Hezekiah the wallfacer

2 Kings 20:

1 In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death.

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Hezekiah was in a grievous situation.

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.’”

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The situation just got graver. As Isaiah was leaving him,

2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying,

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Why face the wall?

He turned away from Isaiah, a messenger of bad news. He turned away from worldly distractions around him and focused on God alone. It was just between him and God. God had Hezekiah's 100% attention.

3“Now, O Lord, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

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God listened to him.

4 And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: 5 “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader 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.”

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There were a few twists and turns in this episode. Isaiah delivered the bad news to Hezekiah's face. Hezekiah turned his back on the prophet to pray to God. Isaiah turned his back on Hezekiah to leave. God spoke to Isaiah. He turned around to walk back to Hezekiah. The humble king turned away from the wall to hear good news this time.

Interestingly, Zen Buddhists regularly practice facing the wall (面壁) to meditate. Legend says Bodhidharma meditated facing a wall for nine years at Shaolin Monastery.

Why did Hezekiah face the wall to pray?

It was a posture of intense focus and privacy.