Scripture: 2 Kings 1.  

OBSERVATION
(What is God saying here?)

2 Kings 1:16 (NLT)

16 And Elijah said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Is there no God in Israel to answer your question? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.”

APPLICATION
(How Can I apply what God is saying here to my circumstances today?)

My mind was directed to cases that I have known of where families have travelled from long distances to have a TV evangelist pray over them because of what appeared to be an incurable decease from a human doctor’s perspective. While I believe that in desperation we will do almost anything to try and save a loved one, I also believe that it is evident from this passage that God wants us to be aware that He is everywhere that we are, and He is accessible by any of His children. An additional curse was placed on king Ahaziah for thinking that he could get answers from the gods at the temple of Baalzebub about the injuries he sustained in a serious fall. Friends, God is available to His children at any time, wherever we may find ourselves in need of Him. God’s Word is full of instances and verses that declare this truth. Seek the Lord while He is near. Depend on the Lord for He always hears our cry for help. Seek the Lord first and foremost, not wait until all else fails. We see from the previous chapter how the prophets called by the king quickly shared their personal views and then claimed that they were from God. Praise be to God that we can go directly to the throne and not have to worry about human intervention to fill the gap for us!

PRAYER
(With God’s help, what am I going to do differently today because He said it?)

Father, You know that my mention of this example that I have knowledge of is not intended to place guilt on the minds of anyone, but rather I believe that You have opened the doors of Heaven to me today and helped me to be reminded of the power of the almighty God that I serve, and the value that You place on each of Your children. You have also showed me that I may come directly to You with requests, concerns and needs. If I feel like I am unworthy of that privilege, then there are some other cleaning up that I need to do in my relationship with You before You would hear my prayer directly or through the requests by others on my behalf. I pray that You may speak to me each and every day so that I may maintain a clean, open relationship with You so that You may continue to work in and through me in miraculous ways to fulfill Your perfect will. Thank You for loving me this much. Thank You for saving me from the evil one. Please use me as Your instrument today to reach the heart of one that may not know You personally and/or to encourage and bless the life of someone that does.

 

àWords underlined may be a hyperlink to a song that God laid on my heart while sharing this devotional this morning. Click it and be blessed by the song, like I was when I listened to it! …… I would be overjoyed to have the opportunity to pray with you about a need in your life that may, or may not have been highlighted by this Nugget today. Why not drop me a note and tell me about it? You may email me at:
nuggetsfromgodsword@yahoo.com.
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