3 STORIES TODAY linger with me. All three are about trusting a good God and whatever He provides.
ELISHA & A GOD WHO PROVIDES
2 Kings 4:1-2 One day the wife of a man from the guild of prophets called out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead. You well know what a good man he was, devoted to God. And now the man to whom he was in debt is on his way to collect by taking my two children as slaves. Elisha said, "I wonder how I can be of help. Tell me, what do you have in your house?" Nothing, she said. "Well, I do have a little oil." Isn't this story like the 5 Fish & 2 Loaves story? Unless God makes the oil pour in our lives, we cannot make something out of nothing. What a beautiful thought this morning to give what I have to HIM for God to provide in my life and through my life. How can I be of help in my world today?
ELISHA & A WOMAN WITH FAITH
II KIngs 4:8-21 is the story of the Shunammite woman. Elisha asked God that HE would give the childless woman a son and HE did. The boy took ill as a young child. II Kings 4:21 She took him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in alone, and left. And she went after Elisha. When he saw her running after him, he inquired: What's wrong? Your husband, your child. The woman's response: "Everything's fine." An answer from a trusting heart for when she saw Elisha she clung to him embracing her grief. What flows out of us when we are in the dark?
NAAMAN DEMANDING GOD TO MOVE A CERTAIN WAY
II Kings 5: 1 - Naaman was general of the army under the king of Aram---he was afflicted with a grave skin disease. II Kings 5:10 Elisha sent out a servant to meet Naaman with this message: "Go to the River Jordan and immerse yourself seven times. Your skin will be healed and you'll be as good as new."
Naaman's response in verse 11: "I thought he'd personally come out and meet me, call on the name of God, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and get rid of the disease. The Damascus rivers, Abana and Pharpar, are cleaner by far than any of the rivers in Israel. Why not bathe in them? I'd at least get clean." He stomped off, mad as a hornet." God provides a certain way for us & we get angry. BUT I THOUGHT syndrome. Thought it should happen THIS WAY. Thought it would happen THAT WAY. Expected that it would be in line with our culture, our religion. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. Give up trying to turn the bad circumstances into good ones the right way. Listen to what God says and it may come today through the most unlikely of people and the most unwanted of circumstances. Psalm 27:13-14 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of our God. May we all seek and find our good God today.
Thanks for your comments about Naaman, they were just what my husband and I needed today. We are going through difficult times right now and needed to be reminded that God works through unexpected ways and through unlikely people.
ReplyDeleteI've got to read the scripture still, but I did read the chapter in 66LL.
ReplyDeleteThere is evil in us.
Wow. That really has spoken to me today. I've been in the yard all day and I would just hear that in my head off and on.
"Very few in any age, even among My followers, have faced the presence of evil within them."
"I wrote 2 Kings to help you understand the lethal nature of the evil that is in My people and for you to tremble before its power to ruin your life."
"It (evil) hides itself and does its destructive work slowly."
"Evil is real, and it is in you (Deborah)."
Thank God that He sent me a Saviour in His Son, Jesus Christ. We are hopelessly lost without Him.
Just one thought about the Shunanmite woman--when others asked how she was, she said fine, but when she got to the holy man of God, the one who could help, she fell at his feet, pleading.
ReplyDeleteI need to appreciate Who can help and not waste time getting to His Feet. Not spreading my story everywhere, keeping others updated of the details so much as bringing it to the One who can do something about it, the One who cares, the One and only who delivers me from evil.
Hope you all are doing well this day. I'm about to go out to dinner--first outing in two weeks other than a short trip to run to the bank. I have makeup on and everything. LOL and the world thanks me. Love you guys, Annette
My thoughts are on the young girl the Syrians took captive (2 Kings 5:2-4). We don't know her name...We just see her heart of compassion. No bitterness toward Naaman. No gloating over his leprosy. Just a genuine concern for him to be healed. I'm not sure I would have responded the way she did. The story of Joseph comes to mind...Our God bringing something good out of a bad situation. He just loves to show up in unexpected ways.
ReplyDeleteFG
11 Kings 4:1
ReplyDeleteOne day the wife of a man from the guild of prophets called out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead. You well know what a good man he was, devoted to God. And now the man to whom he was in debt is on his way to collect by taking my two children as slaves."
Sadly, a father's death now gives his children a sorrowful future...slavery.
This father couldn't give them freedom. He was dead. But the pleading of this woman of faith, and her trust in God's holy man changed their destiny.
I love this! There were many similar situations that did not end in such a divine way. But this father's goodness and legacy of faith gave freedom to his wife to cry out for a divine rescue.
And the debt was settled through a miracle of abundant oil, filling every empty container, and a family saved from slavery.
Remembering that we all owe a debt we cannot pay. We bring what we have...our faith...and He fills every empty place with His Spirit anointing us. Freedom in Christ...no more a slave to sin.