Open the Bible UK Daily

Colin Smith
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3 minute daily Bible reflections from Open the Bible UK, authored by Colin Smith, read by Sue McLeish.

  1. 3h ago

    The Fear of Leaving Loved Ones Behind

    I said, I shall not see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living; I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.Isaiah 38:11Hezekiah knows that he will see the Lord in the world to come. His point is that that he will no longer see the Lord as he has in the past when he has worshipped with God’s people in the temple. When we worship, we behold the beauty of the Lord. David says, “I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory” (Ps. 63:2). When we worship, we anticipate by faith what we will one day enjoy by sight. Hezekiah could say, “I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the LORD!” (Ps. 122:1). The thought of no longer meeting with God’s people for worship was hard to bear. “I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world” (Isa. 38:11). Hezekiah fears leaving his loved ones. “I’m not ready to say goodbye to the people I love!” Hezekiah is a godly man, and ahead of him is eternal life. But it is really hard to say goodbye. Paul says of Epaphroditus, a brother who was dear to him, “He was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and… on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow” (Phil. 2:27). Paul is not saying, “Oh well, if he dies, he goes to heaven.” No! To lose him would have been sorrow upon sorrow! This is what Hezekiah feared. “I’m not ready to say goodbye.” You may know this anguish. God has taken someone you love. You look on them no more. And you miss them. Value the loved ones you have. Love them well. A day will come when you will no longer have them. Think of three ways you could show your loved ones how much you value them.

  2. 1d ago

    The Feelings of a Godly King in the Middle of a Crisis

    A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, after he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness.Isaiah 38:9The beginning of Hezekiah’s crisis was shock, the end was hope, but the middle was anguish. Perhaps this is where you are today. You have moved through the shock of being disrupted by a crisis. You have affirmed your hope in God. But now you are feeling the anguish, and it looks like it will only get worse. Looking back, Hezekiah gives us the inside story of what he experienced. He felt fragile“My dwelling is plucked up… from me like a shepherd’s tent” (38:12). This crisis confronts Hezekiah with the reality that his life is fragile. He lives in a palace, but his body is like a tent. Are you feeling fragile? Feeling fragile is part of the anguish of an unexpected crisis. He felt anxious“I calmed myself until morning” (38:13). Anxiety is always worse at night. The hours creep past, and the mind won’t rest. This man walked with God. And he was anxious. Are you feeling anxious? Anxiety is part of the anguish of an unexpected crisis. He felt weary“My eyes are weary with looking upward” (38:14). Notice why he is weary: from “looking upward.” He had been calling on God, and he was tired of waiting for an answer. How long, O Lord? Are you feeling weary? Growing weary is part of the anguish of an unexpected crisis. Maybe you have thought, I am a Christian. I shouldn’t be feeling fragile or anxious or weary. But this was the experience of a godly king. Don’t be surprised if it is the same for you. This is not a failure of faith. It is part of our humanity. Which of these feelings—fragile, anxious, or weary—are you facing today?

  3. 2d ago

    When Your Life Is Slipping Away, This Will Be the Only Question That Matters

    The word of the LORD came to [Isaiah]: “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah… I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you.”2 Kings 20:4-5Here in 2 Kings, we get a fuller picture of what happened. Hezekiah is at the point of death, and Isaiah says, “Set your house in order, for you shall die.” Hezekiah turns to the wall and prays (20:1-2). Isaiah leaves, but God says, “Turn back, and say… I will heal you” (20:5). Isaiah hadn’t even left the palace, so this was an immediate answer to prayer! Isaiah says to the king, “God will heal you, and on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord” (20:5). When Hezekiah asks for a sign, Isaiah says that God will do something only He can do. He will turn back the sun’s shadow (20:9). So, what we have here is the story of a godly king at the point of death. God heard his prayer and raised him up on the third day. The whole Bible points to Jesus Christ, the great king. He wasn’t just at the point of death. He died! Raising the dead is something that only God can do, and on the third day, God raised Him up! Friend, a day will come when life is slipping away from you. Only one question will matter: “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?” (Isa. 38:22). Jesus said, “This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn. 6:40). That is the hope of the gospel. And it can be your hope if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you have this hope and assurance that when your days are done, you will go up to the house of the Lord?

  4. 3d ago

    Things That Only God Can Do

    Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”Isaiah 38:22Hezekiah was sick and “at the point of death” (38:1). It must have been hard to believe that God would heal him. So, God gave him a sign. “Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined (38:8). In the ancient world, people used sundials to tell time. It seems that Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, had built steps, and as the sun was setting, the shadows would creep down the steps. God said to Hezekiah, “I will give you this sign. I will make the shadow move up the steps. I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps.” Imagine Hezekiah lying in his bed, at the point of death. And he looks out of the window… The shadows are lengthening, but then the shadow moves in the opposite direction. Only God could do such a thing, and Hezekiah thinks to himself, Maybe there is hope! Why did God give this extraordinary sign? “This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has promised” (38:7). God is saying, “Hezekiah, I am going to heal you. And I want you to know that I am the One who did it. I don’t want you thinking it was the figs! So, I am going to give you a sign by doing something that only I could do.” There are some things only God can do, so trust what He has promised. What promise of God do you need to trust today?

  5. 4d ago

    Thank God When He Makes the Means Effective

    Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you.”2 Kings 20:5There are two ways to lose the path of wisdom. One is to forget the means that God uses. The other is to forget that it is God who uses the means. Isaiah said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil” (Isa. 38:21). But God said, “Behold I will heal you.” So, when Hezekiah recovers, he is not going to say, “That fig paste is the most marvellous potion!” No, he is going to give thanks to God, because he knows that it was God who made the fig paste effective. When you know that God works through means, you will be grateful for the means, but you will give glory to God who used them. These words will help you pray for yourself and others: Health: If you are ill, use the means God has provided, and pray that He will work through the means. Lord, use this medicine to make her well. Lord, use this chemotherapy to heal his cancer.Employment: If you lose your job, use the means available to find a job, and pray that God will work through the means. Lord, help me to persevere in networking with others, and use the connections that you have given me to open a door for new work.Parenting: Lord, use these parents to guide their children.Church leaders: Lord, grant wisdom to the elders and enable them to effectively guard the church. When you grasp that God works through means, it will shape how you pray. You will be grateful for the way God works through the means, and you will give glory to Him. How are you praying about your own situation? What are you asking of God? Remember to give glory to Him when He works through means.

  6. 5d ago

    How God Can Use You as a Means of Blessing Others

    Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.”Isaiah 38:21What would you think of a person who said, “God will give strength to my body, so there is no need for me to eat”? Or, “God will keep me warm, so there is no need for me to wear clothing”? God gives strength to your body by means of the food you eat. God gives warmth to your body by means of the clothes you wear. God works through means: Nurses, doctors, and medicine are God’s means of restoring health. Builders are God’s means of providing homes. Farmers are God’s means of providing food. Teachers are God’s means of giving us wisdom. Parents are God’s means of training children. Elders are God’s means of guarding the church. When you see this, it will give you a proper sense of Christian responsibility. It will open your eyes to what God has called you to do. When you see that God works through means, you will always be asking, “How can I be the means God uses to bring help and blessing to others?” This is a vital principle of Christian wisdom, and it speaks to any crisis that we face today. What should we do? We should pray. And we should use whatever means are available to solve the crisis. How could you be the means God uses to bring help and blessing to someone you know who is facing an unexpected crisis?

  7. 6d ago

    Use the Means God Makes Available

    Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.”Isaiah 38:21This gives us a clue about Hezekiah’s illness. There was a boil, evidence of an infection raging in his body. And Isaiah told the king to apply a dressing on the infected area, using a cake of figs. Hezekiah did not have the blessing of modern medicine, but this was the means that was available. God normally works through means, so use the means God has made available. Hezekiah prayed to God and he applied a cake of figs, and the Lord healed him. You may have heard the story of the drowning man. A great storm came, and the riverbanks were about to burst. Everyone was ordered to evacuate. But the man said, “I trust in God. He will save me.” The neighbours begged him to leave, but the man refused. Sure enough, the river burst its banks, and the man had to climb onto his roof. Then came a man in a rowboat to take him to safety. But the man said, “I trust in God. He will save me.” The next morning, a helicopter dropped a rope ladder to pull the man to safety. The man refused. “I trust in God. He will save me.” But the following day, waters rose higher than the house, and the man drowned. At the gates of heaven, the man said to an angel, “I believed in God. Why didn’t He save me?” The angel replied, “God was the One who sent you the warning. He sent you the boat. And He sent you the helicopter!” God normally works through means, so we should use the means He has made available. Are you making use of the means God has made available to you?

  8. Jul 8

    God Normally Works Through Means

    The word of the LORD came to Isaiah: “Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.’”Isaiah 38:4-5Let’s look at the happy ending of Hezekiah’s story. We will see what God did and how He did it. What we find in these verses speaks clearly to any crisis we may face today. Hezekiah is at the point of death. So, he prays to the Lord, and God says, “I have heard your prayer. I will heal your disease. You will live 15 more years, and I will deliver the city from the enemy who seeks to destroy it” (38:5-6, author’s paraphrase). Don’t miss the big picture of this chapter. Beginning at verse 9, we have a testimony written by Hezekiah after he recovered from the sickness. He gives us the inside story of his journey through this unexpected crisis—what he felt, what he feared, and how he prayed. Then at the end of this chapter are two verses that are almost like footnotes, but they are really important. Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, that he may recover.” Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?” (38:21-22). These verses illustrate a principle that is vital for Christian wisdom, and it speaks directly to any crisis we face today: God normally works through means, but there are some things only God can do. How have you seen God work “through means” in your own life? What things could only have been done by God?

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About

3 minute daily Bible reflections from Open the Bible UK, authored by Colin Smith, read by Sue McLeish.

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  • Creator
    Colin Smith
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.1K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Colin Smith
  • Show Website
    Open the Bible UK Daily

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