In verses 7-15, Elisah predicts, to his face, that Hazael would kill the king. Actually Elisha only hints at it, but Hazael, knowing what he’s talking, about “felt ashamed.” (v. 11) Sadly, this shame was meaningless, because he went ahead with his plan and murdered the king anyway (v. 15).
Feeling ashamed about our sin is not enough. If it doesn’t lead to repentance, shame is meaningless.In 2 Kings 7:1-2, Elisha conveys a message of hope during a desperately hopeless situation. But the response he gets is one of skepticism. Elisha warns that, yes, the miracle will indeed happen, but that the skeptic would not get to enjoy it.
I wonder how often God wants to do something amazing for us, but we miss it for lack of faith. I wonder how often He is actually doing something amazing right in front of us, but we miss it for lack of faith. God is at work in our world, all around us, and we can either be a part of it or miss out completely, depending on our openness, faith and response. Lord, please give me eyes to see, as You did for the young man in 1 Kings 6:17. Don’t let me miss out on Your best for my life. Don’t let me miss out on being a part of the amazing thing You’re doing here, right in front of me and all around me. Help me see, believe, and act accordingly.“‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.'” (2 Kings 6*16)
There is so much about the spiritual realm that you and I don’t understand. But I am thankful for the truth of this verse. No matter what we are facing — temptations, discouragements, challenges, fears — we are not alone. God’s got an army on His side, and as followers of Christ, we have Him on our side. Lord, help me to remember this truth. Help me to be in touch with Your Spirit, aware of Your presence, and filled with Your power. Thank you, Jesus, that victory and freedom are mine in Christ.I find it interesting that it was a captive slave girl who suggested to Naaman that he go to see Elisha in Israel. It seems like she would have had every reason to resent her master, not want to help him. Yet she, for some reason, wanted his best. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations we’d rather not be in. Maybe it’s a job we don’t like, a coworker who’s difficult to get along with, or a noisy neighbor. We could let this lead to bitterness and resentment.
But Jesus calls us to be “salt and light” in those relationships. We can show His love, speaking words of life into the lives of those around us, like the anonymous slave girl who sent her master to the place where he found healing. Interesting, too, that it was also his servants who convinced Naaman to do what the prophet had told him. God really uses people in humble circumstances. And sometimes people need a little encouragement to take a step of faith. Are we humble enough to let God use us that way? Or, to look at it from Naaman’s point of view, are we humble enough to listen?
From Jennifer Gracey’s recent newsletter. This is the same church and location shown in a video I posted recently.
The remains of SeaSide Bible Chapel in the earthquake disaster zone. The people in the photo are leaders from 3 different houses of prayer in the Tokyo area who are working together. This trip took place from June 12-14th. The sign in Japanese says in essence, “there will be revival in Japan and in this place.” As we were told by the pastor of this church and his wife, there were about 600 children who were saved because of the location of the church building. SeaSide Bible Chapel was in the direct path of the tsunami and the elementary school was directly behind the church building. Because the tsunami hit the church first, some of the force of the wave was diminished which meant, it didn’t reach the roof are where the children had evacuated to. If the church building had not been there, the children would have perished. One local citizens’ reported comment was that, “God sacrificed His own temple to save the children.” It is interesting indeed that the cross is the only thing standing in this area save the remains of damaged buildings and a few trees.
(Posted July 6 2011)