Let’s take a look at II Kings 18:2 where it is written: “He [Hezekiah] was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah”.
When I was twenty-five years old, I was an alcoholic drug addict, living in an abandoned building, behind an old castle, in a tiny village in the far northwest of Scotland. I think of Hezekiah, born into this situation, this calling, this position as King in Jerusalem at twenty-five years old.
We can learn from a concurrent reading in II Chronicles 29:1 that Hezekiah’s mum’s full name was Abijah. I think this is important to know as “Abi” means (my) father, and “Abijah” means (my) father is Yahweh. She is the daughter of Zechariah, whose name means “Yahweh remembers”. Yahweh is the name used for God when a covenantal or personal relationship is implied.
We know that Isaiah was the prophet of God who was around for all of Hezekiah’s reign, and in Isaiah 8:2 Zechariah is mentioned as a “reliable witness”.
I wonder if a praying mum and a faith-filled grandad were an influence on Hezekiah as he grew up. Would they know that their prayers and actions would impact a nation, change destinies, and that Hezekiah would find himself in the lineage of Christ for all eternity? {Matthew Ch 1:9-10].
I have a friend in Honduras who had a dreadful upbringing (I did short term mission trips in Central America over a twenty-year period) – he was in jail for four murders. Two of his brothers were murdered in retaliation after being mistaken for him. A nun from Costa Rica visited his prison one day and declared the gospel. That night in his cell he received Christ as his saviour. He was so changed he got out of prison and went up to the mountains where all the outlaws lived and started planting churches. Today there are over 300 churches in that region. I think of the wee nun, leaving the prison that day, no one came forwards to receive Christ. How did she feel? Her prayers were mighty and have impacted generations.
Who do you pray for, how do you model your faithfulness? Don’t underestimate the power of your prayers for your family and for those in desperate need. If we need to, let’s restart our prayer life today?
Principle 3 – our relationship with God is at the heart of all we do.
Strength – Relator: People exceptionally talented in the relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.