Episode 395: The Family Altar Audio Devotional – Day 361

Episode Summary:

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord. (2 Kings 20:1-5)

14 After all, friends, it’s the prayer of faith that saves the sick. Sometimes I’ve noticed here the last few nights, I’ve been watching, and I noticed the people… I come through, and maybe, they—they want to… Some… See, if there’s something in their life, that’s just not tallying up right, and when they do that, when they find that out, then I can tell in the Spirit, the way It moves they want me to pray for them. See? After that, they’re wanting me to pray for them. See?

And after all, this… It’s—it’s prayer is the most vital force that God ever put into the hand of mankind. The most effective force that’s known to man, is prayer. Do you believe that? It is. It’s prayer that changes things.

15 Look at Hezekiah when…?… and the prophet went up and said, “All right, Hezekiah, you’re not coming off the bed. God’s done said you was going to die right there where you’re at.”

And Hezekiah studied it over, if he just had fifteen years longer… Now remember, you’ve got to give God a cause, a reason. Now, he didn’t say, “Just because I can get out there and ride around in a chariot, and show the people I’m a king.” No, he wanted to rebuild the altars of the God; and a few things had to be done to get the kingdom in order right.

And he prayed that God would give him fifteen years longer, and he wept bitterly, just wept to God. He said, “God, I beseech You to consider me. I’ve walked before You with a perfect heart.”

How many of us can say that tonight, we’ve walked before Him with a perfect heart?

“I’ve walked before Thee, Lord, with a perfect heart. And I ask You to consider me. Now, I want…”

And God Almighty, Jehovah, reconsidered that man’s case, because he prayed. Think of that. Almighty God, that had pronounced death upon the man, reconsidered His case. My, that’s too much for me. Great Jehovah, to a mortal, to one of the earth, would reconsider His Word that He’d said to him.

16 Now, God has ways of doing things. Looked like He would have spoke right back and told him, “But I—I considered your case, again; I’m going to let you stay for that, if you’ll do that.” But He didn’t. He spoke to the prophet, and sent the prophet all the way back up there again to tell him. Said, “All right, God heard your prayer.” See, God revealed to the prophet what was going to happen; he come back, “Your—your days is considered, and you’re going to come off the bed now in three days.” You got some poultices and so forth, put on him. And Hezekiah come off the bed and was made well.

17 Now, see what prayer does? Prayer is not exactly bringing God down to man. It’s bringing man up to God. See? As you pray, you lose—you lose sight of these earthly things. You sway out into somewhere else, way beyond, and on and on and on, till you be come into His Presence. And then a—a faith that you have laid it out before God, said, “Now here, God, here it is. And I—I want to get well for, this cause.” Or, “I want You to do this for me, for this cause. I want You to heal me from—from—from this cancer, or this TB or—or this anemia condition,” or whatever it is. “I will walk before You, I will—I will do everything I can. I will give this testimony everywhere I go. I will be happy to do that, Lord. And I will use my life, not for myself. I will—I will use it for Your glory, to help others to see You.”

18 Now, then you lay that before God, and say, “God, will You consider my case?” I believe, just as Hezekiah was… O God, yet today, don’t you believe so? Every night He confirms it right here in the building. I believe He will do it again tonight, don’t you? He will come right down here among us tonight and confirm the same thing. As men and women, I don’t know no one here. I did recognize, a few minutes ago, someone I was going to call attention to, friends from Jeffersonville, or down around my hometown, was sitting right back in here somewhere. I met, seen them, awhile… Here… That’s right. God bless you, I… folks from my church. I… Just get up today? This your first day? Saturday. And I missed you all this time. All right.

Well, we’re glad to have them up here, folks from my church. All right.

52-0716 – “Thou Knowest All Things”
Rev. William Marrion Branham

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