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.” – 2 Kings 20:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 2, 2013): 2 Kings 20

As long as you are breathing, there is a purpose for you to be here. I really believe that. And having suffered through chronic illness for most of my life, that thought has been very important to me. It is also a thought that has been important as I have talked with people in some sort of pain and who wanted to give up. Not only is there a purpose if you are still alive, but the pain that you may be going through might be part of that purpose. I know, that sounds horrible – but I believe that it is true. As I mentioned, I have suffered through chronic illness all of my life, but part of what that has produced inside of me is a heart for those who are suffering. And the thing is with chronic illness is that we are probably not going to get better, we may have good days, but the periods of recovery are often short. Some people are unable to understand that simple fact. I have had experiences in my life when at the time I was going through the struggle, my question was “God, why?” But every time I came through the struggle my heart was softened and there were people around me that I could understand better.

As long as you are breathing, there is a purpose for you to be here. But sometimes I wonder if we understand that the opposite is also true. Now, I am not saying that people who have died suddenly because of a violent act had reached the end of their purpose. I think that every time someone dies because of an accident, suicide, war or homicide, there is stolen from the society something that is incredibly important for us to move forward. But when life comes to a natural end, purpose is also at an end. And that natural end of a life should be a time of celebration because the purpose has been concluded (hopefully successfully, but that is not guaranteed.)

Hezekiah was raised up as king of Judah for the moment in history when he was able to trust God and stand up against the power of the Assyrian army. And Hezekiah lived up to his moment perfectly. But when the moment was completed, the word came to Hezekiah that it was time for him to die. It was not a message the Hezekiah wanted to hear. So he did what so many of the rest of us have done over the passing years – he pleaded for more time. And God relented. But the reality of Hezekiah’s reign is that during the next fifteen years Hezekiah did nothing but hurt the Kingdom of Judah. If there is a downfall of Hezekiah as king, this is the period in which that downfall occurred.

If there is a moral to the story of Hezekiah, it might be this. Give everything that you have to the life that you are asked to live. Find your purpose and devote your energy into it. But, as harsh as this might sound, do not be afraid of death. For it is simply the reward for a job well done.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 21