A Lump For a Bump: Hezekiah’s Pain

Hezekiah had an oily bump, the kind they call a boil,

But he wouldn’t let the boil throw him in turmoil.

He heard the mean Assyrian king who kept on threatening

To take his people from the land, a woeful song to sing.

 

Sennacherib was the king’s name and he played a cruel game.

He said, “I’ll cart you to my country where the fruit’s the same

As what you eat in your land.” But Judah’s king did not a agree.

He knew that God was greater and refused to bow the knee.

 

The evil message that he heard was obviously a trick,

Though knowing that did not keep Hezekiah from getting sick.

The king, he had a boil you see, and it was quite a bump.

To nuke that horrible mean bump He had to have a lump

 

Of something greater than the poison ringing in his ear,

For the enemy’s toxic words were more than he could stand to hear.

They threw doubt on him. Then Isaiah told him he would die.

The prophet’s ominous prediction caused the king to cry.

 

He didn’t cry for medicine, but God sent it to him.

To get that medicine did not require a holy hymn.

To nuke the bump, he didn’t have to have some special oil,

Nor did he have to sweat like Adam, toiling in the soil.

 

He simply looked to God to meet his need and fry the bump,

After which came the prophetic word, the sign and then the lump

Of figs that came straight from a tree God never had to curse

But which contained a medicine whose power could reverse

 

The bitter sickness that had caused the man such loathsome pain.

Reminds me of the fruit of righteousness, which brings great gain.

Such righteousness is something we do not sweat to obtain,

 

“But freely come and buy! Without money you may eat

From the tree of life that makes the foulest water sweet.

The foulest hurts you’ve suffered it has power to defeat.

 

Scripture references: Isaiah chapters 37, 38, and 55; Exodus 15:23-26; Galatians 3:13

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rejected and Abandoned Ones Need Joy, Not Solutions

Rejected and abandoned ones need joy, not more “How-To’s,”

Because their hearts are broken and they’re longing for good news.

But sometimes all they hear is “You have brought this on yourself.”

“Don’t pour your tears on me, dear. Leave that jar upon the shelf.”

 

“You mustn’t fall apart for I can’t stand to see you cry.

Your greatest need is to remove the log from your own eye.”

Instead of seeking comfort, they must check their broken hearts

And turn from any sin they see inside those inward parts.

 

They mustn’t pour their hearts like perfume on the Master’s feet

Because it isn’t practical. They must honor that seat.

“Don’t let the healer see your pain. You have to be heroic.

It’s time to turn the other cheek. So stand tall and be stoic.”

 

“The Word says this is what to do, so do it perfectly!

To prove that you believe, control your feelings expertly.

Do not admit you have a wound you want Jesus to heal.

Just hurry up and fix the problem.  Show your faith is real!

 

Like Eli scolding Hannah, they assume that you’ve done wrong

Because Penninah’s needling you. “Stand up, girl, and be strong!”

But to a hurting person, such solutions can condemn

Because they focus on what’s bad and put more blame on them.

 

But oh, if they could see the bright side and break free to joy,

Instead of wagging fingers telling them how they annoy!

In order to release their grief, the hurt ones need to laugh,

Even though it seems as foolish as a young giraffe,

 

Its head caught in the branches of a tree it cannot climb.

God’s comfort comes through childlike play or with a silly rhyme.

Because when hearts are broken and they’re longing for good news,

Rejected and abandoned ones need joy, not more “How-To’s,”

 

The Very Best Miracle Cure for Depression