Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “Don’t Quit” for Friday, 31 October 2014 - Isaiah 38:1-6

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “Don’t Quit” for Friday, 31 October 2014 - Isaiah 38: Time Spent in Death’s Waiting Room
1 At that time, Hezekiah got sick. He was about to die. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and said, “God says, ‘Prepare your affairs and your family. This is it: You’re going to die. You’re not going to get well.’”
2-3 Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah and, facing the wall, prayed to God: “God, please, I beg you: Remember how I’ve lived my life. I’ve lived faithfully in your presence, lived out of a heart that was totally yours. You’ve seen how I’ve lived, the good that I have done.” And Hezekiah wept as he prayed—painful tears.
4-6 Then God told Isaiah, “Go and speak with Hezekiah. Give him this Message from me, God, the God of your ancestor David: ‘I’ve heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll add fifteen years to your life. And I’ll save both you and this city from the king of Assyria. I have my hand on this city.
Lord, . . . You restored me to health and let me live.(Isaiah 38:16 (NIV))
King Hezekiah was “at the point of death” because of his illness. But he recovered with God’s help. Hezekiah’s story reminds me of an illness from which God helped me recover.
Mine was a mental illness. Several years ago loneliness, financial struggles, and workplace issues felt like relentless adversaries, and I began having suicidal thoughts. I wanted relief from my emotional pain and came to believe suicide would be the way to attain it.
As I headed toward the parking garage one night, I was thinking about the note I had scribbled on yellow-lined paper and various methods of carbon monoxide poisoning. When I reached my automobile, I noticed a laminated prayer card on the pavement beside the driver’s door. It was titled, “Don’t Quit.”
I could taste my salty tears as I read it. Despite the fact that I had not involved God in any aspect of my life, I felt God reaching out to me through that prayer card. The following morning, I contacted a physician. With counseling and medication I recovered from my illness, and a few months later a pastor led me to Jesus. I keep that prayer card on my dresser as a reminder that God values our lives and “saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Ps. 34:18).
The Author: Debra Pierce (Massachusetts)
Thought for the Day: Don’t quit.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we praise you for your divine mercy when illness steals our health and hope. Amen.
Prayer focus: People suffering from mental illness
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