Extended Credit
It shouldn't come as a surprise to any of us that all of us will one day die.
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, "Thus says the LORD:Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover." - 2 Kings 20:1
In today's reading, Hezekiah gets the news that his time is up and he should get his affairs in order.
No one wants to hear that. We like to think this day is ours to do with as we wish, and it can be a real downer to face each day in fear it will be our last.
But Hezekiah gets on his knees and prays for more time, and surprisingly, he gets it. Another fifteen years are his to enjoy.
Who wouldn't want another 15 years?
But wait. What if you have already been given an extension? What if the last time you prayed for God's grace, thinking you were going to hear a bad prognosis, God granted your wish and added time.
How much time did you get? And what are you doing with it?
It is a scary thought, that we could already be on borrowed time and not realize it. Who wants to use up their extended credit?
Now, I don't think we should lose sleep over this, but there is a good chance we have already received our extension, especially if we can recall a time when we feared it was all over, and who hasn't had an experience like that?
We get all caught up in the notion of a long life, and we believe each of us is entitled to one, but it doesn't work that way. My wife's uncle passed away recently in his nineties. Our dads died in their fifties.
So, the real question is not how much time do I have, but what am I doing with the time I have now?
If we believe we are living on the pre-extension side of life, we rest assured believing we can pray like hell when bad times come and we will get that Hezekiah extension. But what if we are already on the post-extension side and don't know it?
I think I will start acting like I am post-extension. Then, if it turns out I still have chips to cash in that get me out of a bind, I will be even more thankful.
Therefore, I thank God for the time He has given me, and I will spend it wisely.
More to come...