Diagnosed With A Terminal Illness? There is Hope!

You have been to the doctor for your annual checkup. All the tests results are in and your doctor gave you the dreaded news that you have a terminal disease.

He tells you that you have between six months and a year to live. You are devastated because you are not ready to die. You have so many years ahead of you.

Well, according to Psalms 118:17, you will not die but you shall live to declare the works of the Lord. Therefore pray the prayer of King Hezekiah and remind God of your life of honor and truth.

‘In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death; and Isaiah  the prophet, son of Amos, went to him and said unto him, “Thus said the Lord, set your house in order: for you shall die and not live.”(Isaiah 38:1 NKJV)

The Lord Himself told Hezekiah to set his house in order because he will die. King Hezekiah’s house was not prepared.

The word house referred to Hezekiah’s family and it also referred to his spiritual life. He had strayed from the Lord and so he needed to repent of his sins before he passed away. However, the king was not ready to die.

So upon hearing of his dreadful fate he turned his face to the wall and prayed. The wall represented the place of his physical limitation. He had reached the end of his life and there was no way of escape. But instead of giving up in defeat he faced his wall and submitted himself to God in humility and prayed.

“Remember now, oh Lord, I beseech you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept sore (Isaiah 38:3)

The king reminded the Lord of his previous days when he walked uprightly before God. He recognized that he had strayed from God but he felt that he did not deserve such a terminal punishment because of his past life of integrity.

Is that really true? Did King Hezekiah serve the Lord? To receive the answers to these questions it is necessary to review Hezekiah’s past life.

A Look Back Into The Life Israel’s kings 

Most of the kings of Israel and Judah were known for their notorious and wicked reign. Most of them turned their back on God and served idols.

They even influenced the people to depart from the Lord and disobey his commandments. Subsequently God was very displeased with his people and warned them through his prophets of their impending judgment if they did not repent.

However, Hezekiah was not one of those wayward kings. He was crowned at the age of twenty five and he reigned for twenty nine years in Jerusalem.

As soon as he was on the throne he quickly removed all the idolatry from the land. He removed the graven images, the high places and he cut down the groves.

King Hezekiah trusted in the Lord God of Israel and did everything right before the Lord in accordance with his father David. Hezekiah clung unto God and did not depart from following him but kept the commandments of the Lord.

As a result the Lord was pleased with him and protected him and prospered him (2 Kings 18, 19). No other king of Israel was like King Hezekiah.

There Is Still Hope

In spite of this at some point in Hezekiah’s life he became ill and the Lord pronounced the judgment of death upon him. King Hezekiah refused to accept this death sentence and so he did not receive it even though it was coming directly from God. Who then can he turn to for help? No one except the One who declared judgment upon him.

God is all in all. He is the only God, and He is the beginning and the end. So when he said your time has come to an end it really has, but…  Similar to Hezekiah you are not ready to die. Who then will help you out of your dire predicament? No man or doctor can help you. So what do you do?

My advice to you is to follow the example of King Hezekiah and turn your face to the wall and return to the Lord. For even though he has torn you, he will heal you; though he has stricken you he will bind you up. After two days he will revive you; on the third day he will raise you up, that you may live in his sight’ (Hosea 6:1-2).

The Lord, the God of Israel is the same God that you and I serve today and he does not change. He is a God of wrath but his mercy overrides his wrath. Never forget this fact.

Surrender your life to God and remind him of your life of integrity and uprightness immediately so that even before his death messenger reach the middle court, the Lord will return to you.

He told his prophet to return to Hezekiah and tell him that he heard his prayers and he has seen his tears and he will heal him.

King Hezekiah miracle came when the Lord added fifteen more years to his life. The Lord also delivered him out of the hands of the enemy. (Isaiah 38). The Lord not only healed and delivered Hezekiah, he restored him.

The Lord will do the same for you. Your healing is guaranteed, it does not matter where the sickness originated from. If your illness is from the enemy; you only need to note that the enemy was already destroyed at Calvary so simple apply this knowledge to your life.

If your illness originated form the Lord God and he told you that you will die but you are certainly not ready to die, I want you to return to God in humility and remind him of your life of integrity and uprightness. If you had no previous relationship with God and your past life was filled with sins, there is still hope. Surrender your life to God in repentance and he will have mercy on you and heal you.

The mercy of the Lord endures forever!

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