2 Kings 20:1-6 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Set your house in order: for you shall die, you shall not recover.’” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I walked before thee in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in thy sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Turn back and say to Hezekiah the prince of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. And I will add, fifteen years to your life....”
[ Revised Standard translation]
Summary
King Hezekiah was born in 739 BC. He was considered one of the great and good kings that reigned over Judah. During his reign he introduced religious reform, he tried to abolish idolatry and he faithfully “walked” with God. Like Solomon before him, King Hezekiah was one of the few kings who went to the temple to pray. (2Kings 19:1). However, one day King Hezekiah became ill---sick to the point of death. Even the prophet Isaiah told Hezekiah that he should “put his house in order.” But Hezekiah decided to live. In fact, Hezekiah was determined to live. The scripture states that Hezekiah “turned his face toward the wall” and prayed. Instead of allowing himself to get distracted by “bad news” and instead of focusing on the situation around him, Hezekiah turned against the situation in front of him and turned to GOD. Hezekiah turned from death and instead turned to life.
In his prayer, Hezekiah reminded GOD how he had walked before GOD in faithfulness---in essence how throughout his life, Hezekiah had “exercised” his faith and how he had given GOD his “whole heart.”
GOD heard Hezekiah’s fervent prayer and GOD gave Hezekiah 15 more years of life!
Food and Longevity
There are numerous articles on the effects of food on longevity. In “The 10 Best Foods for Longevity,” by Joel Furhman, MD, the following natural plant foods are promoted as foods that help fuel the body with nutrients, help to increase energy, help to reduce a person’s risk of disease, and help a person maintain a healthy weight. Instead of feeding an addiction to processed foods, which increase a person’s risk for such illnesses as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes, Furhman recommends these making these ten foods part of a healthy diet:
- Raw or Cooked Cruciferous Vegetables: For example, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, kale, and cabbage.
- Salad Greens: For example, spinach, lettuce, mustard greens, kale, collard greens.
- Nuts: For example, sliced almonds, raw cashews, walnuts.
- Seeds: For example, flax, chia seeds, pumpkins seeds, sesame seeds;
- Berries: For example, blueberries, strawberries, goji berries, blackberries, raspberries.
- Pomegranate
- Beans and Other Legumes: For example, black beans, red beans, chickpeas, split peas.
- Mushrooms: For example, white mushrooms, shiitake, oyster, reishi.
- Onions and Garlic: For example, yellow onions, scallions, shallots, chives.
- Tomatoes
See, “The 10 Best Foods for Longevity,” by Joel Furhman, MD, updated June 6, 2020, https://www.verywellhealth.com/best-foods-for-longevity-4005852.
Exercise and Longevity
There are also numerous articles and studies regarding the effect of exercise on longevity. Even light physical activity was enough to increase the lifespan of older men. The researcher looked at about 1,180 men, who had an average age of 78, who wore a device that measured their movements over a seven-day period. The men were followed for five years.
Although government guidelines recommend at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of “moderate-intensity exercise” every week, it was noted that overall only about half of American adults actually meet the recommended guidelines.
But researchers found that it was the overall volume of exercise and not how hard or how long a person exercised that mattered most regarding longevity. For example, the researchers found that sporadic bouts of exercise, even if under 10 minutes a day had a positive effect on lifespan. In other words, getting a few minutes of exercise, even if it was light exercise, mattered. “Every 30 minutes of light intensity activity per day---like going for a walk or gardening---was linked to a 17% lower risk of early death in the study.” See, “Even Light Exercise Can Help You Live Longer,” by Alexandra Sifferlin, February 20, 2018, https://time.com/5166564/physical-exercise-can-increase-lifespan/
Be Determined!
If someone were handing out winning tickets for “additional years of life,” most of us would think that we had won the “ultimate” prize. After all, who wouldn’t want to live longer? Who wouldn’t want “life?” Yet, that is exactly what GOD offers us---the “Gift of Life.” Like Hezekiah, whose name means, “GOD gives strength” or “My strength is THE LORD,” we too must exercise our faith, turn to life, and pray--asking for GOD’s help and strength.
Be Determined:
- to be healthy!
- not to give in or to give up!
- to keep yourself and others in prayer!
- to strengthen your physical and spiritual walk before GOD; and, most importantly,
- to THANK GOD for HIS walk with us!
And, BE BLESSED!
