1.
At the age of 25, Hezekiah ascended the throne as the 13th king of Judah and reigned for 29 years. He is considered one of the greatest kings of Judah and ruled during the time of the prophet Isaiah. From the beginning to the end of his reign, Hezekiah served Yahweh, the God of Israel. He initiated religious reforms and, with God's help, led his people to a miraculous victory over the Assyrian army of 185,000 soldiers.
2.
The phrase "at that time" refers to the period after Hezekiah’s miraculous victory over the Assyrian army. After overcoming a significant challenge, Hezekiah faced another one. He suddenly became terminally ill, prompting him to pray earnestly to God. In response, God extended his life by 15 years.
“In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, ‘This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.’ Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, ‘Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.’ And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” 2 Kings 20:1-3 (NIV)
3.
We need to focus on this part: “Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord.” What does the wall symbolize? It represents the obstacles and challenges we face, the difficult situations, strained relationships, and wounded emotions. Hezekiah did not avoid the problem; he faced it head-on, praying to God while looking at the wall.
4.
Can you see Hezekiah's state of mind? Even after his prayer, he wept bitterly for a long time. Are there people in today’s worship who, like Hezekiah, are crying before a wall? Are there those walking through storms, wandering in the wilderness, or passing through dark tunnels? The reality we see through Hezekiah is often our own: just when one problem is resolved, another one arises.
5.
Hezekiah asked God to remember how he had lived faithfully, served with a whole heart, and done good in God’s sight. He wasn’t trying to bargain with God; rather, he was pouring out his heart, expressing his sense of injustice. This is the beginning of prayer—not a formal, calculated approach, but turning your face to the wall and crying out to God. This is where healing begins, where the impossible becomes possible. While we may only be able to weep before God, we can still expect Him to act according to His will.
6.
Hezekiah had previously experienced a miraculous victory when the Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem, and he prayed to God.
“Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: ‘LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, LORD, are God.’” 2 Kings 19:14-19 (NIV)
7.
Have you encountered another wall? If so, you can trust the same God who gave you victory before. Though the challenges may differ, God remains the same. He hears our groaning.
“Listen to my words, LORD, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” Psalm 5:1-3 (NIV)
8.
For those who long for God's love and peace, remember how deeply our Creator loves you. For those who worship and praise God, seeking to emulate His goodness, know that you are His child.
God watches over you with loving eyes and listens with kind ears, shining light into your darkness and answering even your smallest groans. Wherever you are, turn to the Lord and look only to Him.
9.
Jeonghun Song, the CEO of the food truck company CUPBOB, which grew from humble beginnings to a company with annual sales of 130 billion won, once summarized his life in a single sentence: “There were many difficulties, but I just worked a little harder than others. When you knock down a wall, it becomes a bridge.”
10.
Jesus, who made an eternal path for us, is our Waymaker. We all face a wall of sin that we cannot break down by our own strength, a wall that cannot be overcome by human goodness or religious effort. But Jesus broke down the barrier of sin that separated us from God, opening the way to eternal life. Our problems lead us to God, and once we overcome the wall, it becomes nothing more than a hurdle.
11.
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6 (NIV)
12.
As the new school year begins, Changseong is feeling anxious. I told him, “Don’t fear the wall. The wall is also a path.” Yes, the wall leads us to our final destination. It’s not about choosing a life without problems but facing the wall and moving forward with God’s guidance, even when there are challenges.
13.
Are you, like Hezekiah, turning your face to the wall and praying? I hope that next week’s worship will be a special time where we, like Hezekiah, draw closer to God in prayer. Whether you pray facing the wall or looking down at the floor, let’s not listen to the noise of the world or the emotions stirring within us. Let’s pray earnestly before God, as Hezekiah did in the face of his problems. The wall is not something to fear or avoid. When we trust the unchanging God and present our concerns to Him, the wall that stands in our way will become a path leading us forward.
“You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:1-8 (NIV)
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