It is pretty much as if Hezekiah prayed, “Lord, I’ve been such a good man and You aren’t being fair to me. Remember what a good person I’ve been and rescue me.”
But under the Old Covenant, this was a valid principle on which to approach God. Passages like Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 show that under the Old Covenant, blessing and cursing was sent by God on the basis of obedience or disobedience. But under the New Covenant, we are blessed on the principle of faith in Jesus (Galatians 3:13-14).
Hezekiah’s principle of prayer isn’t fitting for a Christian today. We pray in the name of Jesus (John 16:23-24), not in the name of who we are or what we have done.
Mahatma Gandhi: "Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart."
Remember the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector in Luke 18: 9-14. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[b]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
The Pharisee relied on his own power and deeds before God, but the tax collector relied on the mercy and compassion of God. He recognized that he was a sinner who needed the mercy of God.
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