Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, "I will set up my camp in such and such a place."
The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: "Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there."
So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again, Elisha warned the king so that he was on his guard in such places.
This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, "Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?"
"None of us, my lord the king," said one of his officers, "but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom."
"Go, find out where he is," the king ordered, "so I can send men and capture him."
The report came back: "He is in Dothan." Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.
"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
And Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see."
Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, "Strike these people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
Elisha told them, "This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for."
And he led them to Samaria.
After they entered the city, Elisha said, "Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see."
Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were…inside Samaria.
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?"
"Do not kill them," he answered. "Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master."
So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master.
So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory.
2 Kings 6:8-23
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
The last time we saw the Arameans in scripture, King Ahab, king of Israel, and King Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, had entered into battle with them. You’ll recall that the prophet Micaiah had predicted that Ahab would die if he fought Aram and so Ahab had Jehoshaphat wear his royal robes to try and trick the Arameans. But an Aramean archer launched an arrow that found its mark between the section of Ahab’s armor, mortally wounding him. (1 Kings 22:29-40)
As we can see in Chapter 6 of 2 Kings, Aram and Israel are still at war. We’re told the king of Aram made decisions as to where to set up his camp, believing that he could strategically be in places to attack Israel.
But as we have seen in the past, the Lord was with Israel. This time, He sent warning to the king of Israel via the prophet Elisha about where to go, specifically telling him of the Aramean location. And as the king of Israel checked out the places indicated by Elisha, he found the information to be true. Thus, Israel continuously eludes the Arameans.
Now this “enraged the king of Aram” who thought that he had a traitor in his midst. Surely someone was passing on information to the Israelites so that they would know where the Arameans were. But his men knew what was happening and told the king about Elisha…”the prophet who (was) in Israel”…the one who told “the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom." Armed with the information, the king of Aram ordered his men to find Elisha so he could capture him and they carried out his order, finding Elisha in Dothan.
Knowing where Elisha was, the king of Aram “sent horses and chariots and a strong force there”, traveling by night and surrounding the city so as Elisha got up and went out early in the morning, he saw “an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city”…a sight that caused his servant to ask, "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?"
Most people might panic but not Elisha. For we read where he tells his servant to not be afraid for “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." His words had to confuse the servant. “Those who are with us?”, he must have thought. “Who is with us?”
Well, Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see." And as the servant opened his eyes, he saw what had to be an amazing sight. For “he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha”.
And “as the enemy came down toward him”, Elisha prayed again saying, “Strike these people with blindness". And the Lord did just that as every Aramean was struck blind.
Now, this is where the story could have ended. The Arameans had long been enemies of Israel. They could have been left blind and would have served as a reminder that bad things can happen when you choose to go against Israel. Few people would have felt any pity for them, feeling that they got what they deserved.
Maybe this is how you feel about your enemies as well…and we all have our enemies. Sometimes we just wish bad things would happen to those who oppose us. Sometimes we wish that our adversaries would just go away forever.
But what if God would see us as His enemies? After all, we all fail miserably in meeting His expectations and following His will and way. Our sinfulness is in direct opposition to His righteousness as we too often rebel against Him and do what pleases us first.
Indeed, the Lord could view us as His enemies and permanently afflict us in some way to make His point. He could even just wipe us all out in a moment’s notice and be totally justified in doing so.
But we don’t serve a God like that. No…we serve a God of mercy and grace and love. A God who disciplines us as any good parent does when we need correction but a Heavenly Father who is also quick to cradle any of His children in His loving arms…a Heavenly Father who truly wants the best for His children.
As we return to the scriptures, we see the power of mercy and grace played out.
For the blinded Aramean forces are told by Elisha that they are in the wrong place and looking for the wrong man. And so he leads them to Samaria and as they enter the city, Elisha says, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see."
As the Lord opened the eyes of the men, they had to be terrified for they were inside Samaria and facing the king of Israel. Surely, they would be killed.
But when the king of Israel asked Elisha whether he should kill the Arameans, Elisha…God’s spokesperson…told him, “Do not kill them"…and then asked, “Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master."
“What? We’re being welcomed and fed by our enemy?” I can just imagine what must have been going through the minds of the Arameans at that moment. Sure death turned into true joy. Deserved contempt turned into blessed forgiveness.
And so a “great feast” was put on for the Arameans and “after they had finished eating and drinking”, they returned back to the king of Aram…their master.
And guess what?
The “bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory”...all as a result of the Lord’s awesome mercy and forgiveness and grace.
So I ask you today, “How are you dealing with your enemies?”
Only you can answer that question but I’ll close this message with the words of our Savior Jesus…and if we are truly to be Christian then we need to be like Christ. That means, we need to adopt His way and live out His words.
He said this:
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?
Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?
Do not even pagans do that?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
LOST AND FOUND
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The company of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to live."
And he said, "Go."
Then one of them said, "Won't you please come with your servants?"
"I will," Elisha replied. And he went with them.
They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. "Oh, my lord," he cried out, "it was borrowed!"
The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?"
When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.
"Lift it out," he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.
2 Kings 6:1-7
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Have you ever lost something of great value?
I know I have.
And after something you value is lost, it can be maddening as you seek to find it.
Sometimes you’re fortunate to get it back. Sometimes you’re not.
But when you do find something that was once lost, how do you respond? Do you seek help from the One who can enable you to find it?
Point in case can be found in our scripture today.
For as Chapter 6 of 2 Kings opens we find “the company of the prophets” speaking to Elisha about a problem.
The issue involved the place where the elders would meet with Elisha. It was too small and the elders proposed that a new meeting place be constructed by the Jordan River. We read where Elisha gave his approval and went with them as they went to begin building.
So the elders and Elisha “went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees” and scripture tells us that as one of the elders was chopping, the iron axhead he was using “fell into the water”. This caused him some distress, indicated by his words as he cried out to Elisha, “Oh, my lord…it was borrowed!"
You see, tools were extremely valuable and not easy to come by in biblical times. You couldn’t just run to the hardware store and by a new one. And what made this loss even more problematic was that the iron axehead was borrowed. This made the borrower responsible for its return. If the item was lost, then the one losing the item was responsible for compensating its owner by paying for it. And if they didn’t have the money to pay, then they would be required to work as a laborer until the full debt was paid. This is why the man who lost the axehead in the water was so distressed.
Sometimes losing things causes us distress as well.
Consider those who lose a wedding ring. It’s not like you have a spare around and even if you did, it wouldn’t hold the special significance of that ring that was placed on your hand by your spouse on wedding day.
Or how about when you lose someone you love. People every day are facing divorce as relationships that once had so much love suddenly find it missing. Couples struggle to find the magic that once existed. Many never do and some never find love again.
And how distressed are we as Christians that so many are lost in our world and without hope because they haven’t turned to their Savior Jesus Christ…the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life…the only One through which we find our way to our Father…His Father…in heaven. Shouldn’t we all be terribly concerned about the lost that need found…the blind who can’t see?
The question is…what are we doing about it?
For as fervently as we search for a wedding ring…as hard as we try to rediscover love that may have gone missing…we should be even more so seeking, finding and helping those lost souls that are in need of Christ…and doing so with urgency.
For when we do, miraculous things start to happen. The lost become found…and the blind begin to see.
Back to the scriptures…for as the man who lost the axehead in the Jordan asks Elisha to help, we find Elisha…the “man of God”…”cut a stick” and throw it in the area where the axehead sunk. And miraculously, the axehead rose to the surface and floated so the man could reach in the water and retrieve it.
Friends…what do you or someone you love or someone you know have that is lost today?
As you pray about whatever is lost, do so with the faith, trust and assurance that as easily as the Lord miraculously made the axehead float…allowing what was lost to be found…so too can He resurrect anything else in life.
Is that not good news for us all?
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The company of the prophets said to Elisha, "Look, the place where we meet with you is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, where each of us can get a pole; and let us build a place there for us to live."
And he said, "Go."
Then one of them said, "Won't you please come with your servants?"
"I will," Elisha replied. And he went with them.
They went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. "Oh, my lord," he cried out, "it was borrowed!"
The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?"
When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float.
"Lift it out," he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.
2 Kings 6:1-7
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Have you ever lost something of great value?
I know I have.
And after something you value is lost, it can be maddening as you seek to find it.
Sometimes you’re fortunate to get it back. Sometimes you’re not.
But when you do find something that was once lost, how do you respond? Do you seek help from the One who can enable you to find it?
Point in case can be found in our scripture today.
For as Chapter 6 of 2 Kings opens we find “the company of the prophets” speaking to Elisha about a problem.
The issue involved the place where the elders would meet with Elisha. It was too small and the elders proposed that a new meeting place be constructed by the Jordan River. We read where Elisha gave his approval and went with them as they went to begin building.
So the elders and Elisha “went to the Jordan and began to cut down trees” and scripture tells us that as one of the elders was chopping, the iron axhead he was using “fell into the water”. This caused him some distress, indicated by his words as he cried out to Elisha, “Oh, my lord…it was borrowed!"
You see, tools were extremely valuable and not easy to come by in biblical times. You couldn’t just run to the hardware store and by a new one. And what made this loss even more problematic was that the iron axehead was borrowed. This made the borrower responsible for its return. If the item was lost, then the one losing the item was responsible for compensating its owner by paying for it. And if they didn’t have the money to pay, then they would be required to work as a laborer until the full debt was paid. This is why the man who lost the axehead in the water was so distressed.
Sometimes losing things causes us distress as well.
Consider those who lose a wedding ring. It’s not like you have a spare around and even if you did, it wouldn’t hold the special significance of that ring that was placed on your hand by your spouse on wedding day.
Or how about when you lose someone you love. People every day are facing divorce as relationships that once had so much love suddenly find it missing. Couples struggle to find the magic that once existed. Many never do and some never find love again.
And how distressed are we as Christians that so many are lost in our world and without hope because they haven’t turned to their Savior Jesus Christ…the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life…the only One through which we find our way to our Father…His Father…in heaven. Shouldn’t we all be terribly concerned about the lost that need found…the blind who can’t see?
The question is…what are we doing about it?
For as fervently as we search for a wedding ring…as hard as we try to rediscover love that may have gone missing…we should be even more so seeking, finding and helping those lost souls that are in need of Christ…and doing so with urgency.
For when we do, miraculous things start to happen. The lost become found…and the blind begin to see.
Back to the scriptures…for as the man who lost the axehead in the Jordan asks Elisha to help, we find Elisha…the “man of God”…”cut a stick” and throw it in the area where the axehead sunk. And miraculously, the axehead rose to the surface and floated so the man could reach in the water and retrieve it.
Friends…what do you or someone you love or someone you know have that is lost today?
As you pray about whatever is lost, do so with the faith, trust and assurance that as easily as the Lord miraculously made the axehead float…allowing what was lost to be found…so too can He resurrect anything else in life.
Is that not good news for us all?
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
"Go in peace," Elisha said.
After Naaman had traveled some distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, "My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him."
So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. "Is everything all right?" he asked.
"Everything is all right," Gehazi answered. "My master sent me to say, 'Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.' "
"By all means, take two talents," said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left. Then he went in and stood before his master Elisha.
"Where have you been, Gehazi?" Elisha asked.
"Your servant didn't go anywhere," Gehazi answered.
But Elisha said to him, "Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants? Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever."
Then Gehazi went from Elisha's presence and he was leprous, as white as snow.
2 Kings 5:19-27
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
At the start of Chapter 5 in 2 Kings, we read about the mighty Aramean soldier Naaman who was healed from his leprosy after he carried out the Lord’s instruction to wash in the Jordan seven times. You’ll recall that Naaman was so grateful to Elisha that he wanted to reward him with a gift but Elisha declined and sent Naaman off to his homeland with the words, “Go in peace”.
You’ll remember that Naaman wasn’t traveling empty handed. For scripture told us he had “ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing”. Elisha could have had any or all of it but refused. His reward was in Naaman showing the requisite faith in the Lord to be healed. His servant Gehazi on the other hand wasn’t feeling the same way. For his thoughts began to center on his own material gain instead of the Lord…and disaster was soon to follow.
We know this because God’s word told us that Gehazi said to himself after Naaman departed, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him."
Did you catch the difference between Elisha and Gehazi?
Elisha said that he wouldn’t accept anything as surely as the Lord lives (2 Kings 5:16) while Gehazi said he would go and get something for himself from Naaman as surely as the Lord lives.
Both kept their word.
In Gehazi’s case, we read where he “hurried after Naaman” causing the Aramean to get down from his chariot and inquire whether everything was all right. Gehazi tells him it is…but it really isn’t because Elisha’s servant is about to tell a lie that will lead to serious consequences from the Lord.
For Gehazi tells Naaman, “My master sent me to say, 'Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.' " Now we know that Gehazi was just trying to get things for himself but Naaman didn’t. He took Gehazi’s request at full value and gave him what he had asked for along with two of his servants to help carry the items to Gehazi’s home after which Gehazi sent the men back to Naaman and went to see Elisha.
As Gehazi came to Elisha, the prophet asked his servant, “Where have you been, Gehazi?"
Again, we find Gehazi tell a lie as he replies, “Your servant didn't go anywhere."
You see, Gehazi thought he could get away with lying to Elisha. After all, Elisha wasn’t around when he received the gifts from Naaman and so he wouldn’t know any better. But there was one thing that Gehazi forgot. He forgot that you may be able to hide the truth from man but you’ll never hide the truth from God and we need to remember the same.
For right after Gehazi told his lie, scripture tells us that Elisha said to him, "Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants? Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever."
In other words, Gehazi was exposed and discovered right away that there can be severe punishment for violating the Lord. For as Gehazi left Elisha, we read where “he was leprous, as white as snow”. In other words, Naaman’s affliction had now become his. And where Naaman had been healed though his obedience, Gehazi was afflicted through his disobedience.
Friends, the Lord is sending us a serious message here regarding greed. Gehazi thought that some reward was warranted for the work that Elisha had done. And in thinking that way, he showed that he really didn’t get what had happened. For Naaman wasn’t healed by Elisha’s power…not even close. If it had been Elisha trying to heal Naaman on his own, he would have failed miserably. But with the power of the Holy Spirit inside him and working through him, Elisha could do miracles…not because of what he did alone but because of what the Lord did through him.
In other words, Elisha was an instrument of the Lord…and any praise, glory or honor from any miracle performed belonged to the Lord, not him. This is why Elisha refused reward for what happened…and why we need to as well when the Lord does powerful things through us. When I write a great message that touches the lives of so many, I don’t take credit for my words. For the Lord speaks those words through me to whoever He leads to read them. When I perform Christian songs in the concerts I get to sing, I don’t take credit for the power of the music sang. For the power of the music from my mouth only comes via the power of the Holy Spirit within me.
From this lesson today, we learn that taking credit or reward where it’s not due when it comes to the Lord’s work thwarts His efforts in build stronger relationships with His people…and woe be it to anyone who intentionally gets in the way of that.
Just ask Gehazi.
For he would tell you after the fact that when it comes to the Lord, we should always give credit where credit is due.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
"Go in peace," Elisha said.
After Naaman had traveled some distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, "My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him."
So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. "Is everything all right?" he asked.
"Everything is all right," Gehazi answered. "My master sent me to say, 'Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.' "
"By all means, take two talents," said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left. Then he went in and stood before his master Elisha.
"Where have you been, Gehazi?" Elisha asked.
"Your servant didn't go anywhere," Gehazi answered.
But Elisha said to him, "Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants? Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever."
Then Gehazi went from Elisha's presence and he was leprous, as white as snow.
2 Kings 5:19-27
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
At the start of Chapter 5 in 2 Kings, we read about the mighty Aramean soldier Naaman who was healed from his leprosy after he carried out the Lord’s instruction to wash in the Jordan seven times. You’ll recall that Naaman was so grateful to Elisha that he wanted to reward him with a gift but Elisha declined and sent Naaman off to his homeland with the words, “Go in peace”.
You’ll remember that Naaman wasn’t traveling empty handed. For scripture told us he had “ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing”. Elisha could have had any or all of it but refused. His reward was in Naaman showing the requisite faith in the Lord to be healed. His servant Gehazi on the other hand wasn’t feeling the same way. For his thoughts began to center on his own material gain instead of the Lord…and disaster was soon to follow.
We know this because God’s word told us that Gehazi said to himself after Naaman departed, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him."
Did you catch the difference between Elisha and Gehazi?
Elisha said that he wouldn’t accept anything as surely as the Lord lives (2 Kings 5:16) while Gehazi said he would go and get something for himself from Naaman as surely as the Lord lives.
Both kept their word.
In Gehazi’s case, we read where he “hurried after Naaman” causing the Aramean to get down from his chariot and inquire whether everything was all right. Gehazi tells him it is…but it really isn’t because Elisha’s servant is about to tell a lie that will lead to serious consequences from the Lord.
For Gehazi tells Naaman, “My master sent me to say, 'Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.' " Now we know that Gehazi was just trying to get things for himself but Naaman didn’t. He took Gehazi’s request at full value and gave him what he had asked for along with two of his servants to help carry the items to Gehazi’s home after which Gehazi sent the men back to Naaman and went to see Elisha.
As Gehazi came to Elisha, the prophet asked his servant, “Where have you been, Gehazi?"
Again, we find Gehazi tell a lie as he replies, “Your servant didn't go anywhere."
You see, Gehazi thought he could get away with lying to Elisha. After all, Elisha wasn’t around when he received the gifts from Naaman and so he wouldn’t know any better. But there was one thing that Gehazi forgot. He forgot that you may be able to hide the truth from man but you’ll never hide the truth from God and we need to remember the same.
For right after Gehazi told his lie, scripture tells us that Elisha said to him, "Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants? Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever."
In other words, Gehazi was exposed and discovered right away that there can be severe punishment for violating the Lord. For as Gehazi left Elisha, we read where “he was leprous, as white as snow”. In other words, Naaman’s affliction had now become his. And where Naaman had been healed though his obedience, Gehazi was afflicted through his disobedience.
Friends, the Lord is sending us a serious message here regarding greed. Gehazi thought that some reward was warranted for the work that Elisha had done. And in thinking that way, he showed that he really didn’t get what had happened. For Naaman wasn’t healed by Elisha’s power…not even close. If it had been Elisha trying to heal Naaman on his own, he would have failed miserably. But with the power of the Holy Spirit inside him and working through him, Elisha could do miracles…not because of what he did alone but because of what the Lord did through him.
In other words, Elisha was an instrument of the Lord…and any praise, glory or honor from any miracle performed belonged to the Lord, not him. This is why Elisha refused reward for what happened…and why we need to as well when the Lord does powerful things through us. When I write a great message that touches the lives of so many, I don’t take credit for my words. For the Lord speaks those words through me to whoever He leads to read them. When I perform Christian songs in the concerts I get to sing, I don’t take credit for the power of the music sang. For the power of the music from my mouth only comes via the power of the Holy Spirit within me.
From this lesson today, we learn that taking credit or reward where it’s not due when it comes to the Lord’s work thwarts His efforts in build stronger relationships with His people…and woe be it to anyone who intentionally gets in the way of that.
Just ask Gehazi.
For he would tell you after the fact that when it comes to the Lord, we should always give credit where credit is due.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Friday, October 9, 2009
WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE?
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."
Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel."
So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"
When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel."
So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.
Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant."
The prophet answered, "As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing." And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
"If you will not," said Naaman, "please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also —when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this."
"Go in peace," Elisha said.
2 Kings 5:1-19
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
When God makes demands of us or gives us advice, how we respond can make all the difference as to whether we find ourselves blessed or cursed.
Point in case is Naaman, “the commander of the army of the king of Aram”, who we meet as Chapter 5 of 2nd Kings opens.
Scripture tells us he was a “valiant soldier”…a “great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram”.
Indeed, Naaman had a lot going for him but there was just one problem.
He was a leper.
Leprosy was a terrible affliction to have in biblical days. In Israel, a person stricken with leprosy was considered an outcast and was excluded from society. Naaman was not in Israel but as we read, he did have a connection to there.
For we’re told that “bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel” who was a servant to Naaman’s wife. The Israelite girl, knowing the power of God that was in the prophet Elisha, spoke to Naaman’s wife saying, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."
Well, Naaman’s wife told her husband what the girl had said, subsequently, he went to the King of Aram with a request to go to Israel and see if he could be healed. The king granted his request and told Naaman, “By all means, go…I will send a letter to the king of Israel."
And so Naaman headed toward Israel and took along “ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing”. He arrived in Israel and gave the letter from the Aramean king to Joram, king of Israel, who opened it and read, “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."
Joram did not take the letter well. For we read where he “tore his robes after reading it and proclaimed, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"
Meanwhile, Elisha had heard about what had happened and sent the following message to Joram:
"Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel."
And so Joram did as Elisha requested and Naaman “went with his horses and chariots”, stopping at the “door of Elisha's house”. Then “Elisha sent a messenger” to Naaman and told him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
The request seemed simple enough. Wash seven times in the Jordan River and be cleansed from the disease. But Naaman, for whatever reason, didn’t want to go to all the trouble of carrying out Elisha’s guidance, even though Elisha was speaking on behalf of God Himself.
You see, Naaman wasn’t willing to take action to correct his problem. He wanted it to be easy. We know this because of his words when he said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?"
All Naaman thought needed to happen was for Elisha to wave over his leprous spot and he would be miraculously healed. And when he didn’t get things the way he wanted, he “turned and went off in a rage”. Could God have done it the way Naaman imagined? Absolutely. In fact, all Elisha would have had to do is speak the words, “Be clean!” and God could have healed the leprosy. But you see, it wasn’t God’s will to heal Naaman that way…and Naaman wanted it to be his will not the Lord’s.
Question: How often are we like Naaman? We want things to go just the way we want them to go and when things don’t work out just the way we want them too, we turn from God and go off in a rage…blaming God for not giving us what we needed when we wanted Him to. We forget that we have no business telling God what to do. It’s the other way around.
And sometimes, when we get off on the wrong tangent, we need someone to talk to us and get us turned around the right way.
This is what happened with Naaman after he stormed off.
For scripture tells us that “Naaman's servants went to him” and asked, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" And these words made the difference, convincing Naaman to give Elisha’s request a try. He “went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times” just as Elisha had told him”…and guess what? When he came up out of the Jordan, “his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy”.
Obedience led to reward.
Imagine how Naaman must have felt after coming out of that water…cleansed and free of affliction. What a blessing! In fact, so grateful was Naaman that he returned to Elisha with all his attendants and testified, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant."
Well, Elisha was certainly happy for Naaman…that he had finally shown the faith to go into the water and carry out the command of the Lord as spoken through the prophet. But Elisha wasn’t looking for a physical reward. Being a powerful instrument of God’s will and way was enough. And no matter how much Naaman insisted, Elisha declined his offers. Finally, Naaman made a request of his own.
For we read where he asked Elisha if he could have “as much earth as a pair of mules can carry” because Naaman promised that he would “never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord”. Naaman knew that none of the dirt back in Aram was holy enough for him to stand and properly come before God. In fact, Naaman asked Elisha to forgive him when he had to accompany his king to worship false gods. Such was his new faith in the one and only God. And this is why he asked for, and was permitted, to take earth home with him…so he would have at least somewhere to stand on holy ground.
Friends, this is what happens to us as well when we obey God and carry out His desires. Our obedience leads us to His favor and blessing…and it takes us to a place where we can be assured we are standing on holy ground…holy because while standing on it…He is within us and we are in Him. In other words, we are in good standing.
Once Naaman was willing to pay the price and do what God commanded, he found His favor…a place that left him clean and a new man.
God is ready to do the same through you today…to make you clean and a new person. You just need to be like Naaman…willing to pay the price and obey, carrying out the will of the Father…just as Jesus, His Son and our Savior did when He paid the price in full for you on Calvary’s cross.
If you haven’t come to Him, won’t you do so today.
If you have strayed from Him, won’t you return to Him today.
And if you are fully in Him, never leave Him and stay in Him always.
For Jesus said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."
Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel."
So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."
As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"
When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel."
So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.
Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant."
The prophet answered, "As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing." And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
"If you will not," said Naaman, "please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also —when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this."
"Go in peace," Elisha said.
2 Kings 5:1-19
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
When God makes demands of us or gives us advice, how we respond can make all the difference as to whether we find ourselves blessed or cursed.
Point in case is Naaman, “the commander of the army of the king of Aram”, who we meet as Chapter 5 of 2nd Kings opens.
Scripture tells us he was a “valiant soldier”…a “great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram”.
Indeed, Naaman had a lot going for him but there was just one problem.
He was a leper.
Leprosy was a terrible affliction to have in biblical days. In Israel, a person stricken with leprosy was considered an outcast and was excluded from society. Naaman was not in Israel but as we read, he did have a connection to there.
For we’re told that “bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel” who was a servant to Naaman’s wife. The Israelite girl, knowing the power of God that was in the prophet Elisha, spoke to Naaman’s wife saying, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."
Well, Naaman’s wife told her husband what the girl had said, subsequently, he went to the King of Aram with a request to go to Israel and see if he could be healed. The king granted his request and told Naaman, “By all means, go…I will send a letter to the king of Israel."
And so Naaman headed toward Israel and took along “ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing”. He arrived in Israel and gave the letter from the Aramean king to Joram, king of Israel, who opened it and read, “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."
Joram did not take the letter well. For we read where he “tore his robes after reading it and proclaimed, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"
Meanwhile, Elisha had heard about what had happened and sent the following message to Joram:
"Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel."
And so Joram did as Elisha requested and Naaman “went with his horses and chariots”, stopping at the “door of Elisha's house”. Then “Elisha sent a messenger” to Naaman and told him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
The request seemed simple enough. Wash seven times in the Jordan River and be cleansed from the disease. But Naaman, for whatever reason, didn’t want to go to all the trouble of carrying out Elisha’s guidance, even though Elisha was speaking on behalf of God Himself.
You see, Naaman wasn’t willing to take action to correct his problem. He wanted it to be easy. We know this because of his words when he said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?"
All Naaman thought needed to happen was for Elisha to wave over his leprous spot and he would be miraculously healed. And when he didn’t get things the way he wanted, he “turned and went off in a rage”. Could God have done it the way Naaman imagined? Absolutely. In fact, all Elisha would have had to do is speak the words, “Be clean!” and God could have healed the leprosy. But you see, it wasn’t God’s will to heal Naaman that way…and Naaman wanted it to be his will not the Lord’s.
Question: How often are we like Naaman? We want things to go just the way we want them to go and when things don’t work out just the way we want them too, we turn from God and go off in a rage…blaming God for not giving us what we needed when we wanted Him to. We forget that we have no business telling God what to do. It’s the other way around.
And sometimes, when we get off on the wrong tangent, we need someone to talk to us and get us turned around the right way.
This is what happened with Naaman after he stormed off.
For scripture tells us that “Naaman's servants went to him” and asked, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" And these words made the difference, convincing Naaman to give Elisha’s request a try. He “went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times” just as Elisha had told him”…and guess what? When he came up out of the Jordan, “his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy”.
Obedience led to reward.
Imagine how Naaman must have felt after coming out of that water…cleansed and free of affliction. What a blessing! In fact, so grateful was Naaman that he returned to Elisha with all his attendants and testified, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant."
Well, Elisha was certainly happy for Naaman…that he had finally shown the faith to go into the water and carry out the command of the Lord as spoken through the prophet. But Elisha wasn’t looking for a physical reward. Being a powerful instrument of God’s will and way was enough. And no matter how much Naaman insisted, Elisha declined his offers. Finally, Naaman made a request of his own.
For we read where he asked Elisha if he could have “as much earth as a pair of mules can carry” because Naaman promised that he would “never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord”. Naaman knew that none of the dirt back in Aram was holy enough for him to stand and properly come before God. In fact, Naaman asked Elisha to forgive him when he had to accompany his king to worship false gods. Such was his new faith in the one and only God. And this is why he asked for, and was permitted, to take earth home with him…so he would have at least somewhere to stand on holy ground.
Friends, this is what happens to us as well when we obey God and carry out His desires. Our obedience leads us to His favor and blessing…and it takes us to a place where we can be assured we are standing on holy ground…holy because while standing on it…He is within us and we are in Him. In other words, we are in good standing.
Once Naaman was willing to pay the price and do what God commanded, he found His favor…a place that left him clean and a new man.
God is ready to do the same through you today…to make you clean and a new person. You just need to be like Naaman…willing to pay the price and obey, carrying out the will of the Father…just as Jesus, His Son and our Savior did when He paid the price in full for you on Calvary’s cross.
If you haven’t come to Him, won’t you do so today.
If you have strayed from Him, won’t you return to Him today.
And if you are fully in Him, never leave Him and stay in Him always.
For Jesus said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Thursday, October 8, 2009
BELIEVING WHAT THE LORD SAID
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said.
"How can I set this before a hundred men?" his servant asked.
But Elisha answered, "Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says:
'They will eat and have some left over.' "
Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.
2 Kings 4:42-44
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 4 of 2 Kings ends, we find a “man…from Baal Shalishah” come to Elisha with an offering…”twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain”. Now typically, the first fruits of the harvest were to be brought to the priests (Deuteronomy 18:3-5) but in this case, Elisha is seen as a truer representative of the Lord over the priests who had allowed themselves to be apostate.
So presented with the loaves and grain, Elisha tells his servant to "Give it to the people to eat.”
This created an immediate concern from the servant. For there were 100 men that needed fed and 20 loaves wouldn’t be enough.
But Elisha persisted and told the servant again, "Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: 'They will eat and have some left over.' "
And sure enough, when the servant set the food before the 100 men, “they ate and had some left over” just as the Lord said.
Now this story serves as a preamble for what will come later when Jesus pulls off an even bigger miracle, feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish…and then follow this up by feeding the four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fish. But I want to focus on some important words that Elisha used to his servant as he tried to convince him that the 20 loaves would be enough to feed the 100 men.
Did you catch what Elisha said?
He told his servant to go ahead and feed the men, not because he said the number of loaves would be sufficient, but rather because the Lord has said so. And as we read, the Lord said there would even be some left over…and there was.
Question: How often do we forget what the Lord said as we deal with life’s circumstances?
For God’s word is filled with His wonderful, blessed promises and assurances…and yet we, like the servant who doubted that the 20 loaves would be enough, fail to believe that what God says is true, until it really happens.
Hasn’t God shown us enough already that He will do what He says?
Let’s look at some places in scripture where He did just that.
Go to Genesis 18, verse 10, and you’ll hear the Lord tell Abraham, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."
The result? Abraham and Sarah had a son and he was named Isaac. (Genesis 21:1-7)
God did what He said He would do.
Go to Exodus, Chapter 14. The Israelites had fled Pharaoh and Egypt under the leadership of Moses. As they had crossed over through the parted seas on dry land, Pharaoh and his men were in pursuit. Would Israel perish at the hands of the Egyptians?
No, because the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." (Exodus 14:26-27)
And Moses did what the Lord told him to do.
The end result?
The Lord caused the sea to go back in its place and the Egyptians were swept into the sea.
Again, God did what He said He would do.
Once safe from the Egyptians, the Israelites ran into new worries as they traveled toward Mount Sinai. They ran out of food and were afraid they would starve in the desert wilderness.
But the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day.” (Exodus 16:4)
And what happened?
Manna fell from heaven along with quail to feed Israel.
God did what He said He would do.
Finally, remember Gideon?
The Lord had told him that He would hand over the mighty Midianites to him with 300 men. (Judges 7:7)
And that’s exactly what happened.
Gideon trusted the God and God did what He said He would do.
I could go on and on and on about places in scripture where God said He would do something and then did it but you should have the point by now.
Friends, God delivers on His word. He did when He created all things…just look at Genesis, Chapter 1. He did in the earliest days of mankind as we have covered in this message. And He continues to do so today.
So when you’re feeling unsure about life and whether things can work out or not…go to the scriptures…because somewhere within, God said it would work out…if you just trust in Him and believe what He said.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said.
"How can I set this before a hundred men?" his servant asked.
But Elisha answered, "Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says:
'They will eat and have some left over.' "
Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.
2 Kings 4:42-44
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 4 of 2 Kings ends, we find a “man…from Baal Shalishah” come to Elisha with an offering…”twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain”. Now typically, the first fruits of the harvest were to be brought to the priests (Deuteronomy 18:3-5) but in this case, Elisha is seen as a truer representative of the Lord over the priests who had allowed themselves to be apostate.
So presented with the loaves and grain, Elisha tells his servant to "Give it to the people to eat.”
This created an immediate concern from the servant. For there were 100 men that needed fed and 20 loaves wouldn’t be enough.
But Elisha persisted and told the servant again, "Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: 'They will eat and have some left over.' "
And sure enough, when the servant set the food before the 100 men, “they ate and had some left over” just as the Lord said.
Now this story serves as a preamble for what will come later when Jesus pulls off an even bigger miracle, feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish…and then follow this up by feeding the four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fish. But I want to focus on some important words that Elisha used to his servant as he tried to convince him that the 20 loaves would be enough to feed the 100 men.
Did you catch what Elisha said?
He told his servant to go ahead and feed the men, not because he said the number of loaves would be sufficient, but rather because the Lord has said so. And as we read, the Lord said there would even be some left over…and there was.
Question: How often do we forget what the Lord said as we deal with life’s circumstances?
For God’s word is filled with His wonderful, blessed promises and assurances…and yet we, like the servant who doubted that the 20 loaves would be enough, fail to believe that what God says is true, until it really happens.
Hasn’t God shown us enough already that He will do what He says?
Let’s look at some places in scripture where He did just that.
Go to Genesis 18, verse 10, and you’ll hear the Lord tell Abraham, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."
The result? Abraham and Sarah had a son and he was named Isaac. (Genesis 21:1-7)
God did what He said He would do.
Go to Exodus, Chapter 14. The Israelites had fled Pharaoh and Egypt under the leadership of Moses. As they had crossed over through the parted seas on dry land, Pharaoh and his men were in pursuit. Would Israel perish at the hands of the Egyptians?
No, because the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." (Exodus 14:26-27)
And Moses did what the Lord told him to do.
The end result?
The Lord caused the sea to go back in its place and the Egyptians were swept into the sea.
Again, God did what He said He would do.
Once safe from the Egyptians, the Israelites ran into new worries as they traveled toward Mount Sinai. They ran out of food and were afraid they would starve in the desert wilderness.
But the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day.” (Exodus 16:4)
And what happened?
Manna fell from heaven along with quail to feed Israel.
God did what He said He would do.
Finally, remember Gideon?
The Lord had told him that He would hand over the mighty Midianites to him with 300 men. (Judges 7:7)
And that’s exactly what happened.
Gideon trusted the God and God did what He said He would do.
I could go on and on and on about places in scripture where God said He would do something and then did it but you should have the point by now.
Friends, God delivers on His word. He did when He created all things…just look at Genesis, Chapter 1. He did in the earliest days of mankind as we have covered in this message. And He continues to do so today.
So when you’re feeling unsure about life and whether things can work out or not…go to the scriptures…because somewhere within, God said it would work out…if you just trust in Him and believe what He said.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
OUT WITH THE BAD, IN WITH THE GOOD
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Elisha returned to Gilgal and there was a famine in that region. While the company of the prophets was meeting with him, he said to his servant, "Put on the large pot and cook some stew for these men."
One of them went out into the fields to gather herbs and found a wild vine. He gathered some of its gourds and filled the fold of his cloak. When he returned, he cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were.
The stew was poured out for the men, but as they began to eat it, they cried out, "O man of God, there is death in the pot!" And they could not eat it.
Elisha said, "Get some flour."
He put it into the pot and said, "Serve it to the people to eat."
And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
2 Kings 4:38-41
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
I’ve really enjoyed reading and writing through 2 Kings, Chapter 4. It’s a wonderful chapter filled with good news and wonderful miracles…all with great lessons for us to learn about life and how the Lord is there to help us deal with its circumstances.
In today’s passage, we read where hard times have fallen on the region around Gilgal. A famine has struck there, leaving the people to have to look hard for food to eat.
As Elisha returns to Gilgal, he meets with a company of prophets and during that meeting, he directs his servant to "Put on the large pot and cook some stew for these men."
And so the servant did as he was told. He “went out into the fields to gather herbs” and while he was out, he “found a wild vine” from which he “gathered some…gourds”, enough to fill “the fold of his cloak”. He returned to the meeting place, cut up the gourds and put them in a “pot of stew”. Of course, anyone who would soon eat the stew would have no idea of what had been placed in it.
When the prophets were ready to eat, the “stew was poured out” them and they began to eat it. Suddenly, the men cried out to Elisha as they tasted the stew saying, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!" With the gourds from the wild vine, the stew was so bad it couldn’t be eaten.
But Elisha, as he has shown other times before now, had a plan.
We read where he asks for some flour which he received and put in the pot. He then asked for the stew to be served again to the men to eat. And as the men tasted the stew, they experienced a great change. The stew that was once bad and inedible could now be eaten for “there was nothing harmful in the pot”.
In other words, what was bad was now good.
So did the flour have such a miraculous effect?
No…it wasn’t the flour that caused the miracle. It was the Lord…the Creator and Giver of all miracles.
You see, the Lord makes a business out of taking what is bad and making it good.
I know I am a living testament to this truth…and maybe you are as well. In fact, I know you are if you truly have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior.
Because all who are born into the world are sin-stricken…bad from birth and without hope minus the saving redemption that comes from Jesus…the One who shed His blood to atone for our sin penalty.
When it came to the stew, flour added…coupled with the Lord’s miraculous work…led to the stew becoming good. It became useful with a renewed purpose. And once good, the stew could do good, providing nourishment to the men who ate it.
When it comes to us, we become good when we are washed by the saving blood of Christ Jesus…washed white as snow…justified by the sacrifice He made. And you know the word “justified” breaks down to mean that it is “just as if I had never sinned”
Question: Have you been washed by the blood of the Lamb of God…Jesus Christ?
If so, then you have accepted Him as your Savior…and in the process become a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). Once lost but now found…once bad but now good in and through Him.
And once good, then we become something useful…something the Lord can use to make a difference in the lives of those He “feeds” us to…using us to nourish others in His word, will and Spirit.
Question: Have you went from bad to good?
If the answer is no, now is the time to commit to change. Jesus is standing by to make you a new creation…taking you in as bad and sending you forth as good.
Thanks be to God for the gift of His Son!
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Elisha returned to Gilgal and there was a famine in that region. While the company of the prophets was meeting with him, he said to his servant, "Put on the large pot and cook some stew for these men."
One of them went out into the fields to gather herbs and found a wild vine. He gathered some of its gourds and filled the fold of his cloak. When he returned, he cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were.
The stew was poured out for the men, but as they began to eat it, they cried out, "O man of God, there is death in the pot!" And they could not eat it.
Elisha said, "Get some flour."
He put it into the pot and said, "Serve it to the people to eat."
And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
2 Kings 4:38-41
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
I’ve really enjoyed reading and writing through 2 Kings, Chapter 4. It’s a wonderful chapter filled with good news and wonderful miracles…all with great lessons for us to learn about life and how the Lord is there to help us deal with its circumstances.
In today’s passage, we read where hard times have fallen on the region around Gilgal. A famine has struck there, leaving the people to have to look hard for food to eat.
As Elisha returns to Gilgal, he meets with a company of prophets and during that meeting, he directs his servant to "Put on the large pot and cook some stew for these men."
And so the servant did as he was told. He “went out into the fields to gather herbs” and while he was out, he “found a wild vine” from which he “gathered some…gourds”, enough to fill “the fold of his cloak”. He returned to the meeting place, cut up the gourds and put them in a “pot of stew”. Of course, anyone who would soon eat the stew would have no idea of what had been placed in it.
When the prophets were ready to eat, the “stew was poured out” them and they began to eat it. Suddenly, the men cried out to Elisha as they tasted the stew saying, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!" With the gourds from the wild vine, the stew was so bad it couldn’t be eaten.
But Elisha, as he has shown other times before now, had a plan.
We read where he asks for some flour which he received and put in the pot. He then asked for the stew to be served again to the men to eat. And as the men tasted the stew, they experienced a great change. The stew that was once bad and inedible could now be eaten for “there was nothing harmful in the pot”.
In other words, what was bad was now good.
So did the flour have such a miraculous effect?
No…it wasn’t the flour that caused the miracle. It was the Lord…the Creator and Giver of all miracles.
You see, the Lord makes a business out of taking what is bad and making it good.
I know I am a living testament to this truth…and maybe you are as well. In fact, I know you are if you truly have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior.
Because all who are born into the world are sin-stricken…bad from birth and without hope minus the saving redemption that comes from Jesus…the One who shed His blood to atone for our sin penalty.
When it came to the stew, flour added…coupled with the Lord’s miraculous work…led to the stew becoming good. It became useful with a renewed purpose. And once good, the stew could do good, providing nourishment to the men who ate it.
When it comes to us, we become good when we are washed by the saving blood of Christ Jesus…washed white as snow…justified by the sacrifice He made. And you know the word “justified” breaks down to mean that it is “just as if I had never sinned”
Question: Have you been washed by the blood of the Lamb of God…Jesus Christ?
If so, then you have accepted Him as your Savior…and in the process become a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). Once lost but now found…once bad but now good in and through Him.
And once good, then we become something useful…something the Lord can use to make a difference in the lives of those He “feeds” us to…using us to nourish others in His word, will and Spirit.
Question: Have you went from bad to good?
If the answer is no, now is the time to commit to change. Jesus is standing by to make you a new creation…taking you in as bad and sending you forth as good.
Thanks be to God for the gift of His Son!
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers.
"My head! My head!" he said to his father.
His father told a servant, "Carry him to his mother."
After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.
She called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return."
"Why go to him today?" he asked. "It's not the New Moon or the Sabbath."
"It's all right," she said.
She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Lead on; don't slow down for me unless I tell you." So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, "Look! There's the Shunammite! Run to meet her and ask her, 'Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?' "
"Everything is all right," she said.
When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, "Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why."
"Did I ask you for a son, my lord?" she said. "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?"
Elisha said to Gehazi, "Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy's face."
But the child's mother said, "As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So he got up and followed her.
Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, "The boy has not awakened."
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he got on the bed and lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out upon him, the boy's body grew warm. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite." And he did.
When she came, he said, "Take your son." She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.
2 Kings 4:18-37
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Sometimes tragedy strikes us with some warning like when a hurricane spends days building up power before it reaches landfall and wreaks destruction. Or maybe when a loved one is afflicted with a health condition that worsens over time like cancer until their body can function no more and they pass away.
Still other times, tragedy comes suddenly…unannounced…when we’re least prepared for it. Tornados are like that. We’re accustomed to severe thunderstorms but at times they spawn deadly twisters that quickly destroy everything in their path…often with no warning of their coming. And people every day die suddenly from heart attack or as a result of an accident…never thinking for a moment when they awoke that their last day of life was upon them.
So what do we do when tragedy strikes?
Hopefully, today’s passage gives us some insight.
For as today’s scripture begins, we find the Shunammite woman’s son has grown up.
You’ll recall earlier in Chapter 4 that the woman was granted the blessing of her son as a result of the loving hospitality she had shown to Elisha and his servant Gehazi.
Well, as we pick up on the story of the child all seems well at first. The boy goes out to meet his father who we’re told was in the fields with the reapers.
While there, the child begins to feel ill saying to his father, “My head! My head!" The father, not sensing any danger at that moment, asks his servant to “Carry him to his mother” and the servant carries out the order.
And so the Shumannite woman sat with her son on her lap. We’re not given any indication anything is seriously wrong at first…but then things quickly turn catastrophic when we read that the boy died at noon. I’ve never lost a child but as I read this, I couldn’t help but have tears well up in my eyes as I imagined what it might have been like if I did lose one of my daughters.
It would be devastating.
As we read in our passage, the mother took the boy up into the special room on the roof that had been built for Elisha (who scripture refers to as the “man of God”) before shutting the door and calling out to her husband to have a servant bring a donkey so she could “go to the man of God quickly and return."
Well, the husband is a bit surprised at her request because it wasn’t one of the days when she would typically go to Elisha such as the “New Moon or the Sabbath”. His wife puts him at ease by telling him not to worry…that everything was fall right.
Of course, we know the truth. Things couldn’t have been more wrong at that point.
So the Shunammite woman “saddled the donkey” and urged her servant to “Lead on; don't slow down for me unless I tell you." And with that they set out to meet Elisha who was at Mount Carmel.
As the woman and her servant approached, Elisha saw them “in the distance” and he sent his servant Gehazi to run and meet her asking if she and her family were all right.
So Gehazi did as Elisha instructed and the woman, just as she had told her husband, said that everything was all right.
Why didn’t the woman tell the servant her needs? Most probably, it was because she knew that it wasn’t he who could help her. Only Elisha possessed the power to save her son within him. And as the woman reached him “at the mountain”, we read where “she took hold of his feet”...an action that startled the servant who “came over to push her away” but was rebuffed by Elisha who told him, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why."
Note two distinct areas of concern for Elisha at this point.
First, he was concerned about the Shunammite woman being in such distress.
Second, he was concerned as to why the Lord hadn’t provided him a vision of what was coming and what he should do.
Elisha wasn’t the only one a bit confused. For we read the woman’s words filled with sadness and despair as she asks, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?…Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?" In essence, the woman was wondering why Elisha would bless her with the son only to take him away so suddenly.
Well, Elisha, now trying to assess what he should do gives his servant a direct order to “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy's face." The woman, expected to go with the servant refused to go without Elisha coming as well saying, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." And with that, Elisha “got up and followed her” as she returned to where her dead son was laying.
Meanwhile, Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, had “went on ahead” and as he reached the room where the boy was, he “laid the staff on the boy's face”. But nothing happened…”there was no sound or response”. So Gehazi “went back to meet Elisha” reporting that "The boy has not awakened."
Finally, Elisha “reached the house” and found the “boy lying dead” in the room and went in, shutting the door so that it was only the two of them there. And alone with the dead boy, Elisha “prayed to the Lord”.
After prayer, Elisha “got on the bed” and “lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands”. Scripture tells us that as Elisha “stretched himself out upon him, the boy's body grew warm” but the boy still did not come to life.
Undaunted, we read where Elisha “turned away and walked back and forth in the room” before he got back on the bed and stretched out upon the boy once more. And this time, a miracle happened.
For we read where the “boy sneezed seven times” before opening his eyes and coming alive. Elisha summoned his servant and asked him to call for the Shunammite woman and “when she came”, Elisha told her to "Take your son."
The sight must have been overwhelming. To see her son who was once dead, now back alive. There couldn’t be enough hallelujahs raised up at that point…not enough praise that could be spoken…not any way to properly measure the amount of joy felt…not enough words to express thanks.
In fact, the woman says nothing. She only comes into the room, falls at the feet of Elisha…the man of God…and bows down to the ground before him.
No words needed spoken. Her actions completely expressed her feelings…feelings solely centered on reverence and worship unto the only One who could and did resurrect her son.
So what do we learn from this passage regarding how to deal with tragedy?
It’s simple.
For it’s all about faith and trust.
Faith that things can work out, no matter the circumstances if you just trust in the One who can make all things possible.
The woman never doubted that she could find help from the man of God…Elisha.
And Elisha, like Elijah before him, delivered by channeling God’s miraculous power through his body into the boy…delivering him into new life…a renewed life delivered by the Lord.
So where does this message find you today? Are you in the midst of tragedy?
If so, my prayer is that you have been buoyed up with a new sense of hope…hope reincarnated through a restored faith and trust in the Almighty Creator and Maker of all things…past, present and future.
Won’t you have the faith of the Shunammite woman and trust Him today?
It worked for her. It can work for you.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers.
"My head! My head!" he said to his father.
His father told a servant, "Carry him to his mother."
After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.
She called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return."
"Why go to him today?" he asked. "It's not the New Moon or the Sabbath."
"It's all right," she said.
She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Lead on; don't slow down for me unless I tell you." So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, "Look! There's the Shunammite! Run to meet her and ask her, 'Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?' "
"Everything is all right," she said.
When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, "Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why."
"Did I ask you for a son, my lord?" she said. "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?"
Elisha said to Gehazi, "Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy's face."
But the child's mother said, "As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So he got up and followed her.
Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, "The boy has not awakened."
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he got on the bed and lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out upon him, the boy's body grew warm. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite." And he did.
When she came, he said, "Take your son." She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.
2 Kings 4:18-37
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Sometimes tragedy strikes us with some warning like when a hurricane spends days building up power before it reaches landfall and wreaks destruction. Or maybe when a loved one is afflicted with a health condition that worsens over time like cancer until their body can function no more and they pass away.
Still other times, tragedy comes suddenly…unannounced…when we’re least prepared for it. Tornados are like that. We’re accustomed to severe thunderstorms but at times they spawn deadly twisters that quickly destroy everything in their path…often with no warning of their coming. And people every day die suddenly from heart attack or as a result of an accident…never thinking for a moment when they awoke that their last day of life was upon them.
So what do we do when tragedy strikes?
Hopefully, today’s passage gives us some insight.
For as today’s scripture begins, we find the Shunammite woman’s son has grown up.
You’ll recall earlier in Chapter 4 that the woman was granted the blessing of her son as a result of the loving hospitality she had shown to Elisha and his servant Gehazi.
Well, as we pick up on the story of the child all seems well at first. The boy goes out to meet his father who we’re told was in the fields with the reapers.
While there, the child begins to feel ill saying to his father, “My head! My head!" The father, not sensing any danger at that moment, asks his servant to “Carry him to his mother” and the servant carries out the order.
And so the Shumannite woman sat with her son on her lap. We’re not given any indication anything is seriously wrong at first…but then things quickly turn catastrophic when we read that the boy died at noon. I’ve never lost a child but as I read this, I couldn’t help but have tears well up in my eyes as I imagined what it might have been like if I did lose one of my daughters.
It would be devastating.
As we read in our passage, the mother took the boy up into the special room on the roof that had been built for Elisha (who scripture refers to as the “man of God”) before shutting the door and calling out to her husband to have a servant bring a donkey so she could “go to the man of God quickly and return."
Well, the husband is a bit surprised at her request because it wasn’t one of the days when she would typically go to Elisha such as the “New Moon or the Sabbath”. His wife puts him at ease by telling him not to worry…that everything was fall right.
Of course, we know the truth. Things couldn’t have been more wrong at that point.
So the Shunammite woman “saddled the donkey” and urged her servant to “Lead on; don't slow down for me unless I tell you." And with that they set out to meet Elisha who was at Mount Carmel.
As the woman and her servant approached, Elisha saw them “in the distance” and he sent his servant Gehazi to run and meet her asking if she and her family were all right.
So Gehazi did as Elisha instructed and the woman, just as she had told her husband, said that everything was all right.
Why didn’t the woman tell the servant her needs? Most probably, it was because she knew that it wasn’t he who could help her. Only Elisha possessed the power to save her son within him. And as the woman reached him “at the mountain”, we read where “she took hold of his feet”...an action that startled the servant who “came over to push her away” but was rebuffed by Elisha who told him, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why."
Note two distinct areas of concern for Elisha at this point.
First, he was concerned about the Shunammite woman being in such distress.
Second, he was concerned as to why the Lord hadn’t provided him a vision of what was coming and what he should do.
Elisha wasn’t the only one a bit confused. For we read the woman’s words filled with sadness and despair as she asks, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?…Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?" In essence, the woman was wondering why Elisha would bless her with the son only to take him away so suddenly.
Well, Elisha, now trying to assess what he should do gives his servant a direct order to “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy's face." The woman, expected to go with the servant refused to go without Elisha coming as well saying, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." And with that, Elisha “got up and followed her” as she returned to where her dead son was laying.
Meanwhile, Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, had “went on ahead” and as he reached the room where the boy was, he “laid the staff on the boy's face”. But nothing happened…”there was no sound or response”. So Gehazi “went back to meet Elisha” reporting that "The boy has not awakened."
Finally, Elisha “reached the house” and found the “boy lying dead” in the room and went in, shutting the door so that it was only the two of them there. And alone with the dead boy, Elisha “prayed to the Lord”.
After prayer, Elisha “got on the bed” and “lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands”. Scripture tells us that as Elisha “stretched himself out upon him, the boy's body grew warm” but the boy still did not come to life.
Undaunted, we read where Elisha “turned away and walked back and forth in the room” before he got back on the bed and stretched out upon the boy once more. And this time, a miracle happened.
For we read where the “boy sneezed seven times” before opening his eyes and coming alive. Elisha summoned his servant and asked him to call for the Shunammite woman and “when she came”, Elisha told her to "Take your son."
The sight must have been overwhelming. To see her son who was once dead, now back alive. There couldn’t be enough hallelujahs raised up at that point…not enough praise that could be spoken…not any way to properly measure the amount of joy felt…not enough words to express thanks.
In fact, the woman says nothing. She only comes into the room, falls at the feet of Elisha…the man of God…and bows down to the ground before him.
No words needed spoken. Her actions completely expressed her feelings…feelings solely centered on reverence and worship unto the only One who could and did resurrect her son.
So what do we learn from this passage regarding how to deal with tragedy?
It’s simple.
For it’s all about faith and trust.
Faith that things can work out, no matter the circumstances if you just trust in the One who can make all things possible.
The woman never doubted that she could find help from the man of God…Elisha.
And Elisha, like Elijah before him, delivered by channeling God’s miraculous power through his body into the boy…delivering him into new life…a renewed life delivered by the Lord.
So where does this message find you today? Are you in the midst of tragedy?
If so, my prayer is that you have been buoyed up with a new sense of hope…hope reincarnated through a restored faith and trust in the Almighty Creator and Maker of all things…past, present and future.
Won’t you have the faith of the Shunammite woman and trust Him today?
It worked for her. It can work for you.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
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