“‘The sun always moves forward,’ Hezekiah replied, ‘so that would be easy. Make it go ten steps backward instead.’ So Isaiah the prophet asked the LORD to do this, and He caused the shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!”
2 Kings 20:10-11 NLT
When King Hezekiah fell ill, the Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to tell him that he was going to die. However, when Hezekiah cried out in prayer, the Lord promised to spare his life, and gave Hezekiah a choice of which sign of healing he wanted from the Lord. Should God cause the shadow on the sundial to move ten steps forward or ten steps backward?
When the shadow on the sundial moved BACK ten steps for Hezekiah, that act had to be GOD’s doing! Backwards was not normal for a sundial shadow. And yet, when GOD so ordered, even what was natural to the laws of nature changed to obey HIS command.
You may feel like your life is full of shadows that keep taking you ten steps backward. But could it be that what seems backwards to you was ordered by God? We get comfortable with what seems natural to the laws of our human thinking, but if GOD orders something unnatural, He has a reason. It’s encouraging to note God’s reason for ordering the unnatural, backwards shadow for Hezekiah—to prove HE would keep HIS promise. So, when shadows in your life seem unnatural and try to push you backwards, keep on trusting Your Father.
Whether ten steps forward or ten steps back…
HE has the power to move your shadows!
