The experience of Hezekiah in Isaiah 38 is full of lessons for us today. One of the most striking expressions is: “Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall.” He was king. Dominion was his right. He was used to giving commands and having them obeyed. His desires were gratified, and his word was law. Yet now he faced one who would not obey him. Sickness held him in its grasp, and his majesty counted for nothing. God’s prophet had told him the illness was fatal. Death comes to the king as well as to the humblest servant.
What should Hezekiah do? His servants were around him, ready to help. His throne was unoccupied, his glory forgotten. How empty his honors must have seemed! He turned his face to the wall, away from the imperial, the jeweled diadem, and the applause of people. He turned away from his riches — they were vanity, unable to help him.
There are times when human help fails. Some burdens none can share. Some sorrows no one can ease. Some conflicts allow no reinforcements. Others may yearn to help, but their efforts may hinder instead. We turn our faces to the wall, not knowing what to do. Perhaps we are nearly in despair; the future looks dark, the past disappointing, and the present worse.
When Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, “he wept sorely.” He gave way to sorrow. You may say, “I feel like doing that too. What else can I do?” God did not chide Hezekiah for weeping. Neither will He chide you. Christ was a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” You and I will have occasion for tears, for God has placed us in such circumstances that our character may be tested.
Sorrow softens the heart. Someone said, “tears are the rain that God pours into the heart.” The bitterest tears are those shed alone, caused by sorrows no one else can enter or understand.
But weeping cannot continue — something must follow. Many times, despair follows. Yet while Hezekiah wept, he talked with God, though he had no indication that God would help him. Through the wall, Hezekiah saw God as a loving, compassionate Father. He saw God as the refuge of the oppressed, the helper of the needy, the uplifter of the fallen. He looked to God — not as the lawgiver or avenger, but as the Father of Israel — and poured out his heart.
One thing must have comforted Hezekiah: he could come to God with a clear conscience. The New Testament says, “If our heart does not condemn us — then we have confidence toward God.” This was the secret of Hezekiah’s confidence — his heart did not condemn him. How good it is, in our troubles, when our faces turn to the wall, if we can approach God as Hezekiah did, and say, “You know my heart is not set on evil, but on good; my purpose is to serve You. My life has been pure before You.” There is no strength like a clear conscience, no satisfaction like a well-lived life, no peace like the peace of conscience. Hezekiah’s life must have been upright, for those face to face with God speak truth.
When we come to God in need and can plead the innocence of our hearts, God will hear. Our tears will not be overlooked, and the yearning of our hearts will reach His. He will send the help we need. But if we cannot say God has seen only good in us — if our consciences do condemn us — yet if we repent and turn to the right, God will still hear. He quickly forgets the past when the heart turns to Him in submission and willingness to do His will.
So when human help fails, let us turn our faces to the wall, and, if need be, weep sorely. Pray with all our hearts whatever prayer is necessary, and the God of all grace will be our help and deliverer.
Even in life’s darkest hour, we should not despair. God is ever on the side of those who try to do His will. He is a present help, though our eyes may fail to see Him. It may seem, as it did to Job, that God hides Himself. Too often He is hidden only because our vision is filled with things that block our view. We see only the wall and fail to look to God’s mercy and help. Look beyond the difficulties, the failure of human help, even our own failures — to the One whose loving heart never forgets, and who will never fail us in our time of need.
Charles Wesley Naylor is considered one of the most prolific and inspiring songwriters of the Church of God. He was bedridden for much of his adult life but wrote eight books, a newspaper column, and more than 150 songs. Many of his writings are in the public domain.
