Contemplative Bible Reading

Isaiah 37:14-15a (New Living Translation)

14 After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed…

The enemy was at the gates. There was no natural way that they would be repelled.

Isaiah went into the temple to pray. He set the letter of demands from the enemy on the floor in front of him, and Isaiah prayed.

“That’s just a crutch,” we could say. “God didn’t need to ‘see’ the letter. Isaiah was grandstanding, putting on a show like the showboat he was.”

Isaiah was a man of God, chosen by God to speak His words to everyone else. Isaiah used the physical to aid his spiritual weakness and pray.

“Well, I don’t need such gimicks or props.” Really? Maybe there are times when I don’t. Maybe there are times when I do. Maybe there are times when I need to admit my weakness and show my weakness and act out of my weakness and humble myself. Maybe I need to put something on the table in front of me when I pray.