Monday, June 20, 2022

In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.’

Isaiah 38:1

We all love the underdog. There is something about the person who is the smallest and the least capable that makes us gravitate and cheer for them. We may see this principle at work in a football game, when some may want the “underdog” to win.

I think we may favor the underdog, because we all have been one, in one way or the other. I certainly have been one. I have been compared to my siblings and considered the least likely to succeed. I have been compared to my friends and considered the least likely to make an impact.

If we look at this passage of scripture, we see Hezekiah as the underdog in this situation. It was his day of reckoning, as the prophet had declared to him that he was going to die. Who can overcome such a grim warning? In this story, the odds were stacked against him, and he had no way out.

PRAYER: Lord, this passage reminds me that everybody can have a rough season. Hezekiah certainly did. We all get bad news at some point in our lives. Teach me how to see beyond the news to you, trusting that you have a plan in the midst of the news. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.