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King Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah delivered a message from God that he would die. Hezekiah knew there was still much work to do in Judah. He wanted to help the country be better and teach the people to love God. Hezekiah could not do that if he were dead! Hezekiah prayed that the Lord would give him a longer life. The Lord stopped Isaiah before he had even left Hezekiah’s palace. He told Isaiah to go back and tell Hezekiah that he would live 15 more years. A sign of this healing was a miraculous moving of a shadow on steps.

Bible verses used in this episode:

• 2 Kings 20:1-11
• Isaiah 38 (Isaiah’s version)

Outline:

1. Hezekiah’s Illness and Healing (2 Kings 20:1-7)
2. The Sign of the Shadow on the Steps (2 Kings 20:8-11)

Tips for teaching children:

• Talk about how Hezekiah prayed, and God heard him.  God always hears our prayers, and he answers our prayers according to what he knows is best for us. A simple song about this can be found at God Answers Prayer.
• Guide the children in writing prayer requests on index cards or paper. They can shuffle the cards and then select one card at a time and pray.
• Take time to notice shadows caused by lights or the sun. Making shadow figures with hands is fun. Guide children to notice how shadows are caused by an object blocking the sun or light. A shadow cannot form behind a light. When God gave Hezekiah a sign with a shadow, the shadow defied science. It was a miracle.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Read this text read in the classroom.  Choose two people to read the two sections outlined in the show notes.
• Ask these discussion questions: What makes Hezekiah’s prayer so powerful? What does this say about our prayers? What can we learn about prayer from Hezekiah?
•  God changed his mind as a result of Hezekiah’s prayer.   What do we learn about God? What can we learn about our relationship to God?

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  King Hezekiah Prays for Health

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

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