Title: Prayer to Overcome Despair
2 Kings (47) Prayer to overcome despair
(2 Kings 20:1-6)
1. Prayer in the Temple
One day, King Hezekiah fell ill with an incurable disease and died (verse 1). When faced with such a situation, do not resent or complain, find a solution in that reality, and under no circumstances lose hope. When Job met a desperate situation, he tore his cloak, shaved his head, and fell to the ground to worship. “I came out naked from my mother’s womb, and there I will return naked. The LORD gave and the LORD took away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Restoring worship and thanksgiving without blaming God in a desperate situation is the basic formula for overcoming despair.
Furthermore, worship and thanksgiving should be connected through prayer. The specific secret to overcoming despair lies in a life of prayer. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always! Pray without ceasing! In everything give thanks!” are connected words. People who are always happy do not complain or complain, but give thanks in everything. Also, those who are grateful for everything can overcome despair and stand up by praying without giving up and without ceasing.
Hezekiah was able to overcome despair through prayer. In particular, he enjoyed temple prayers. Even when Sennacherib threatened, he went up to the temple and prayed (2 Kings 19:14-15). The best place to pray is in the temple, not in your study room, closet, or prayer hall. The Bible defines the temple as the house of prayer for all people. “A life of prayer every day” is important, but “a life of visiting the temple every day” is just as important. God values visiting the church every morning to pray, and He will gladly answer his prayers and wishes.
2. Concentrated prayer
When Hezekiah prayed, he turned his face to the wall and prayed (verse 2). When you pray with your face facing the wall, it means that you will look and depend only on God. When people get an incurable disease, they find all the doctors who say it is acceptable, they find all the good medicines, and they try to find and treat all the good treatment methods. Hezekiah realized that such humanistic attempts were useless, so he gave up meeting people and prayed while looking only at God.
Why is grace less experienced? Because they try to solve problems through people. Before meeting people, you must meet God. Some people say that prayer can only happen when there are many people who pray. Also, there are some people who need to be looked at by others to become prayer. But prayer is not boasting or showing off. You must be able to face God alone. Whether you pray quietly or with a voice, you should pray without worrying about people, thinking that you are talking to God alone.
While listening to someone else's prayer, we cannot guess and imagine his or her situation and focus on prayer. Just as if you are distracted from studying, you will not get good grades, so if you are distracted from prayer, you will not be able to become a powerful prayer. That is why it is best to pray during the day when there are the least people and when it is quietest. After all, the best time to pray is early in the morning. The morning prayer is similar in concept to Hezekiah's face-to-face prayer. When you pray, when you pray while looking only at God in a deep one-on-one relationship, that prayer will turn despair into hope.
3. Weeping Prayer
Hezekiah wept bitterly and prayed (verse 3). There is tremendous power in the prayer of repentance that is prayed with tears. The prayer of tears is the greatest tool to restore what has been broken. If you pray with tears, God will rebuild the broken business. And He will rebuild your home and your children. Sometimes you just don't like how your child looks. Even then, if there is only one thing, the child will surely come back. It is the prayer of tears offered by parents.
Why was Samuel able to become a great leader in Israel? Mother Hannah's prayer of tears played a big role. Before getting Samuel, Hannah prayed so earnestly that the priest Eli thought he was drunk. Hannah must have prayed so earnestly that tears and a runny nose would drip with her head, and her face would be bare. In the end, we were able to overcome the barriers in question. Those who have overcome the impossible barriers of the Bible usually have tears in their prayers to themselves and their parents.
The greatest crisis for children today is that fewer and fewer parents pray for their children in tears. If you pray for your child with tears, that child will surely win and succeed. Satan cannot take a child from the arms of parents who pray with tears. A good man who has been revered in history usually has a prayer in tears from his parents. God is compassionate. God never turns away from the prayers of those who weep and weep. A prayer of tears is the best tool for making God work.