The Prayer for Surety
Today’s Verse:
Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me. ~Isaiah 38:14
A debt is an obligation to repay money that we have borrowed. After we are approved for the desired loan, we sign off a promissory note to repay the loan over a certain number of months. In the event we default on the loan, the creditor has the right to take back the asset that we defaulted payment on or sue us for payment. Most of us are careful about going into debt. We should be even more concerned about having legal responsibility for another person’s debt. With this thought in mind, let us see the prayer for a surety.
We see the principle.
“O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.” The Hebrew word for undertake is the same word for surety. A surety is someone who cosigns a debt obligation with another person. As a cosigner, the person assumes the same legal responsibility for debt repayment if the primary debtor defaults. Financially, it is never a good idea to cosign a debt obligation unless you are ready to accept full responsibility for it.
We see the provision.
Hezekiah was under great duress because he was told by Isaiah that he was going to die from a dreadful disease. He cried out to the Lord to undertake for him. He wanted the Lord to change the diagnosis and give him back his life. He wanted the Lord to take responsibility for his life and future. He wanted God to do for him what he could not do. A surety assumes your financial responsibility and does for you what you are unable to do. Hezekiah prayed for the Lord to be the surety for his life.
We see the protection.
Not only did he pray for his life to be extended, but he desired God’s protection going forward. A surety gives you confidence that you are protected from the risk of financial failure. Hezekiah prayed for God to protect him from disease, sickness, and accidents. He needed God to undertake for him. His prayer was for the Lord to be a surety for his days going forward. When we come to the place in life where we realize how vulnerable we are, it is then that we realize how much we need the Lord for the days of our life.
We see the propitiation.
We see one more thought about the surety. Hebrews 7:22 tells us, “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.” As our surety, Jesus became the propitiation for our sins. His death on the cross satisfied God’s righteous demands for our sin to be paid in full. As the surety for our salvation, Jesus did for us what we could not do. He paid the price for our sin debt and left a zero balance. Salvation from sin is only available because of Jesus' sacrificial death for every sinner. Jesus undertook our sin debt for us.
The prayer for surety is committing whatever our circumstance into God’s hands and having faith in His power to provide for and protect us. Realize this morning that God can and we cannot. God is able to do for us what we cannot do. Pray for things to accomplish that requires God to do all of it, and not you. Have faith in His marvelous power for your life.
Have a dependent God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Mark 15-16