Hezekiah's Prayer

In chapter 37 of Isaiah, the prophet was told by God to tell King Hezekiah that he was about to die. This news understandably upset Hezekiah. So he prayed and God added 15 years to Hezekiah's life.

This is a portion of Hezekiah's prayer of thanks after God extended his life:

"You restored me to health and let me live.
Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish.

In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.

For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.

The living, the living - they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness." - Isaiah 38:16-19

These verses were part of my daily reading, the day after my visit to the ER with chest pains. And now the pains in my chest are gone.

So what happened to me? Did God heal me? Or was it the doctors? The doctors didn't do anything really, except run a bunch of tests.

My first doctor said that I had a heart attack. He gave me nitroglycerin, which expands the blood vessels. That helped, eventually taking my pain level from a 9 to a 1. But the second doctor, a cardiologist, could find no evidence of anything wrong.

The second doctor couldn't find any evidence of a heart attack, yet she prescribed daily baby aspirin for me. Something they do for people at risk of a heart attack. I give up.

Unless someone can convince me otherwise, I will sing God's praises for extending MY life, just as Hezekiah did. My testimony now has another chapter in it. Anyone willing to listen will hear a story of God's grace and mercy and His healing hand. And, as Hezekiah said, "The living, they praise you, as I am doing today. Parents, tell your children about God's faithfulness."

And so, I shall.