Month: September 2020

2 Kings 5:10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”
Naaman had an idea of what he thought Elisha, acting on God’s behalf might do, but Elisha doesn’t go that route. He proposes a very simple cure and Naaman is livid. This is not the way he pictured or imagined. Doesn’t that reaction sound frighteningly familiar? It does to me.
2 Kings 5:11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.”
I am struck by so many things in this chapter. 1. The simplicity of the healing—wash seven times in the Jordan. 2. That Naaman is invited to take an active role in his healing. 3. That his healing is, in part, a measure of his faith. Had he walked away in his anger he would not have been healed. 4. The fact that when all was said and done, he came back to express gratitude.
2 Kings 5:12 “Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he went off in a rage.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your sovereignty and for inviting me to take part in my own healing. Thank You for the open invitation to lay my troubles, my stress, my anxieties at Your feet and find rest. Give me the strength to comply with this simple task. Draw me closer. Amen.
2 Kings 5:12 Naaman’s servant went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, “Wash and be cleansed”!”
Have a blessed day.

2 Kings 4:42a A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain.
This miracle is incredibly reminiscent of Jesus and the loves and fishes, and the themes of scarcity and provision to the point of abundance are so timely for me. I feel like I am not enough, I can’t do enough, I can’t take care of enough, my efforts this semester are never enough. And I temped to think that perhaps I’m the bread in this metaphor, and maybe in part I am. But I’m the whole loaves—definitely not enough to feed all the hungry. It is not until the bread is broken and shared that the miracle occurs. Something happens in the breaking of the bread.
2 Kings 4:42b-43a “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said. “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked.
Perhaps that breaking is metaphorically when I realize I can’t do it all on my own, that I truly am not enough, not complete without my Savior? What I do know is that the bread, unbroken, unshared, isn’t enough, that it is only when we allow ourselves to be broken (or when we recognize our brokenness, our incompleteness), only when we serve others, that we can break the chains of independence and self-sufficiency of this world. Once we are broken of our stubborn self-reliance, God can work in us and through us.
2 Kings 4:43b But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for this change in perspective. I am so conditioned to seeing brokenness as a problem. Thank You for helping me see that You are in my brokenness, that You can take all my broken pieces, all my crumbs, and use them for Your glory. Help me to shine Your light. Draw me closer. Amen.
2 Kings 4:44 Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.
Have a blessed day.

2 Kings 4:3-4 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
Much like yesterday, the widow is called to participate in her blessings, to do the groundwork to prepare for God’s provision. I am struck by the fact that the oil flowed until she ran out of borrowed vessels. Had she borrowed more vessels, more oil would have flowed. Had she borrowed fewer vessels, the oil would have stopped flowing sooner.
2 Kings 4:5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring.
Much like the widow, I find myself in desperate need. I am completely tapped out, always stressed, always feeling behind, always working, planning, grading, communicating with students, parents, counselors, admin, always running from task to task, putting out fires. I am exhausted, mentally and physically. I cannot keep up this pace. I know that God is calling me to gather vessels this morning. He’s telling me that He will bless me in proportion to my faith. But I’m so tired, so stressed. I don’t know what my metaphorical vessels are: prayers of friends? Stress relieving activities? Jesus, Help me.
2 Kings 4:6 When all jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for whispering to my heart, even though I don’t quite understand what you are trying to say. Help me to gather my vessels, to understand what those metaphorical vessels are, in preparation for You blessings. Thank You for seeing my distress and for understanding my desperate need for You. Draw me closer. Amen.
2 Kings 4:7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
Have a blessed day.

2 Kings 3:16 …and he said, “This is what the LORD says: I will fill this valley with pools of water.” (NIV)
It has been my habit since I began in Genesis last October to read the NIV version of each day’s chapter and then read commentary. I was a bit confused today when commentary spent quite a bit of time talking about digging ditches, about doing the groundwork to be ready for God’s blessings to arrive. The NIV version has no mention of digging ditches or trenches. Zero.
2 Kings 3:16 …and he said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Dig this valley full of ditches.’” (BSB)
It seems a fairly significant oversight. The difference is in whether God is just rolling out blessings for humans to receive (which He does) or whether He is telling us to put some work in on the front end to be ready when His blessings come (which He also does). I guess the long and the short of it is that His blessings abound, but sometimes we have to do the work to prepare.
2 Kings 3:16 He said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’ (NASB)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder to read widely and well so that we don’t miss any of Your wisdom. Thank You for the reminder that sometimes You shower us with blessings and sometimes You ask us to put in the work so that we are ready when Your blessings come. Help us to pay attention. Draw us closer. Amen.
2 Kings 3:17 For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink.
Have a blessed day.

2 Kings 2:13-14a Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it….
Elisha knows where Elijah has gone. He doesn’t ask where Elijah is now, he asks where the God of Elijah is now. He wants to be sure that God, who so powerfully worked through Elijah, is with him, so that he can carry on Elijah’s ministry.
2 Kings 2:14b … “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked.
This scene makes me think of when a faithful person dies. We know where they are. What we want to know is will we have the strength to move forward in this life, is God still with us to help deal with this loss and move forward? 
2 Kings 2:14c When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that You are with us always, that You have safely in You care our loved ones who have passed away, that You are still sovereign in our lives, helping us move forward when we aren’t sure we can. Grant us Your strength, Lord. Cover us with Your peace. Draw us closer. Amen.
2 Kings 2:15 The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
Have a blessed day

2 Kings 1:3-4 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub…? Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’” So Elijah went.
Elijah speaks boldly for God. He shows no fear because he knows that God is in control and that God is directing his words. I admire and envy his confidence. I worry a lot about the things that I say and the way that I say them. I don’t want to say the wrong thing or hurt people’s feelings, especially through misunderstandings, which sometimes happens in my job. 
2 Kings 1:15 The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.
Something about 2 Kings 1:15, about Elijah’s confidence and utter lack of fear, really hits home for me. I want that confidence. I want that lack of fear. And I know how to get it, Who holds it, so why am I still longing for it? Why don’t I already possess it?
2 Kings 1:16 He told the king, “This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel for you to consult that you have sent messengers to consult Baal-Zebub…? Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!’”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. I know You have placed this longing in my heart for the confidence of Elijah, and I know You are the source of His confidence. Help me to root myself in You so that I, too, can feel and act that boldly confident through You. Draw me closer. Amen.
2 Kings 1:17 So he died, according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken.
Have a blessed day.

1 Kings 22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?”
Humans can be incredibly narcissistic. If I’m honest, my daily devos show my own egocentric tendencies as I am always reflecting on how God’s word impacts me. Ahab’s comment about Micaiah the prophet also shows this tendency,. He hates Micaiah because “he never prophesies anything good about me.”
1 Kings 22:8a The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the LORD….”
But this world is not about us. It is about God. And His goal is not to provide us with comforts and riches and good prophesies. His goal is to draw us to Him and then to use us to draw others to Him. His goal is to have all His children with Him, not just the 99 who are already headed the right way. The egocentric part of me, the part that wants to be pampered and shown favor, balks at that sometimes, but the deeply loved, fully forgiven, child of God who has profited from His compassionate mercy is incredibly thankful.
1 Kings 22:8b “…but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for reiterating what can sometimes be a difficult truth—this life is not about me, it’s not about my comfort and happiness. It is about You and Your incredible love for all of Your children. Thank You for Your fierce love and compassionate mercy. Help me to shine Your light for all to see. Amen.
1 Kings 22:8c “He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
Have a blessed day.

1 Kings 21:17-18 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel….He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it.”
This chapter reads like an episode of Royalty Behaving Badly. Ahab and Jezebel both act despicably. So when I got to the end of the chapter and saw that the Lord granted Ahab mercy and compassion because of his repentance, I was disappointed that he didn’t get what I felt he deserved—punishment. And then I immediately felt ashamed of my own reaction. What kind of hypocrite am I that I want mercy and compassion for myself but judgement for everyone else? Jesus, Help me!
1 Kings 21:19 “Say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?…This is what the LORD says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”
God is very clear about His desires. He wants all of us with Him in Heaven. He will leave the 99 to go after the one who has strayed every time. And at one time or another, we are all that one, so I am beyond thankful that He pursues us so relentlessly. 
1 Kings 21:27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for humbling me by reminding me that mercy and compassion always come before punishment if it means turning hearts toward You. Help me to be compassionate and merciful to all I encounter today. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Kings 21:28-29 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he had humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”
Have a blessed day.