DATE POSTED Thursday, 2022-11-24
WRITTEN AT: Okeechobee, FL
SCRIPTURE FROM: 2 Kings 6:15-17
TRANSLATION: New Century Version (NCV)
BIBLE TEXT: 15 Elisha’s servant got up early, and when he went out, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. The servant said to Elisha, “Oh, my master, what can we do?”
16 Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us.” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, open my servant’s eyes, and let him see.”
The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
APPLICATION: Children will run home to their parents when they face situations that seem larger than anything they could handle. But what do parents do? Church members tend to run, and they may wind up joining another church, when situations arise that they would rather not look for solutions. But what about church leaders. What will they do when they take their jobs of responsibility serious, and accept the task assigned to them by church membership? Often these very real situations arise, and way too often we tend to look at them with no real hope of resolution. We may say the words “Only God can resolve these issues” yet we continue running from the situation. It is obvious from our Scripture reading that Elisha’s servant saw something that seemed impossible to him, and for the man that he served. That happens often during our lifetimes, it may be Covid; or it may be a serious market crash; lack of oil; the unexpected loss of a close family member/friend, or a war where the odds seem really impossible for our country. Many of us have seen what we do when we’re in a panic: we hoard food items; we stockpile household supplies; we fill every possible container with fuel; we may even escape to the hills in our RV’s and just wait as we anticipate the worse possible outcome. But our wisdom from God comes in the way that Elisha and his servant responded, and of course, the way that God protected His own. The servant immediately panicked, much like most of us would do. However, the servant ran to ‘The Man of God’ (I love that title, especially when considering the title attributed to Jesus ‘The Son of Man’!), for he had seen Elisha pray down miracle after miracle, and perhaps the servant had faith enough to believe that Elisha would do just that again. Friends, this is why Christian fellowship, and praying or worshipping together has such an awesome impact on us, for we are encouraged that God IS still at work in each other’s lives. We may be going through a dry season spiritually, and we may be like the servant where we don’t feel strong enough in our faith to approach God for the situation at hand. But I pray today that we will be much like the servant in deciding not to hide the problem, but rather seek out those who are closely in tuned with God, knowing that they will pray on our behalf for God’s protection, provision, and encouragement. There are times when we are close enough to God and been encouraged by His powerful acts in our lives, that we would pray for every possible obstacle that stands in our way of spreading the love of God with others. It is at those times that others may turn to us as an ‘Elisha’ who would pray to God for blessings on His people, or miracles in their lives. But true to human form, there are times that we need someone else to intervene on our behalf. In His precious Word, God encourages us to pray one for another. There are times that this could mean the difference between encouragement vs defeat or depression; health vs worsening diseases; or even life vs death. Let’s be nosy enough to know what our neighbor, or fellow church member needs from God, it is then that we could pray directly and specifically for their needs rather than generalities. God is in control dear friends, so let us pray for His miraculous response to the things that seem impossible to us and our neighbor. Remember, greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world!
BLESSING(S) NOTED: The provisions of God was overwhelming to Elisha’s servant whose eyes were opened. Perhaps our eyes will be opened to God’s provisions in meeting the many challenges that seem so out of reach and bearing stress in our lives. God still cares for His children, so let’s call on Him today!
PRAYER: To look the other way, or to imagine life without interaction with You oh Lord, would easily lead to a life of excess stress and very little hope. May we, like Elisha, be known as ‘Men or Women of God’, not for any recognition on earth, but to demonstrate our commitment and desire to be people after Your own heart. It is obvious that this will make the difference between hope and despair vs joyous recognition with our Creator, and hope, as we call on You especially for the things that seem impossible to us. Teach us Lord to lean on other believers, while encouraging them to always call on us to support and encourage them in our prayers. As we are encouraged and touched by You Oh Lord, please impress upon us to also pass this blessing on to others who need a touch from You. Please melt the hearts of those opposed to You and draw them to the foot of the cross where they will see the love of God as shown on that cross at Calvary, for the remission of their sin. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!
Nuggets From God's Word 