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God Answered Hezekiah’s Prayer

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Bible verse : 2 Kings 20:5-6 (NIV)

"Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD,
the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;
I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life.
And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria.
I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.'"

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Hezekiah became the 13th king of Judah at the age of 25. Hezekiah, who became king, did not follow the evil deeds of his father Ahaz. Hezekiah ruled the country righteously in the eyes of the Lord, just as his ancestor King David had done.

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Hezekiah removed the high places that God hated. He broke down the stone pillars and cut down the Asherah idols. Until then, people called the bronze serpent that Moses made Nehushtan, burned incense in front of it, and served it.
Hezekiah also broke this bronze serpent.

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Hezekiah was a king who believed in God and prayed to Him when faced with difficult times. In the 14th year that Hezekiah became king, Assyria invaded Judah. Assyria told Hezekiah to surrender, saying blasphemously that they were stronger than God.

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Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, sent a letter to Hezekiah cursing God and telling him not to believe in God and to surrender to him.
Hezekiah ran to the temple of God with the letter, opened the letter in front of God, and prayed for God to help him. Hezekiah prayed to God to save Judah by defeating Sennacherib, who had mocked God.

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Prophet Isaiah sent someone to convey the word of God to Hezekiah. “I have heard the prayer you prayed against Sennacherib. I will never leave those who curse me alone. And I will fill you with better things.” On the night God answered prayers, God sent angels to defeat 185,000 Assyrian troops in one night.

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One day, King Hezekiah became seriously ill. Hezekiah's illness was a serious illness that could not be cured with the medical techniques of the time.
The prophet Isaiah came to see Hezekiah, who was sick.

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Isaiah knew that the king's illness was something that could not be cured by human effort. And he gave him the word of God.
“You will die now. So get your household affairs in order. You will never recover.”

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After hearing Isaiah’s message, Hezekiah faced the wall and began to pray.
He believed that the only One who could cure his illness and prolong his life was Jehovah God, and he prayed to Him to heal his illness.
["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. (Isaiah 38:3)]

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God heard Hezekiah’s earnest prayer and responded immediately. God appeared and spoke to Prophet Isaiah as he returned from meeting Hezekiah.
["Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears;
I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. (2 Kings 20:5)]
God promised Isaiah that God would extend Hezekiah's life by 15 years and allow him to go up to the temple in three days.

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Isaiah returned to King Hezekiah and delivered the word of God. Isaiah, who delivered the word of God, told the king's servants to bring fig paste.
The servants placed the dough they brought on Hezekiah’s sore spot. God performed a miracle to cure Hezekiah of his illness at that moment.

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Hezekiah, who was cured of his illness, asked Isaiah to show him proof that God's word to him would come true. The prophet Isaiah asked,
“Would it be okay if I made the shadow of the sun move 10 steps forward on the sundial with the promise that the word of the Lord would come true?”

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In response to Isaiah’s words, Hezekiah asked for more difficult evidence.
“It is easy for the sun’s shadow to take 10 steps forward, so please take it backwards and let the shadow go 10 steps back.”

Upon hearing King Hezekiah's request, Isaiah prayed to God to make the sun's      shadow move back ten steps on the sundial.

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God heard Isaiah’s prayer and fulfilled his request. The shadow of the sundial made by Hezekiah's father, King Ahaz, moved back ten steps.
The sun's shadow took ten steps back, but nothing happened in this world.
The reason was that God was the one who created this world.

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Hezekiah, who saw the evidence shown by God, composed a song and praised Jehovah God. And Hezekiah was able to go up to the temple three days later, as God had promised. After he was cured of his illness, as God promised, he lived and ruled over Judah for another 15 years.

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Hezekiah saved the nation of Judah from the hands of Assyria through prayer.
His prayers created an amazing miracle that extended his life by 15 years.
As children of God who believe in Jesus, our prayers have the power to move God's heart. Jesus himself told us how powerful prayer is.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)

Therefore, our friends in faith must have a good faith habit of praying to God like Hezekiah when we encounter any problem. God, who heard Hezekiah's prayer, also hears your prayers. I hope that we all become friends with great faith who can solve any problem they face through prayer.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)