I Chronicles 4:1 – 9:1

September 24, 2010

God knows our name. We are important to Him. In the middle of the genealogy in the first nine chapters of I Chronicles there is a sentence that says, "There was a man named Jabez..."

The Prayer of Jabez. Someone gave us the The Prayer of Jabez book years ago and I never took the time to read it. Then in early 2008, while watching my grandson, I read the book Beyond Jabez while at my son and daughter-in-law's house. Someone had just given them the book. Reading it solidified in my mind that God wanted to use "the storm" in our lives to expand our territories. Our territory is anywhere we are.

I Chronicles 4:10 - LORD – Bless us and bless us indeed. Expand our territory. May we see your hand working in our lives. Protect us from evil so we will harm no one. And, God granted him his request. 

When the first Prayer of Jabez book came out a lot of people thought it meant you could pray for God to bless you with things. It doesn't mean that at all. Expand our territory means to enlarge our sphere of influence. Oh wow, has God done that for us. We used to wonder who we could witness to. And now, God has given us opportunity after opportunity. God has blessed us with those opportunities. God has blessed us in so many ways. But by far, the blessing we have been most grateful for is being able to see the Hand of God working in our lives. 

The Hand of God! We have witnessed first hand what can only be described as the Hand of God in our lives. Man could not have done it. I've listed many of them throughout this journal. The Hand of God. I am in absolute awe of who God is. For too many years "Christians" have tried to use God to meet their needs and more aptly "wants." They go to Him with a laundry list of what they want Him to do for them. This is why we say the single most important thing Jane (Her Name Was Jane) taught us was Psalm 150 – Praise. When you praise God for who He is there becomes a realization of what the relationship between

God

↓

Man

should look like. Listen next time some one asks for prayer requests and praises. The praises are almost always about something God has done for them.

Sammy Tippit in his book, The Prayer Factor, says it this way. "Praise is a response to the greatness of God, and thanksgiving is a response to the goodness of God. Praise acknowledges the attributes of God, whereas thanksgiving acknowledges the deeds of God."

Seeing the Hand of God at work in our lives has absolutely convinced me that there is no other way to live but in a way pleasing to God.  

Bless us indeed, Father. Expand our territory for YOUR name's sake. May we continue to see YOUR Hand. Protect us.  Hebrews 11:33 - "Through their faith they defeated kingdoms. They did what was right, received God's promises, and shut the mouth of lions."


Next Entry: I Chronicles 9:2–44

I Chronicles 1:1 – 3:24

September 23, 2010

Genealogy. The first three chapters of I Chronicles is documentation of the ancestry from Adam → to Abraham → to the time Jerusalem was taken captive. Generational influences are important. You see the names of those who sinned against God and you see the result of that for generations. Noah's son Ham—generations. Lot's sons—generations. Then you see the names of those who were faithful to God and you see the result of their choices for generations. Patriarchs like Abraham and David.

The choice of how we are going to live our lives is ultimately up to us, but our generational history is what gives us the "bent" towards God or away from God. 

In these chapters, you also see those who had the benefit of godly generations but chose to go their own way. Er (son of Judah), did what the LORD said was wrong, so the LORD put him to death. Achan took for himself what was to be God's, and he was put to death. Absalom and Adonijah, sons of David, chose to go against their father and God, and they were put to death.

The choice is ours. You can have an entire ancestral line of non-believers and you can break the pattern and serve God. The opposite is true as well. You can have an entire ancestral line of God followers and choose to break the pattern and refuse to serve God. Ultimately, each person must make their own choice. However, the consequences of generational choices can be far reaching. The ancestral patterns we receive shape who we are and form our beliefs, many times teaching us patterns of behavior that can be very difficult to break. The ancestral patterns we pass down affects future generations. Our choices impact not only our lives, but it shapes the lives of those who follow after us.

I want to leave the generations that follow me a God-honoring Christian heritage. I want them to remember someone who pointed them to Christ. I want them to rise up and say: Blessed be the Name of the LORD!

Life is serious business. Make it count for what is important!


Next Entry: I Chronicles 4:1 – 9:1

II Kings 23:36 – 25:30

September 22, 2010

The last few kings of Judah. All did what the LORD said was wrong and the people bore the consequences for the decisions made. Nebuchadnezzar marched against Judah with his whole army and captured King Zedekiah. Where? In the plains of Jericho. How ironic. Their final defeat was at the same spot where hundreds of years before they had their miraculous first victory. It was the choices made during those in-between years that caused their downfall.

Oh, what a difference their outcome would have been if they would have chosen to obey the teachings God gave to Moses.  

God freed the Israelites from Egypt. But now, because of their choices, they are captive to the Babylonians and are much worse off than before. The New Testament says it would be better to have never known Christ as Savior then to know Him and turn away from Him.

Choices. It is up to you and me. What are you going to choose? I choose to follow God. I choose to keep His commands.

No matter what. 


Next Entry: I Chronicles 1:1 – 3:24

II Kings 22:1 – 23:35

September 21, 2010

Josiah becomes king of Judah. In the process of repairing the temple the workers find the book of teachings. Find it! This is the book of teachings! The book God said that all kings should make a copy of to keep with them at all times and to read from it every day. God gave those instructions clear back in Deuteronomy 17:18-20, before the first king was ever even appointed. Now it is hundreds of years later and they "find it" in the temple. 199 years before Josiah was made king, the agreement was given to Joash when he was made king. (II Kings 11:12) Obviously it wasn't passed down from king to king because it was "found" in the very place it should have been honored, almost 200 years later. No wonder there were so many problems. No wonder wrong choices were made. Everyone was doing what "seemed" right to them. They weren't following God's teachings.

Josiah is horrified by what he reads and all the sins that have been committed. He reads the book to the people and Josiah pledges to follow the LORD. He destroys all the idols and places used for false worship. Idols that were put in the temple were taken down and destroyed. In the temple!! Josiah obeyed the LORD with all his heart, soul, and strength. (II Kings 23:25) Even so, the LORD brought the destruction and punishment to Judah after Josiah died.

We read this and are appalled they lost the book of teachings and that idols were erected in the temple. Our bodies are the temple of the LORD and we have His written word to us, yet how many people in the "Church" pay any attention to wanting to know what is in it? How many "Christians" have erected their own idols of self, pride, envy, jealousy, and strife in the temple of God—our bodies. God told them in Deuteronomy 17 what the secret to success was. Keep the writings with you; read from it every day; and DO what it says. DO IT!


Next Entry: II Kings 23:36 – 25:30

II Kings 19:1 – 21:26

September 20, 2010

Hezekiah hears what the king and men of Assyria are threatening. The first thing Hezekiah did was to go into the temple of the LORD. He took his problems to God. He sent men to Isaiah to see what God said about the situation. The LORD said, "Do not be afraid of what you have heard. Don't be frightened... I (the LORD) will put a spirit of fear in him, I (the LORD) will cause him to die by the sword." The commander goes back to the king and the king of Assyria sends another venomous letter to frighten them. "Don't believe him... you've seen what we have done to the other countries... where are those kings now?"

Either the LORD saved Hezekiah and Judah, or they were done.

God replied, "I have heard your prayers... This is what I have against the king of Assyria." You have insulted me. You have raised your voice against me. You have a proud look which is against me. You have sent your messengers to insult the LORD. You have said "my" chariots...;"I" have gone...; "I" have cut down...; "I" have done this...; "I" have done that...; but what you don't know is, I (God) allowed those things to happen. It wasn't your power, it was me (God) allowing you to go your way. "I know when you rest, when you come and go, and how you rage against me. Because you rage against me, and because I have heard your proud words, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth and I will force you to leave my country the same way you came."  

Hezekiah, I will give you a sign, "The strong love of the LORD, All-Powerful will make this happen." The LORD continues, "He (the kings of Assyria) will not enter the city... he will not fight against it... he will return to his country.... he will not enter the city... I (the LORD) will defend and save this city..." And, that night the angel of the LORD went out and killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp.

It may appear that "the proud" are in control, BUT it is God who allowed their pride to become their downfall. When God says enough is enough He will force them out. The LORD hears our prayers. He knows the plans He has for us. (Jeremiah 29:11–13) When it is time for "the storm" to be over; it will be over. He has promised us His protection and we believe Him. (Her Name Was Jane)

God fulfilled His promise. The king of Assyria was killed by his own son. Later, Hezekiah became ill and was going to die.Hezekiah prayed and the LORD heard and answered his prayer. God caused the shadow to go back ten steps as proof of His power. Unfortunately, Hezekiah later became self-sufficient and prideful, showing strangers all that was his. God rebuked him and told him that in the future everything would be taken away and the people would be captive. In his selfishness he didn't see or mourn the big picture. He was only grateful that it wasn't going to happen to him or in his lifetime. He had done so much right, but in the end he failed.

LORD, may we always be dependent on you as our source of strength. May we always have the order correct.

God

     ↓     

Man

Addendum:  5/19/14 ~ Hezekiah prayed for extra years and God gave him fifteen more years. During that time his son Manasseh was born. When he became king, he did many hateful things. Manasseh did "what the LORD said was wrong... He did more evil than the Amorites before him." If Hezekiah had accepted God's will for his life Manasseh would not have been born.

Oh, how we mess things up when we think "our rights" are more important than God's will.     


 Next Entry: II Kings 22:1 – 23:35

II Kings 17:1 – 18:37 (Continued)

September 17, 2010

Hezekiah.

Where do I start? Hezekiah trusted the LORD. He was loyal. He obeyed the commands given to Moses. Of all the kings of Judah, no one was like him. The LORD was with him so he had success in everything he did. That is an interesting statement since he definitely had troubles. We (people) tend to view success as meaning the absence of problems. It doesn't mean that at all. Success is perseverance, overcoming, happiness, etc. in spite of our problems. Success is God's will being done. I have the following written at the top of my journal page: "Success is not the absence of problems.  Success is God's will being done in spite of problems."

The king of Assyria captured the Israelites and took them captive and away to Assyria. "This happened because they did not obey the LORD their God." Years later a new king of Assyria attacks Judah. Hezekiah saw what the king of Assyria did to Israel, and now this king was coming after them. Hezekiah tries to ward off the attack by giving him silver from the temple and gold from the doors, a gift he had given to the temple. Hezekiah gave from himself to try and avoid the attack; but it didn't work.

Assyria sent men to confront Hezekiah. They stood and shouted their words at a place where all could hear. They threatened, they made fun of, they belittled, they humiliated, they tried to scare the people. They were hoping the fear and public humiliation would cause the people to crumble from the inside out. Then they would enjoy the spoils of the havoc they created. The men shouted, "Who can you trust? You say you have plans... but your words mean nothing. Who do you think you can go to for help against us? You go to someone else for help and it's only going to hurt you! You think you can depend on God? Why, Hezekiah destroyed the places of worship and has said you can only worship in Jerusalem." (The interesting thing here is that the king of Assyria didn't get it. Those places of "worship" that Hezekiah destroyed were place for idol worship. Hezekiah was following God's instructions. Jerusalem is where they were supposed to worship. Assyria had no idea what or who the LORD was.)

The men ranted on. "Don't listen to Hezekiah. He can't help you. Don't listen to him saying the LORD will help you. Don't let him fool you. Don't listen to Hezekiah. Listen to the king of Assyria! He is offering you peace. Come to him and he will make you free. He'll give you food to eat, water to drink. Stay with Hezekiah and you will have to eat your own dung and drink your own urine. Choose to live and not die." (A lie from the pit of hell. It sounds good but it was meant for their destruction. Sounds like TRUTH that comes from God but it was a counterfeit lie.) "Make an agreement with us. We will give you two thousand horses... if you can find enough men to ride them." (Gotta love the sarcasm and the way they were putting them down even as they were offering this "gift" to them.)

And then the men throw in what they think will really crush any last piece of resistance. "I have not come to attack this place without an order from the LORD. The LORD himself told me to come to this country and destroy it." (Notice they don't say god, they say "the LORD" which is Judah's God. They've just said the "the LORD" said to destroy Judah. If that was true, then why are they offering peace?)

They continue on. "Don't listen to Hezekiah. He is fooling you when he says 'the LORD will save us.' Has any other god been successful against me? (No!) Did God save Israel from me? (No!) Not one of all the gods of these countries has saved his people from me. (That was true—not a single one!) Neither can the LORD save Jerusalem from my power."

Pretty strong argument. They were right. No one had been successful in defending their attacks in the past. Why would it be any different this time? The men from Assyria held nothing back. They could have spoken to Hezekiah privately. They didn't. They could have spoken in their own language. They didn't. They instead did everything they could in their attempt to control Judah. They used fear, public humiliation, lies, intimidation, promises of peace, and even used the name of the LORD to further their agenda. They tried to undermine Hezekiah's leadership and abilities. They poked fun at them with a long list of insults.

The intent of man—verses—the will of God. Put your faith and trust in the LORD. HE will be your strength, your shield, and your protector. 


Next Entry: II Kings 19:1 – 21:26

II Kings 17:1 – 18:37

September 16, 2010

Because!

Because the Israelites sinned against the LORD (secretly doing things against the LORD that was not right); because they did the very things God told them not to do; because they refused to listen to the prophets and seers God sent to warn them; because they were stubborn and followed the ways of their ancestors; because they rejected God's laws and commands; because they refused to listen to his warnings; because they put their faith in useless things—they became useless themselves and they did what the LORD warned them not to do. SO, God removed them from His presence. They were taken out of the land, and they became captive.

Because!

Our choices DO matter! There are consequences! God's word gives us clear direction. When it says, "Do not honor other gods" such as pride, wealth, fame—that is what it means. The people tried to honor God in addition to their gods. It doesn't work that way. God's agreement with them back in Exodus was no other gods! Serve only the LORD. Obey what I have told you. II Kings 17:38-39 - "Do not forget the agreement I made with you, and do not honor other gods. Instead worship the LORD your God, who will save you from all your enemies."

They refused to listen.

Because → SO! Because they chose not to follow God—SO—God removed them from His presence and the Israelites were taken into captivity. 


Next Entry: II Kings 17:1 – 18:37 (Continued)

II KIngs 15:1 – 16:20

September 15, 2010

The list of kings continues. I've always wanted to make a timeline of all the kings of Judah and Israel for reference. I may begin working on that today.

What again strikes me is every single one of the kings of Israel did what the LORD said was wrong. And, every single time each king is compared back to Jeroboam, son of Nebat. Jeroboam was the first king of Israel after the tribes of Israel and Judah split. Jerobaom led the people to sin—and every king after him followed his example. Oh, there is such importance and responsibility in our actions. It affects generations! The other kings could have chose another path, but each chose to follow the example set before them.

My Grandmother on my Dad's side chose not to follow her father's teachings and instead married a man who was an itinerant farmer who was known to be violent. He was anything but godly... and my Grandmother paid the price. It wasn't just my Grandmother who paid the price. Her children (my Dad) paid the price, her grandchildren (my generation) paid the price, and her great grandchildren paid the price. Her actions made her life very difficult and it affected all of us. It is ultimately up to each one of us to decide how we are going to live, but the influences and circumstances of the generations before us does make an impact on our lives.

All of us need to realize the seriousness of the choices we daily make and how those choices affect generations. I want my choices to point our grandchildren to God and not away from Him.

II Kings 16 - See Isaiah 7 for a Cross Reference.

Addendum: 5/17/14 ~ At the top of my journal page I have written,"Giving out of excess isn't really giving." My random thought didn't have anything to do with II Kings, but how true.


Next Entry: II Kings 17:1 – 18:37

II Kings 13:1 – 14:29

September 14, 2010

For seventeen years... Jehoahaz did what the LORD said was wrong. Seventeen years. When Jehoahaz sought the LORD; God listened. The Israelites escaped with their lives.

They didn't have much left. Just 50 horseman, 10 chariots, and 10,000 men. They had all but been annihilated, but when Jehoahaz called out to God; God listened. Unfortunately, it was only a temporary repentance. They soon returned to doing wrong. When they repented God was ready and willing to listen and forgive. Later Jehoash (Jehoahaz's son), cried out to Elisha for help. God heard his prayers as well. But, he wasn't fully committed either and he didn't receive all the blessing God was prepared to give him.

God says leave everything—Follow ME. He wants us to be fully committed and willing to leave everything. Willing. God's plan may be to give it back, but first you have to be willing to surrender it.

Romans 1:17 - "The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself, that it begins and ends with faith. As the scripture says, 'But those who are right with God will live by trusting him.' "

God wants us to be willing to surrender everything and follow HIM for the guaranteed reward of salvation. How we live our lives and the decisions we make—matters. It is either: the sins of the father, passed down for generations—OR—a godly heritage, passed down for generations. We want to leave a godly heritage for our children, our grand-children and the generations to come. 


Next Entry: II Kings 15:1 – 16:20 

The Book

September, 2010

Unless God shows me differently, I believe I know what He wants the book to be titled:

Walking by Faith:

A True Story of God's Faithfulness

Psalm 32:8 - "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."  (Jane's Life Verse)

After Jane (Her Name Was Jane) died, I was given several boxes of Jane's personal belongings to look through. I instantly loved one of the pictures of Jane. I think Jane's adopted sister found it odd that of all the pictures to choose from, the one I was instantly drawn to only shows Jane's back. I had copies of the picture made with Jane's life verse printed on the back. These were available for people at Jane's memorial service.

The picture is of Jane walking away from the viewer—following a path. To me it represents Jane following God on His path for her life; and God using Jane to lead us as we follow His path for our lives. I believe the picture is to be part of The Book and the title of The Book is to be: "Walking by Faith."

Jane life verse proved true. Jesus faithfully led her all the way.

LORD, please continue to give me wisdom and direction. May every word on every page be Your words and may You receive the honor and glory.

Addendum:  Four years after I originally wrote this entry, and five months after entering it into Blogger, God began to reveal what His plans were for The Book. See the following posts:

October 30, 2014 –  LORD – What Am I to Do?
November 24, 2014 – The LORD Answers!
November 25, 2014 – I Didn't Know—BUT GOD DID!!


Next Entry: II Kings 13:1 – 14:29

II Kings 11:1 – 12:21

September 13, 2010

Ahaziah was the king of Judah who was a friend of Ahab's. He was killed at the same time as Ahab's son Joram. Ahaziah's mother (named Athaliah), decided that if her son Ahaziah wasn't going to be king then she would do what it took so she could be queen—and she did. Athaliah killed all the remaining members of the royal family so she could be queen. (Wonder who Ahaziah got his evil actions from?) Athaliah made one mistake. There was an infant that she evidently forgot about. This infant, named Joash, was hidden, cared for, and raised in the temple of the LORD.

Athaliah was oblivious to the whole thing because evidently she never went to the temple of the LORD. When Joash turned seven, the priest put together the plan to make Joash, at just seven years old, king. When Athaliah hears the trumpets and sees there is a new king, she is angry and yells. Traitors! Traitors! Athaliah schemed and plotted, killed the entire royal family (she thought) and is fine with that. And yet, when she is foiled in her plan and realizes she has been tricked, she is appalled. How dare they? How dare she?! Incredible. Isn't it amazing that people who behave like Athaliah have no problem with their own selfish actions, but let someone stand up to them and they scream bloody murder at being "betrayed."

Joash did what was right as long as the priest Jehoiada was alive. He used the money in the temple to repair the temple. The workers were trustworthy and honest. They were respected because of that and their integrity was not questioned. But there was a problem. "Joash did what the LORD said was right as long as Jehoiada the priest taught him."  Oh the importance of knowing God's Word ourselves. If we are only "taught" by others it isn't "our" belief. It is the belief of someone else, and it won't stick with us. We must go to the LORD ourselves and be taught by Him. 

Joash was given a copy of the agreement but then it was "lost" in the Temple and not found until almost 200 years later.  See II Kings 22.


Next Entry: The Book

II Kings 10:1–36

September 10, 2010

God continues to use Jehu to fulfill his promise that all of Ahab's family would be destroyed. All 70 of Ahab's sons were killed along with all of his leading men, close friends, and priests. II Kings 10:11 - "No one who helped Ahab was left alive." II Kings 10:10 - "The LORD has spoken through his servant Elijah, and the LORD has done what he said." Ahaziah (who was the king of Judah and a friend of Ahab) was killed when Ahab's son Joram was killed and his family was killed as well. Then Jehu continued to Samaria and all of Ahab's family living there were destroyed. II Kings 10:17 - "He destroyed all those who were left, just as the LORD had told Elijah it would happen."

God's word is true. All of it! The good (blessings) and the bad (curses/consequences). God is God, and He demands our respect and total allegiance. He is either God of everything or He isn't God. God is love.  But, His love is two sided. We (as people) prefer to focus on and think about only the one side—His blessings. We try to ignore or not think about the other side—His discipline. Discipline → disciple. Look at how close those words are. The purpose of God's discipline is to make disciples. Ahab refused to become a disciple, but think about how the effect of watching what happened to him would have strengthened the faith of others.

Then Jehu gathered all the believers of Baal together and they were destroyed. All of them. Then they tore down the pillars and temple of Baal and the area was made into a sewage pit. Baal, the god of prosperity and wealth was now a sewage pit. Worthless. Exposed for what is was—sewage. 


Next Entry: II Kings 11:1 – 12:21

II Kings 8:16 – 9:37

September 9, 2010

When God promises something it comes true. It may be years later.  It may come in ways you couldn't possibly imagine. But it WILL come true. I've said this many times before: When God say "I will" it is past tense; it will be done.

I Kings 21 - Ahab wants Naboth's vineyard. Jezebel plots against Naboth and has him killed. God sends word to Ahab that his blood will be licked up by dogs in the exact area where Naboth's blood was shed. It happened exactly as God said in I Kings 22:38. Because of all the evil Ahab and Jezebel had done, God promised (in I Kings 21:21-23) to destroy all of Ahab's family and that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs. Now, here we are in II Kings 9, many years later, and God is fulfilling His promise.

Jehu was sent to kill Joram the son of Ahab. When Joram asked him if he had come in peace Jehu replied that there can never be peace as long as the evil of Jezebel continues. Jehu shot Joram with an arrow and he died. Where was the exact spot this happened? Naboth's land. Coincidence? Absolutely not. Ahab's blood was licked up in the exact same spot where Naboth's blood was shed. Now years later, Ahab's son Joram is killed on the very land Ahab and Jezebel took from Naboth.

Jehu continues on to pursue Jezebel. She knows he's coming, and what does she do? She puts on her make-up and fixes her hair. Incredible. Jezebel is so full of pride, that even when she knows she is going to die; she doesn't repent. She puts on her make up and fixes her hair. Stubborn, arrogant, vain, prideful, determined to be her own boss to the very end.

Jehu gets to the palace. Jezebel looks out the window. Jehu yells, "Who is with me? Who?" and from within the palace two servants look at him and then follow his command and they throw Jezebel out of the window to her death. Jehu goes inside the palace. He tells someone to go bury Jezebel since she was a king's daughter. They go out to get the body and all that is left is her skull, hands, and feet. She had already been eaten by dogs, just as the LORD had said.

All that was left of Jezebel? Her skull, hands, and feet. The skull—where the evil began. Her hands and feet—what carried out the evil. Symbols of the evil Jezebel did. The rest? Literally crapped out of the dogs, manure on the ground. Jezebel fixed her hair and did her make up and now she is nothing more than manure on the ground.

Just as the LORD had said. 


Next Entry: II Kings 10:1–36

II Kings 6:8 – 8:15 (Continued)

September 08, 2010

Oh, how we grieve God when our hearts don't change. The king of Aram is sick. He sends an officer to ask Elisha to ask God if he will recover. Elisha replied, "He will recover," but the LORD has told me he will really die. The officer and Elisha looked at each other. Elisha could see what this officer was going to do and he began to cry. He knew that this man standing in front of him was going to kill the king and was going to do evil to the Israelites, and Elisha cried. Oh, how God must grieve when He knows our hearts and He knows the choices we will make.

The king's officer was shocked that Elisha could say he was going to act that way but he left that meeting and killed the king. All of what Elisha said became true.

The words, "In the presence of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of Peace. Troubles vanish, hearts are mended in the presence of the King" keep running through my mind this morning.

In the Presence of Jehovah

"In and out of situations that tug of war at me, all day long I struggle for the answers that I need. But when I come into His presence, all my questions become clear, and in that moment no doubts interfere.

In the presence of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of Peace. Troubles vanish, hearts are mended, in the presence of the King.

Through His love the LORD provided, a place for us to rest. A place to find the answers in our hour of distress. Now there's never any reason for you to give up in despair. Just slip away and breathe His name, you will surely find him there. 

In the presence of Jehovah, God Almighty, Prince of Peace. Troubles vanish, hearts are mended, in the presence of the King."

As I was writing yesterday the winds were gusting up to 40 mph. It was literally howling through the trees as I sat outside on the porch writing. I would occasionally stop and be amazed by the power of the wind. I couldn't help but think of how God created the wind, and the forces of a hurricane are nothing compared to God's power. Nothing! We may be in the midst of a storm, but God created the wind and has control over it. We can trust HIM with confidence. We cannot even begin to fathom the power of God.  


Next Entry: II Kings 8:16 – 9:37

II Kings 6:8 – 8:15 (Continued)

September 07, 2010

Elisha prays for God to make the Arameans blind, and that's what God did. They were led into a trap and they had no idea. Israel could have easily destroyed them, but they instead showed them mercy. The Arameans left and for a while left Israel alone. But, if there hasn't been a heart change, then the evil intents do not go away and the same actions resurface.

Once again the king of Aram attacked Israel. He held them under siege. They were starving. The king of Israel was distraught. He blamed all their problems on Elisha and once again sought to have him killed. God again warned Elisha of the impending danger. Elisha tells the king, by this time tomorrow there will be so much food that it will cost almost nothing. The king's officer scoffed at the absurdity of it. They were starving. A donkey's head or even pigeon dung was expensive. Why, even if God opened the windows of heaven it was impossible that by tomorrow there would be plenty. Elisha told him he would live to see it, but not eat it. 

There were four men with a skin disease sitting outside the gate. The people inside the gate were starving. How were they going to survive? They decided to go down to the enemy camp. What was the worst that could happen? Death? They were already dying, so down they went. To their surprise no one was there. God had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a large army, so they got up and ran away leaving everything behind. The four men couldn't believe their eyes. They ate. They drank. They took some of the valuables. Then they realized that what they were doing was wrong because the people in the city were still starving. So they went back and told the king the good news. At first he thought it was a trap; a ploy by the Aramenas to ambush them. After confirming that it was not a trap, the people of the city went to the enemies camp and recovered what they needed. The king's officer who didn't believe it could happen was trampled to death in the rush. He lived to see it but didn't get any of it, just as Elisha/the LORD had said. 

Elisha sent the Shunammite woman (the one who gave him a place to stay and then Elisha raised her son from the dead) away because there was going to be a famine for seven years. She did as Elisha said. After the famine she returned and went to the king to beg for her land back. It just so happened that the king was being told at the exact same time about how Elisha raised her son from the dead. The king not only gave the Shunammite woman her property back, but he also gave her the money the land had made from the time she left until the time she returned.

Do we dare? Do we dare even think about the possibility of being restored? Do we dare ask? How in the world would that be possible? The Israelites were under siege. They were starving. They were at the end of their ropes, and God provided in a miraculous way. The Shunammite woman did what God said—walk away from what you own—and when she returned God prepared a way for her to not only get her land back but to also be paid for what the land had made while she was away obeying what God said to do.

Dare we ask?

God, you know. You know what "the storm" has taken from us. You know. You know, God. You know that we have done everything You have asked us to do. You know our hearts. You know our desire is to serve You and You alone. LORD, I come boldly before you right now and ask that You restore to us what "the storm" has taken. LORD, I know what I am asking is humanly impossible. I know that man cannot do it. But LORD, You can. And I ask that You would do it in a way that only You can get the glory for it. We are nothing without You, LORD, and we desire nothing but You. Restore us we pray. I'm going out on a limb. Only You, God. Only You can restore us.

God, I would be so remiss if I only talked about what "the storm" has taken from us, because God, You have given us so much. We have seen Your hand working in our lives. There is no more precious gift than that. "The storm" has actually been a gift to us. We have seen You provide protection for us before we knew we needed protection. We can see how You have laid out the plans for our lives years before in preparation for events we had no idea were coming. We have seen our children grow closer to you. You have provided many, many opportunities to tell others of what You have done. You've encouraged us, and others, by Your faithfulness. Our understanding of who You are has been deepened exponentially and yet the more we understand the more we realize we don't know. And Jane—we are so grateful for Jane. (Her Name Was Jane) LORD, You have already done so much. That is why I say, dare we ask? I don't want to appear ungrateful. You have already given us more than we could have ever imagined. I don't want to appear selfish. This isn't about us. Never has been. Never will be. If it's Your will, please restore us. If not, our hearts will still choose to say: Blessed be the name of the LORD.

Addendum: 5/14/14 ~ Okay, tears are filling my eyes. I'm so grateful for this journal. It is good for me to read and be reminded of where we have been on this path that God has us on and also to be reminded that as long as we remain in Him we are safe as we continue on the path that lies before us. I don't think anyone can imagine the courage it took to ask God to restore us back in 2010. It takes courage now as well. We trust HIM. He is in control. Our help comes from the LORD.   

My prayer today remains the same as the prayer I wrote in 2010. It is still our belief. So, here it is again:
 
God, You know. You know what "the storm" has taken from us. You know. You know, God. You know that we have done everything You have asked us to do. You know our hearts. You know our desire is to serve You and You alone. LORD, I come boldly before You right now and ask that You restore to us what "the storm" has taken. LORD, I know what I am asking is humanly impossible. I know that man cannot do it. But LORD, You can. And I ask that You would do it in a way that only You can get the glory for it. We are nothing without You, LORD, and we desire nothing but You. Restore us we pray. I'm going out on a limb. Only You, God. Only You can restore us.

God, I would be so remiss if I only talked about what was taken from us, because God, You have given us so much. We have seen Your hand working in our lives. There is no more precious gift than that. "The storm" has actually been a gift to us. We have seen You provide protection for us before we knew we needed protection. We can see how You have laid out the plans for our lives years before in preparation for events we had no idea were coming. We have seen our children grow closer to You. You have provided many, many opportunities to tell others of what You have done. You've encouraged us, and others, by Your faithfulness. Our understanding of who You are has been deepened exponentially and yet the more we understand the more we realize we don't know. And Jane—we are so grateful for Jane. LORD, You have already done so much. That is why I say, dare we ask? I don't want to appear ungrateful. You have already given us more than we could have ever imagined. I don't want to appear selfish. This isn't about us. Never has been. Never will be. If it's Your will, please restore us. If not, our hearts will still choose to say: Blessed be the name of the LORD.

Amen and AMEN!!

Addendum #2: April 2015 Update ~ Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow. Out of the clear blue sky we were just awarded a job larger than any other job we have ever done. So large that this one single job will probably end up being more than double of what our company normally grosses in a years time. We knew nothing about this job and did not go out and seek it. It was literally just given to us. Just an unexpected phone call to say it was ours. Besides this extremely large job, SO many other jobs have been coming in that last night when another job offer came my husband and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing. This is SO not about us and is ALL about God. He is SO faithful. It looked impossible, but GOD is restoring. Amazing, just amazing. Blessed be the name of the LORD God All-Mighty!! 


Next Entry: II Kings 6:8 – 8:15 (Continued)

II Kings 6:8 – 8:15

September 06, 2010

The king of Aram is at war again with Israel. He can't understand why all of his best laid plans keep getting thwarted. God was revealing Aram's plans to Elisha, and Elisha passed on what God revealed. Aram wanted Elisha dead. He sent his armies to find and destroy Elisha. When Elisha's servant saw the size and strength of the army he was frightened. Then Elisha said, "Don't be afraid.  The army that fights for us is larger than the one against us." (See Cross Reference I John 4:4) Then he asked God to open his servant's eyes so he could see, and there on the hillsides surrounding them, was the army of the LORD standing ready to protect them.

There is just no way we would be able to survive "the storm" if the army of the LORD wasn't surrounding us, protecting us and fighting for us. No way! On my last regular visit to Jane (Her Name Was Jane), on the day she said to read Jeremiah 33, I prayed that like in the days of Elisha of old, she would be able to see the angels of the LORD surrounding her and that they would be a comfort to her. I absolutely believe she saw them as she finished her travels here on earth. Just a few days before she died she kept lifting her hands towards the heavens and saying, "Up." She would look at my husband and point upward as if to say, "Do you see? Do you see? Up!  Up!"

No way—absolutely no way—would we still be surviving if not for God and His heavenly army.  Thank you, LORD!


Next Entry: II Kings 6:8 – 8:15 (Continued)

II Kings 5:1 – 6:7

September 03, 2010

Naaman has leprosy. He is a commander in the army of the king of Aram. He was well respected because the LORD used him to bring victory to Aram against Israel. (The Arameans were the ones who fought Israel and killed King Ahab.) The Arameans captured a young Israeli girl and she was the servant for Naaman's wife. She tells them about Elisha and that he could heal Naaman's leprosy. The faith of a child. The king of Aram (who had battled against Israel and won) writes a letter to the king of Israel saying, "I'm sending my commander to you so you can heal him." The king of Israel is frightened. Am I God? How can I heal him? The king of Aram must be trying to set me up and provoke another war.

Elisha hears about it and steps in—send Naaman to me. So Naaman and his men went to Elisha's home and they stood outside the door. Elisha sent a messenger out to tell him what to do; dip in the Jordan seven times. Naaman is ticked. He feels insulted. He wasn't invited in and Elisha didn't even come out. And... the Jordan? Why the Jordan? Why not one of his own rivers? Dip in a river?? Surely it would be something more elaborate than that. He expected Elisha himself to come out and perform some sort of grandiose ceremony. Instead, a simple dipping in the Jordan River seven times?

Naaman was angry and left. His servants said—Look, if Elisha would have asked you to do some big difficult thing you would have done it! Why not try what he said? He said, "wash and be clean." So, Naaman went to the river. One time—nothing. Two times—nothing. Three times—nothing. Four times—no. Five times—no. Six times—no. Seven times—CLEAN!! Was he fearful, angry, humiliated and anxious as he dipped those one through six times? Did he doubt? The miracle of it all! Both the process and the result proved to Naaman that there was a God and it was the LORD of Israel. 

He wanted to pay Elisha, to give him a gift as a thank you. But Elisha refused. Elisha understood that this was about God, not him. He sent Naaman on his way. Naaman was a changed man both physically and spiritually.

Written in the margins of my Bible: God sometimes uses the ordinary to accomplish the extra-ordinary. 

Then Gehazi, Elisha's servant (who had been with Elisha and witnessed the amazing thing Elisha/God had done), decided since Naaman had brought all these gifts, why shouldn't he have some of it? So, he pursued Naaman. Naaman stops to see if anything is wrong, then Gehazi uses God to get what he wanted. He lies, and says some young men from a group of prophets just came and Elisha wanted to give them some of what Naaman offered. Naaman gladly hands over more than Gehazi requested, and Gehazi kept it for himself. Greed. How did he think he would get away with it? His desire was worth more to him than the risk. He was sure no one would know. The desire turned into lies and deceit. Gehazi knew God was with Elisha. He saw the miracles. Yet "he" was more important than anything else and he uses God as an excuse to get what he wanted.

When Gehazi gets back Elisha asks him, "Where have you been?" Gehazi lies and says, nowhere. What made him (and people today) think that he (and we as humans) can hide things from God? And, escape the consequences? Gehazi, and his children, were given Naaman's skin disease—forever.

Addendum:  5/13/14 -  Oh, the importance of understanding that you cannot fool God. You may be able to (at least for a time) fool others, but you can NEVER—even for a millisecond—fool God. Accountability does happen. 


Next Entry: II Kings 6:8 – 8:15 

II KIngs 4:1–44

September 2, 2010

The question: How can I help you?

The answer: What do you have?

A widow lady, at the end of her rope, goes to Elisha. Her husband, a faithful loyal follower of God is dead. Her husband owed money to someone and that person showed no mercy to the widow. Instead, he threatened to take the only thing she had left—her two sons. She pleaded her case to Elisha, and Elisha asked her, "How can I help you? What do you have?" All she had was a pot of oil. So, Elisha tells her to gather as many empty pots from her neighbors as she could. Then she was to go into her house and close the door. Elisha told her to pour her oil into the jars, and set the full ones aside. The little oil she had filled ALL the jars. Elisha told her to sell the oil, pay her debts and live on the leftovers.

"How can I help you? What do you have?" Like the widow, we need to seek God's help. He wants to help us! We need to ask. God's help usually involves something we already have. The oil, in the widow's power and strength, wasn't going to do her much good. But the same oil, with God's power and strength, was abundantly more than she could have imagined. If we try and save ourselves with our own strength, forget it. But when what we have is surrendered to God? WOW!  There is no limit. Isaiah 30 - "...the LORD longs to show compassion..." 

God, we need your help in navigating "the storm." We ask for YOUR help. Show us what YOU want us to do. Bless us we pray. 

Elisha and the Shunammite woman. The Shunammite woman was an important woman. She realized Elisha was a man of God and she went out of her way to extend to him her home and food. She even built an addition onto her home so he could have a comfortable place to stay. She was an important woman. She didn't need to open her home. She obviously was a mercy giver, thinking of others more than herself. She had no children. She had nothing to gain. She did what was right, just because it was the right thing to do.

"What can I do for you?" Sounds a lot like what Elisha asked the widow. ("How can I help you"?) She had done everything without expecting anything in return. When asked, she asked for nothing. Elisha's servant told Elisha she had no sons  Elisha told her she would have a child. She was dumbfounded. Was Elisha joking? This was a deep hurt in her life, and they were now old. The Shunammite women was thinking, "Please don't joke about something so hurtful." It wasn't a joke, and a year later she had a son.

Years pass. Her son becomes sick, and he dies. The Shunammite woman prepares to go find Elisha. When her husband questions her she says, "It will be alright."

Elisha sees her coming and sends his servant to meet her to ask, "Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is the boy all right?" Her reply? "Everything is all right." She went to Elisha and grabbed his feet, "Master, did I ask you for a son? Didn't I tell you not to lie to me?" Elisha immediately prepared to send his walking stick with his servant to lay on the boy. The Shunammite woman then said the exact same thing Elisha said to Elijah, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I won't leave you." Elisha left with the woman. He entered the child's room, prayed to the LORD, and the boy was healed.

The widow woman sought help to save her two sons from their debtor, "How can I help you?" God provided. The Shunammite had no children and was not seeking help. She was just doing the right thing, "What can I do for you?" Then Elisha/God blessed her socks off. Later when her son dies she responds that everything will be all right. She seeks Elisha. She says I never asked for this blessing. Are you taking what you have given away? Then, the statement, "I won't leave you." No anger. Just the truth, just the facts. I didn't ask. You gave. I'm committed.

God want us to ask Him for our needs. He also wants us to be happy with what we do or do not have and do the right thing just for the sake of doing the right thing. He notices and He blesses. And even if there are bumps in the road, He wants us to be committed. He will honor our commitment.

Elisha performed other miracles as well. He cared for the prophets, sustaining them even during hunger and food shortages. He relied on God. If the LORD said it, then he believed it. And the LORD provided.


Next Entry: II Kings 5:1 – 6:7