis prayer stands as a powerful convicting challange to each of us here today.
Because it challanges us to examine ourslves right now and ask: “Can i say the same thing when i pray?”
What does the king say?
1: I walked in truth
2: My heart was constantly set on you
3: I have strived with all my strength to only say and do that which is good and pleasing in your sight.
And he said these things not in pride or in an attempt to twist God’s arm, they were truthfull utterances of a broken man who swept bitterly as he prayed.
Church i have revered respect and fear for the Lord. I know that i cannot decieve Him.
Let me share a stroy:
3 years ago couple - thoufht i was priest. The apology was not sincere.
I am fully convinced that an aoplogy born out of sorrow and an opology born out of getting caught are not the same thing.
5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
That word unfeigned is also trnslated as sincere. The word sincere has an intresting history which hepls us undertsna dits meaning:
Our English word sincere comes from two Latin words: sine (without) and cera (wax). I
n the ancient world, dishonest merchants would use wax to hide defects, such as cracks, in their pottery so that they could sell their merchandise at a higher price.
More reputable merchants would hang a sign over their pottery — sine cera (without wax) — to inform customers that their merchandise was genuine.
Do you know how dishonest merchants were caught out? Their goods were placed in the heat of the sun. If there was wax, the sun would reveal the cracks.
Anytime the sun was needed to reveal the cracks you know that the product was insincere.
Church, hear me now as your pastor:
I do not know where the grace of God falls on this issue. I do not know what God will do to a person who cmes into a cris with a life built on prayer hinderences, then quicly apologises to remove the hinderences to pray about the crisis at hand.
I honesly do not know if God will honor such a prayer.
Maybe He will, maybe He wont.
But here is my point: Are you really willing to use your life, your family as an experiment to see if He would?
What hapened to the king?
5 Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
God heard his prayer and gave him 15 more years.
Now church, understand this well: I am not at all satying that if you live in the truth, follows God’s commands, give him all your heart, if you do all these things you are garanteed a yes answer.
But if there is even the possibility of a yes, why live your life in a way that garantees a no?
Conclusion:
hurch it is my prayer today, that none of you, for as long as possible face a single crisis. I pray that you never go down into that valley.
But i know that both for myself and my family and you and your family - that is a not a prayer i have much hope for.
In this would we will have tribulation. Crises will come. Oh church i hope they dont.
But simultaniously i know they will.
We cannot prepare for them.
Biut we absolutly can prepare for the prayer we will pray when they arrive.
12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
God tiold Hezekiah to do something AFTER he was struck by the crisis. I am before you today, begging you do this BEFORE the crisis:
1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
Set your house in order.
Set your life in order.
Set your family in order.
Set your pride in order.
Set your temper in order.
Set your addiction in order.
Set your attitude in order.
Set your sin in order.