Although many loved ones have, I have never prayed that my life would be extended. The words just wouldn't come. I have consistently trusted God's will and prayed that whatever happens will be what is best for me and my family. If I truly believe that life after this is better than here, then I need to trust that whatever happens "next" is not something to fear but embrace. Yes, I am going to be sad beyond belief to leave my husband and family. Yes, I dread going through whatever pain will come as my body succumbs to cancer. But NO, I am not going to hold onto this life with clenched hands, and go out protesting the injustice of it all.
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| https://www.amazon.com/Sunset-Passing-Those-We-Love/dp/1609088344 |
One of our favorite authors, S. Michael Wilcox, lost his wife suddenly to an inoperable brain tumor and published his thoughts, so beautifully expressed, in a book called Sunset: On the Passing of Those We Love. He often talks about how much they wanted "Hezekiah time" so we were interested to read more about the ancient King and what that meant.
Hezekiah had a close relationship with Isaiah, the prophet of the Jews at the time and through the Lord's direction they had accomplished much good for the kingdom. When Isaiah warned Hezekiah that the Lord told him to put his house in order... that it was his time to die... he immediately felt it was a mistake and incessantly prayed for more time. His reasoning was that he was a good person with goals to accomplish and didn't deserve to die before his best years began. After negotiating for a sign, another evidence of his lack of faith, God did grant him 15 more years. But what happened during those 15 years and did it help or hurt his family?
"For many of us, facing our own impending death or the death of a loved one will be a great test of our faith in the Lord. The example of Hezekiah is a warning that we not ask at that moment for our will to be done. We are to put the question of life and death into the hands of the Lord and pray to know His will, trusting in His tender love for each of us. We must pray with the attitude of the Savior, who by example has said, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2)."
"Hezekiah Has Tunnel Vision" by Charles A Muldowney, Ensign 2002
Faced with Death
Shortly before the final defeat of Sennacherib (the Assyrian leader), Hezekiah contracted a fatal disease and became “sick unto death” (Isa. 38:1). The Lord in His mercy directed Hezekiah to set his house in order and prepare to die, “for thou shalt die, and not live,” the prophet Isaiah testified. Hezekiah wept bitterly and prayed incessantly for the Lord to extend his life. He reasoned with the Lord, complaining that his life should be spared because (1) he was a good person and therefore didn’t deserve to die; (2) he was still in the prime of life, and death would rob him of his best years; and (3) he would greatly miss his family. Hezekiah also accused the Lord of unjustly taking his life, thus revealing that he had little understanding of or faith in the joy of the Lord in the spirit world (see Isa. 38:2–3, 9–20). He developed spiritual tunnel vision, becoming so obsessed with his desire to live that he lost an eternal perspective.
The Lord heard Hezekiah’s complaints and sent Isaiah to tell him: “I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee. … And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria” (2 Kgs. 20:5–6). Hezekiah then asked Isaiah for a sign, that he might be more fully convinced of the Lord’s intentions (see 2 Kgs. 20:8). This kind of request often demonstrates a lapse of faith and loss of judgment (see Alma 32:16). Isaiah asked Hezekiah whether a simple or a dramatic sign would please him. Hezekiah asked for the dramatic one. The Lord then moved the shadow on the sundial of Hezekiah’s father backward 10 degrees, a miracle that seems to have fully satisfied Hezekiah’s seemingly inappropriate desire (see 2 Kgs. 20:9–11).
According to Thy Will
Although this miracle might initially appear to be a great blessing, Hezekiah soon became lifted up in pride (see 2 Chron. 32:24–25). And though he humbled himself again, the people of Judah paid a price for his pride.
Not long after the successful defeat of the Assyrians, Hezekiah was visited by the son of the king of Babylon. Hezekiah showed him all the royal treasures and armaments (see Isa. 39:2). This was a serious mistake, for it initiated a Babylonian lust for Judah’s possessions. Isaiah condemned Hezekiah’s action and prophesied that all the treasures he had shown would be “carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left” and that Judah’s royal family would be forced into exile in Babylon (see Isa. 39:6–8).
During Hezekiah’s extra 15 years, his wife bore a son, Manasseh, the heir to the throne. Manasseh began to reign at age 12 and ruled for 55 horrible years. He had the prophet Isaiah murdered and reversed all of the religious reforms of his father. He erected altars to Baal, installed idols in the temple, and burned his sons to death on these altars. He appealed to wizards for spiritual direction and hid the scriptures. His evil influence was a principal cause of the eventual destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (see 2 Kgs. 24:3–4).
We do not know what would have happened to Judah had Hezekiah died as prophesied by Isaiah. But Bishop John H. Vandenberg (1904–92) has said: “There have been some noble men who unwittingly sought to counsel the Lord. One such man was Hezekiah. … As one reviews [his life], one wonders, would it not have been better for Hezekiah to have submissively accepted the Lord’s first decree, ‘… Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die.’” 2
The example of the Savior provides a striking contrast to those who resist God’s will or attempt to alter it to conform with what they think should happen. In the Garden of Gethsemane, facing His great test of suffering and imminent death, Jesus prayed to the Father, “If thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). The Lord has said, “He that asketh in the Spirit asketh according to the will of God” (D&C 46:30).
In 1967 Ida Romney, wife of President Marion G. Romney (1897–1988), experienced a stroke. She lay in the hospital for weeks. Her condition worsened despite prayers and priesthood blessings. President Romney realized the outcome of this condition could be death or a serious handicap. Yet he did not want to pray for her healing unless it was the Lord’s will. He prayed and searched the scriptures for direction. One evening as he prayed to discover the Lord’s will, he ended his prayer, “Thy will be done.” He seemed to feel or hear a voice which said, “It is not contrary to my will that Ida be healed.” It was almost 2:00 A.M. He rushed to the hospital and blessed her, promising that she would be healed, and she made a miraculous recovery. Elder F. Burton Howard of the Seventy wrote concerning this experience, “By refusing to ask a special favor without first ascertaining the will of the Lord, [President Romney] had unknowingly demonstrated the quality of his faith.” 3
For many of us, facing our own impending death or the death of a loved one will be a great test of our faith in the Lord. The example of Hezekiah is a warning that we not ask at that moment for our will to be done. We are to put the question of life and death into the hands of the Lord and pray to know His will, trusting in His tender love for each of us. We must pray with the attitude of the Savior, who by example has said, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2).
