6.28.13

2 Kings 13:15-19 Elisha told him, "Get a bow and some arrows." and the king did as he was told.  Elisha told him, "Put your hand on the bow," and Elisha laid his own hands on the king's hands.

 

The he commanded, "Open that eastern window," and he opened it.  The he said, "Shoot!" So he shot an arrow.  Elisha proclaimed, "This is the Lord's arrow, an arrow of victory over Aram, for you will completely conquer the Arameans at Aphek."

 

The he said, "Now pick up the other arrows and strike then aginst the ground." So the king picked them up and sturck the ground three times.  But the man of God was angry with him.  "You should have struck the ground five or six times!" he exclaimed. "Then you would have beaten Aram until it was entirely destroyed.  Now you will be vicorious only three times."

 

My Thoughts

When I read this I immediately thought of our prayers,  my prayers.  How often do I pray only a couple of times over a situation and wonder why God only answers part of the prayer.  I have not prayed enough I think!!  I have not made it serious enough in my prayer life for it to be so serious to God.   I imagine the king tapping the ground three times... an "I am doing what I am told," motion, instead of a deliberate "this is important to my life and to the lives of my people," motion. What if God thought, "You asked so I answered.  But if you had asked like it mattered, really mattered, I would have answered like it really mattered."  What I take away for this scripture is that we/I have got to pray like it really matters!! 

 

 

6.24.12

2 Kings 6:21-22 When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, "My father, should I kill then? Should I kill them."   "Of course not!" Elisha replied. " Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and sent them home again to their master."

My Thoughts

These men had come to kill Elisha... Elisha had ask God to strike them with blindness... so he to them to the King of Israel. Elisha had the power to order their death... to have anything done to them he wanted.  But Elisha, a man of God, had them treated fairly and sent them back home.

We are so often hurt by others... so often we are the ones who hurt others.  When others hurt us... we need to remember their actions are actions cause in a time of war.  The war the devil has waged against God and all his goodness.  When people do hurtful things... evil things... they have become ensnared by the devil himself.  We have been used by the devil for a second in time to tear down.  We need to realize when somebody else does hurtful things... the devil has taken them captive... maybe for just a brief moment in time... Instead of taking revenge we need to act in love... feed those people with hope and love and forgiveness and send them home again.  When we act in any other way we have just stepped into a trap set by the devil...and we have been caught...when we act in love...we have stepped right over that trap and won one more battle against the evil of Satin himself.

7.1.11

2 Kings 20:4-6 Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.’”

My Thoughts

I love this!!... In verse 1 ...God had told Isaiah to tell  Hezekiah that God said  he was going to die.  Then Hezekiah prayed to God.  Hezekiah had always been faithful to God. This story tells us that God does answer our prayers.  That our prayers can change God's mind. We we are faithful to God, God is faithful to us.  It is important to remember that part where Hezekiah is faithful to God.  It is important to remember that we need to forgive others and that we need to confess our sins.  We need to do our best to do what God ask of us.  God know when we are trying!! God hears our prayers.  I love the stories where God hears our prayers!