2 Kings 20:5
Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.
When Hezekiah was told he would die he pleaded for life with prayer and tears, and God sent word back by Isaiah even as he was leaving the court that He had heard the prayer and seen the tears and would heal him so that on the third day he would go up to worship in the house of the Lord, adding fifteen years to his life. The healing was miraculous yet not instantaneous by word or touch alone, but came through a lump of figs laid as a poultice upon the boil which, blessed by God, restored him. In this God turned from elaborate treatments that hinder recovery to a simple natural remedy that aids the body to recover its power to overcome disease. Answered prayer for healing therefore calls for human cooperation with divine power, using simple God-provided remedies to relieve pain and aid nature in harmony with natural laws and God's providence. Such use of helpful means is in strict harmony with God's plans and does not deny faith, for God hears sincere prayer and sees tears and grants peace and pardon to those who answer His warnings with penitence and confession.
Healing Promise to Hezekiah
Hezekiah had been told he would die, and in response he prayed and cried out to God for life. The answer was sent through Isaiah as the prophet was leaving the court. In that message God declared that He had heard the prayer and seen the tears, and that He would heal Hezekiah so that on the third day he would go up to the house of the Lord in temple worship. In compassion He raised him from sickness and granted him a new lease of life by adding fifteen years to his life.
With the healing God also promised to deliver Jerusalem and to defend it from Assyria for His own sake and for David's sake. As a sign that He would fulfill the promise of life, He gave the retreat of the sun, the turning back of the shadow on the sundial by ten degrees. That wonder prompted the king of Babylon to send ambassadors to congratulate Hezekiah and to learn about the God who had performed it. Hezekiah's later display of the Lord's riches to those Babylonian visitors tested and revealed his heart.
Faith, Providence, and Healing
The healing promised was a genuine miracle, yet it was not worked by word or touch alone and was not instantaneous. Though Hezekiah could have been cured instantly by one word or one touch of the divine finger, God instead gave a specific remedy through which he was to recover. That appointed remedy was a lump, poultice, plaster, or bunch of figs laid upon the boil, sore, and diseased part, which, blessed by God, restored him to health. Isaiah gave this direction as he delivered God's assurance of mercy and protecting care.
In this God turned those caring for Hezekiah away from elaborate treatments that hindered recovery to a simple natural remedy that helps the body recover rather than depriving it of power to overcome disease. Answered prayer for healing therefore calls for human cooperation with divine power, using simple God-provided remedies to alleviate pain and aid nature in her work in harmony with natural laws and God's providence. Trusting God for healing is compatible with using beneficial means that work in harmony with nature.
Such use of beneficial means and every helpful facility is in strict harmony with God's plans and neither denies nor hinders faith. Prayer for the sick must work along that line, combining faith with cooperation with divine power and using every beneficial facility, instead of neglecting means or mistaking presumption for faith. The promise shows God hears sincere prayer and sees tears, granting peace and pardon to people who respond to His warnings with sincere penitence and confession. His experience also shows the Lord's hand is visible in affliction; some afflictions come as chastisement under God's providence, and God may permit suffering for purposes beyond human understanding while working events for good.