Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “…O Lord, I beseech You…. “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears….'” (Isaiah 38:2-5)
The Lord knows me. He knows my heart. He knows my desires. He knows my needs. He knows who I am, and He knows what I’m made of.
Sometimes I’m so sure of what I want. I pray fervently for it. I ask, seek, and knock without ceasing. I submit and surrender my will. I say nevertheless not my will but Yours be done. Then I keep asking, telling my Jesus what I want, asking persistently.
And I’m so sure it’s what I want.
Then comes the waiting, the wondering. Will God answer? Will He say yes? Will He give it to me, my prayer request?
And the waiting grows long. Life goes on. Circumstances shift and change. I keep asking, but I start questioning. I ask myself if I really want what I’m praying for. I mean, I want it, but with it may come change, there may be a cost. That’s the way things are. Even good things bring change. Even a new baby means I’ll have to get up at night, lose sleep. But of course that cost is worth it — more than worth it.
But what about what I’m praying for now? If God says yes, will the cost be worth it? Will the change be worth it? Do I really want it? Do I even know what I’m asking for? Do I know the cost or change that will come?
The truth is, I don’t know. None of us do. How can we? Only God knows the future. Only our God knows all the details, the hows, the whats, the shifts and changes required for me to receive my prayer request.
And He’s faithful. He is good. He’s my God. He loves me. That’s my faith. That’s my proclamation.
So when I’m making my request known to Him, knocking and pounding on the door, then waiting, then knocking some more, then wondering if it’s really what I want, and thinking maybe it’s not the best thing for me, then asking again because I really, really want it, then thinking that maybe I don’t really want it, I can have peace.
When I’m making my request known to God, I can have peace. I can trust Him. Because He never fails. He’s faithful. He loves me. He knows me. He knows my needs and the desires of my heart. And He works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Even when I’m not faithful, if I ask for something that I really want, but He knows it isn’t the best for me, He is faithful. And He works all things for my good because He’s called me and I love Him.
When Hezekiah asked not to die, God said okay. God’s the one who told him he was going to die. At that point, I think I’d just say, oh, okay. God said that so I guess I’m dying. But Hezekiah really wanted to live. He didn’t appear to wonder what was best and overthink it. He left that to God. He just boldly asked for what he wanted, what was on his heart right then. Hezekiah knew the result — the answer — was up to God. God could have said no. He could have said yes.
And we know God said yes. Hezekiah received what he wanted with joy, trusting God. Because he knew God is faithful and God is good.
I think my lesson here is to keep asking, even in the waiting season. When I’m waiting, I don’t need to figure it all out or be sure I’m asking the right thing, with the right motives. That’s God’s job. When I’m waiting, I need to wait.
Just like Hezekiah, I need to trust God, asking Him for what I want in faith, knowing He is faithful. He’s called me. He works all things for my good. And He knows what is good for me. In that, there is peace.