The Holy Martyr Agapius and the Six Martyrs with Him (284-305)
Great Fast Day 29
Sixth Hour – Isaiah 37:33-38:6; Vespers – Genesis 13:12-18; Proverbs 14:27-15:4
Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat. According to liturgical prescriptions, the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated today.
Read Isaiah 37:33-38:6
When Hezekiah received the news that he was close to death, he made a prayer to the Lord. It was a simple prayer. He did not ask for the illness to be taken away from him. He did not ask to be strengthened in his faith and resolve. He did not bargain and barter with the Lord. Rather, he was honest before the Lord recalling his own faithfulness to the Lord throughout his life, and in stating such, shows a full and utter submission to the Lord expressed in his weeping. The Lord heard his prayer and saw his tears, and extended his life another fifteen years.
Hezekiah’s prayer is a wonderful example for us, especially during this time of the Great Fast. We may have set a high bar in our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and, if you are like me, have failed to reach that bar in the first four weeks. We may end up conversing with the Lord with bartering and bargaining, asking for this, and asking for that. We learn from Hezekiah that all we need do is remain faithful to the Lord—He is already faithful to us!