A Thought For The Week Of October 16, 2017

"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.'" (Isaiah 38:1) If you read the story of King Hezekiah's illness (which is Isaiah 38:1-8) it's very easy to be dazzled by the miracles and signs and wonders you find in it. There are at least three of them you could focus on. First is the prophetic word of Isaiah to Hezekiah, second is the healing of Hezekiah and third (and most mysterious) is the strange interruption in the transit of the sun. You can make of those things what you will, but I've never been one to dismiss the possibility of miracles. With God, after all, all things are possible. And yet, even so, as I read this passage I found my attention drawn not to the miracles of the passage but to a very practical point - some good and practical advice for living that we find in v. 1, right off the start, before any of the miracles: "put your house in order, because you are going to die ..." Wow. That's a sobering thought that most people probably don't want to reflect on. Death - and our mortality - is really a subject we'd prefer to avoid at all costs most of the time. But it is inevitable, and there is a lot to be said for making sure that we've put our affairs in order. If it was important for Israel's king, after all - why not us? Perhaps the things we need to put in order are entirely secular - it's good to have a will, and a pre-planned funeral and a power of attorney. All these things are very good, in fact. But the principle applies spiritually as well. It's good to have our spiritual house in order. It's good to have a positive relationship with God. It's good to mend any broken relationships we might have with others. It's good to be at peace. It's good to recognize that while we don't relish the prospect of dying, neither should we fear death. It's good to live with the hope (that we find abundantly in the resurrection of Jesus) that God sees us through death and into eternity in his presence. It's good to have our spiritual house in order - and all those things are signs that we've accomplished that goal.