"...may the LORD pardon me when I bow, too."
2 Kings 5:18
2 Kings 5:18
My Take Aways
Something Old:
Sometimes our prayers are answered in surprisingly and unexpected ways. I love surprises! I need to relax and allow God to surprise me.
Something New:
2 Kings 16:13-16
I wonder how often God surrounds me with an army. I have to say, the thought of this thrills me!
Something to Do:
Examine who I am bowing to. To what am I submitting and revering more than my God. Be willing to remove them and bow to, revere, and submit to only Him.
22 Comments:
Good morning, GIGs,
Oh, my friends, how would we get through our days without the Lord? Praising Him for his mighty power to soothe, heal, and continually refill our jugs.
I have a prayer request for today, for the mother of the young teacher with whom I work. This teacher is the one who has had a very difficult year due to student behavior problems, and now her mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer, one year after her husband left her. Today she will undergo a double mastectomy. I would truly appreciate prayers for this woman, whose name is Ann, and her daughter, Allyson. They live together and are very close. Thank you, mighty prayer warriors.
Prays for all requests, especially Betty, Ron and Evelyn, as the family brings hospice in to assist Evelyn.
Peace and Gratitude,
Michelle in New England
I just got done typing a long post and I lost it :( I know some of you have been having trouble too. I hope I can redo some of it later.
Quick points for me were 2 Kings 6:16-17 and 2 Kings 7:2, 16-20.
My To-Do drawing on both these passages is to realize that God is in control. Things may seem impossible, situations may seem overwhelming but God performs miracles. He is with me, I just need to believe Him!
For those of you that might not watch Survivor, I found a clip of Leslie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGiw4RJVrcA
It is awesome what she did and how she stood up for Christ even at the risk of ridicule.
Wendy, I do love that song you posted and my prayer group and I used that as our theme song recently for one of our fast days. That is the cry of our hearts that we will be a generation that truly seeks HIS face!
Have a blessed day everyone!
Brandee, TN
PS VBS is going so well! My husband is doing a great job as the superhero :) God is tilling up the soil of his heart right before my eyes. I could not sleep last night thinking of what is going on. I am praising Him with all I have this morning.
Michelle, SAP for Ann and Allyson.
The story of the axehead spoke to me that God cares about even our smallest problems; that we need to take all our cares, troubles, praises to Him, not just the big things.
When I read the verse "may the Lord pardon me when I bow, too", it reminded me that the Lord knows our heart. There are times we may do things that other Christians question, but God knows our heart.
SAP for Ann and Allyson, a praise and continued prayer for the "superhero". Love how our Father works.
Have a great hump day!
Gaylene
Good morning everyone,
Michelle, I SAP for Ann and Allyson as well.
Brandee, praying that your husband will meet his SuperHero shortly!
I am reading a book entitled "Pray Big" by Will Davis Jr. His comments on floating axe head story are these:
"This story doesn't just confirm that Elisha was a prophet of the highest order; it also shows us where God's priorities lie. Simply stated, God's priority is you. He created you, loves you, and has a plan for you. When something breaks your heart - large or small-it isn't going to escapes God's attention. God included this story in his Word so that we'd be encouraged to bring every need we have to him, not just those that seem destined to make kingdom headlines. In short, God wants you to talk to him about everything..."
Just thought I'd share that.
I smiled at the thought of Wendy going to the pool. I did get sunburnt yesterday, but today I am reaching for a warm sweater! I cannot bring myself to put on the heat today as it is June.
Have a great day everyone,
Franny
Mid Week – and another good day in His Word, GIG! Welcome to ANOTHER Texan – Stephanie! I loved what you said about our group: “beautiful sanctuary that the Lord has personally ushered you into.” Yes, dear sister this is where he desires you to be! We are so happy you’ve joined us!
So many of us have prayers that we daily lift up to God. I love thinking about what Oswald said, “allowing God to surprise us in His ways.” Just lifting them up and letting go. Resting in His peace knowing, trusting and believing – after all He is God! Just like you said Wendy, in today’s reading, God’s ways are never what we quite had in mind! Better, though! Always. Only god knows about what is good for us, only God can see our tomorrows and know the whole situation.
Today, when I read about the lepers saying, “This is a day of good news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the people…” (2 Kings 7:9). I could not help but think about the treasures I know! The good News of Christ! I desire my Father’s heart. He so desires that we seek those who are lost. That we reach out to those who are not following Him. Devoted (Jennifer Renee you talked about this word yesterday and it is on my mind now still) to furthering God’s kingdom. Using my God-given gifts to serve with love and compassion! Daily, do I take advantage of sharing His love – oh, I don’t want to put it off till tomorrow, for tomorrow, calamity may strike! May I live out His purpose for me: To further His Kingdom and share love while giving Him all of the glory.
Lord, help me not to miss those golden opportunities to share your goodness with those around me. Help me not be too busy to over-look a situation that You have placed right in front of me. Thank you for your army of angels that protect me when I am not even aware of it. Thank you for your Holy Spirit that guides me along. Thank you for your Word - may it be more alive and active in me today! Thank you for ushering each one of us here to study your Word together with. I know you’ve bent down and listened to each prayer request. Thank you that You always hear us. May your perfect will be done. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Blessings dear beloved friends! Lori
PS Michelle, thinking about you today. SAP for your little Allyson student & her mom Ann.
Brandee looking forward to God surprising us with how He decides to save John! He is busy working in your husband – the day is getting closer to His perfect timing! Thank you Father for arranging this opportunity for John to be around your Believers this week at VBS.
Good Morning,
Praying for needs of all. May our might God give peace & wisdom to all to get through the difficult times.
Wendy, the commentary in my Life Application Bible on 2Kings 6:1-6, is 'The incident of the floating ax-head is recorded to show God's care & provision for those who trust him, even in the insignificant events of everyday life. He is always present. Placed between the healing of a Syrian general & the deliverance of Israel's army, this miracle shows Elisha's personal contact with the students who were learning to be prophets. Although he had the respect of kings, Elisha never forgot to care for the faithful. Don't let the importance of work drive out your concern for human need.'
Enjoy this day the Lord has made!
Blessings & Peace, Mary
Michelle, SAP for Ann and Allyson. May they both cling to Jesus and realize that just like in today's reading, God has angels around us to protect and comfort us.
Wendy,
Here's another take on the axe head from Jon Courson:
"One of the men found himself in a predicament. While he was doing the work of the ministry, the axe head he was using fell in the Jordan River. The axe head in this story is a symbol, a picture of the cutting edge of power, of effectiveness. It speaks of the Holy Spirit.
"The only way we'll ever build anything - be it ministry or marriage, families or friendship - is if we build in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist declares that those who build apart from the Lord labor in vain (127:1). You can follow every principle of marriage, parenting and ministry and still fail if you are not doing it in the power of the Holy Ghost, for it is "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit saith the Lord (Zech 4:6).
2 Kings 6:5b...and he cried, Alas master...it was borrowed."
"It was borrowed. Always remember that. The power upon your life is not your own. If you begin to think that the effectiveness of your ministry or the success of your marriage is because of who you are, one day you will wake up like Samson and stand to do battle, only to find, as he did, that the Spirit of the Lord has departed (Judges 10:20).
"How did the man lose his axe head? He lost it in the process of service. He was trying to do what was right but he became careless. You see, an axe head does not fall off suddenly. It becomes loose slowly.
"At this point all the young man had was a wooden axe handle. Wood in Scripture is symbolic of the flesh (1 Cor 3:12). Here's a young man, doing the work of the ministry and suddenly the power is gone, leaving him nothing but the wooden handle of the flesh. To his credit, he didn't say "So what if the axe head is gone. Who cares if the power has departed? I'll just use this handle." That would have been ridiculous. And yet what do we do? So often, the cutting edge is gone, the power lost, yet we keep on ministering eventhough the anointing is not there.
"This man said, "Alas master." That is always the first step to reclaiming the cutting edge. Open and honest confession that you're not on the cutting edge like you once were is always the place where restoration begins." (Jon Courson, Applications Commentary, OT vol. 1, page 1041)
The part that spoke to me is 2 Kings 6:16 "Lord, open his eyes." (I pray this prayer for our unsaved loved ones and wayward children. Open their eyes, Lord, so they will see that where they are headed is destruction. Open their eyes so they will see You are waiting with open arms. Open their eyes so they will see beyond their circumstances. Open their eyes so they will see You are the only One who can fill their need.)
"Elisha prayed. And when his servant's eyes were fully open, he not only saw the problem but he saw the solution. That is, he saw that the enemy that surrounded him was itself surrounded by angels and chariots far more powerful than any earthly army." (ibid.)
Have a blessed day everyone!
This morning's reading reminded me of the second phase of a Christian retreat I attended last year. Both phases involved a day of fasting and walking with the Lord, not speaking at all, but rather waiting for Him to speak. My first fast day was filled with mountaintop moments and beautiful almost supernatural movements of God. I went into the second fast day (a few years later) filled with those same expectations, but had a very different experience which left me feeling underwhelmed, disappointed, and ultimately questioning God's presence and faithfulness. Naaman's story of expectation, letdown and anger brought me right back to that place again, and God reminded me of what He taught me that day.
Walking with God is not about high emotion, drama and miracles all the time. Much of how He reveals Himself and works in my life is through simple, daily obedience and normal life-living. I need to be just as thankful and blessed by the simple, ordinary days and look for how God is meeting me in those days, as I am by the powerful earth-shattering days. God is just as present and faithful in both.
This was a precious reminder to me as I start this journey with all of you. Yesterday, my first day, was very emotional and touching for me. I can get addicted often sometimes to the "high." When the going gets "ordinary," that's when I tend to get frustrated and lose my excitement. Praise God for reminding me that He already knows my thoughts and wants to caution me early on that both of those types of days await...and that He is excited to speak to me in all of them! :-)
Had to laugh, because I could just hear Naaman's thoughts in modern-day: "Are you kidding me? I shower all the time at home. Are you seriously telling me that God says check into the Motel 6 and hop in their shower seven times and you will be clean?!?!? I mean, not even the Hilton's shower, or the Renaissance Tower's shower...The Motel 6 shower!?!?!?
Love to all,
Stephanie
Lori - Thank you for your sweet welcome. My dear personal friend Lyn has been participating in this Bible study for a while and thinks very highly of you. After reading your comments yesterday and today, I can see why. You have a very sweet spirit and much wisdom. Thank you for sharing your heart here!
Prayers for Anne and Allyson. I have taught school for the past 7 years and this year was so rough with behavior problems, so I empathize greatly. I am thankful God has called me home to rest and receive our first child (a baby girl, Kailyn, to be born in August). I pray Allyson finds peace and rest and that Anne is comforted through this trial.
Brandee - how awesome what the Lord is doing in the life of your husband. To encourage you, I directed a skit with a group of high school students while I was in college. God told me to give the role of Jesus to the most hardened and detached male student in the group. I was like, "God are you sure?" Of course -- He was. I watched in amazement as the simple action transformed this young man's whole persona. I love theatre and God definitely uses it powerfully! :-)
Thanks, all, for commenting on the axe head. Very interesting. My question was about the story where the women cooked and ate the one son and then didn't do the same for the other son. The next thing I knew, the king was talking about separating Elisha's head from his shoulders. ??? Anyone have some wisdom (or just some cliff notes) on that story???
Michelle - Praying for Allyson and Ann. What a tough battle for both mother and daughter. Praying that they become even closer than ever to Jesus and cling to him throughout this trial.
Jacque - Your beautiful words about your sister yesterday moved me to tears. Wow. Thank you for sharing.
I pray that you all have a blessed day today.
Kate in VA
Thanks Brandee for the Survivor link about Leslie...I have never watched the show, but will go to the link later.
Michelle, praying for Ann and Allyson.
G&P took many notes on the ax head from the Courson commentary. Thanks, it really "Opened my eyes"! Never thought of it in that light.
Lori, I also applied the "good new" to the gospel of Jesus Christ and His great commission to "Go and Tell".
Wendy, I also am examining myself to see who and what I bow down to. May I each day be submissive to my Lord and wait on Him to lead the way. I may not have tomorrow so what is done in His Name today is what is important.
Brandee, your husband's willingness to play this part is drawing him to the true Superhero. Praise God that His ways are always full of surprises!
Blessings today to all. Elizabeth, what about your job? Anything yet?
Love ya'll,
Teeny
GM all and to Stephanie fellow Texan, and fellow friend to Lyn (ok Lyn tell me what else is going on.)
Your thoughts about wanting all experiences of God's closeness touched me. I am truly trying to "be STILL and know that I am God" I am not good about being still. So this will be a life long battle.
My question in my mind today is, does Elisha know how many pages it takes for us to read about how God worked through him? Or was he so humble that he only wished he could do all that his mentor Elijah did. God performed so many miracles through Elisha, wow - I would have loved to have been there listening to it all. And how could Gehazi behave the way he did. Could he have been so greedy that he didn't consider that Elisha would KNOW exactly what he was going if God had wanted him to? And that God would have wanted Elisha to know. How blind we can be in our own experiences and yet it is so clear when we read about others. God - open our hearts so we can see you clearly and be able to see our own hearts as you do. Lord I want to be able to say in my final days, that I had a heart for YOU like David did. That has to be the greatest compliment.
Donna - TX (Lyn's friend)
Stephanie,Texas, Welcome, welcome, welcome. I look forward to reading more of your posts, and to welcoming Kailyn in August!! Jacque, I wonder how will you draw Stephanie in your prayer art? I echo Lyn sentiments about Lori. Her wisdom and love of the Lord and this fellowship is an enormous blessing to us all!
Brandee, have you posted any pictures of Superhero anywhere {smile}?
Thank you so much for the prayers for Allyson and her mom, Ann. You are all angels!!
Peace and Gratitude,
Michelle in New England
Stephanie, thanks for the encouragement about the young man playing Jesus. I had written more about what has been happening this morning when I lost my post :( My son and I had doctor's appointments and now we are eating lunch and laying down for a nap so we can stay up for VBS tonight. Just know that it is amazing!
Michelle, there are pictures on FB. Are you on FB? If so you can add me as a friend and see them :) I am friends with Wendy on there.
My son and I had a few minutes to spare this morning before going to the doctor so we ran into our church to the alter and prayed again together. I SOOO wish I knew what was going through my husband's head right now, but a close friend told me just to let it alone and not ask.
Welcome, Stephanie!
Praying for Ann and Allyson and Superhro today, as well as others. :-)
What stuck out to me today is just how little I know the Bible and how much I'm learning from reading along here. I grew up in church and would've assumed that I was fairly familiar with it, but ... nope! Ted Dekker is an author of out-there Christian books whose work (especially the older stuff) I enjoy reading, and in today's selection light was shed on two of his books. The verse about the chariots surrounding Elisha mmade me think of the book 'Heaven's Wager,' which is sort of a reverse modern day Job story. Dekker's point seems to be that God will go to any lengths to love us, and a character in the book has had her spiritual eyes opened and often has visions of Heaven's light and angels watching out for us. In the 'Circle' trilogy, Dekker compares our sin with a skin disease that is white and flaky and that can only be healed with daily doses of special water. Seems like in the story of Naaman and Gehazi, sin shows itself in the skin. I keep finding ways that Dekker has tightly woven scripture and stories into his books as we read more. While 'getting' more insight into his books really isn't important, I feel like I'm learning stuff on so many levels - there's something new every day. Today - I guess today's reading made me want to read those books again and see what new OT references I can find. I never thought reading the Old Testament would be so exciting! Thanks for sharing what you're learning with me!
hello from munich germany! I am behind in my reading 2 days but hope to catch up tonite after 2 busy days of activity! 22 hours on a plane or in an airport...not sleeping is tough on a body! I pray for my GIG....from Europe! God hears our prayers everywhere! Just wanted to drop a quick note to my sisters!
Morgen
Hi ladies,
Just a quick post to say I have found these past two days very encouraging. As I have mentioned in the past - I have struggled for many years with chronic pain with unknown cause. I was not good to my body in my early years - playing sports without heed to the many many injuries I was wracking up. Lord forgive my boldness, my recklessness, my lack of concern for Your temple.
The Lord promised me restoration. I will admit that part of my checking out has been because of my frustration around ongoing pain despite all kinds of prayer for the past year and half. But as we know - He never changes, it's only us.
Lord - help me to keep faith until Your promise if fulfilled. Help me to stay open to unexpected avenues of healing.
SAP for Ann and Allyson
Jodie
Michelle, I am lifting up prayers for Ann and Allyson and their journey ahead. I hope her surgery went well today, and that she will be kept comfortable.
Rhonda, thank you so much for the wonderful research on the readings that tie to Elijah's and Elisha's words! I feel our family definitely got double portions of her beautiful spirit, which influences us daily-- we will be forever changed. I need to remember that today, now, may be the only opportunity for me to offer double portions of my gifts to the ones I love. I need to get going!
Kate-- what darling little girls! How is their Grandpa doing?
Hi and welcome Stephanie! Special prayers for your health as you prepare for your precious gift of Kailyn in Aug! Your words today rang so true about the day to day experiences we have, and how we can offer our simple gifts of service. They don't all come with bells and whistles. (Although, you are given total permission to be emotional when you need to, sweet thing!)
Jodie, forgive yourself for what you didn't understand in your youth. Today, you are doing your best, and that is what matters. Stay with us, and hold tight to His promises. Praying for your comfort, and for all of our sisters who are in pain.
In the story about Elisha being offered a gift for the miracle he performed in healing Naaman, I thought about-- what price can we put on a miracle? How much does God charge-- for a new job, healing, freedom from an addiction, reconciliation in a family, peace, love? He asks for nothing but our devotion to Him! Elisha refused to be rewarded because it was ridiculous to think a gift from God can be bought at a price! It was a gift! Jesus paid the ultimate price, a price we could never have been able to afford. If there are miracles in our lives, it is not because we have said enough prayers, or lighted enough candles in church, or donated enough money to a worthy cause. We receive miracles because we believe in and are open to God's love and caring for us. He only wants our gratitude, praise and devotion. Dear Lord, please help me to remember that it is in Your loving abundance that I need to put my trust, and not in my own power, because without You I am truly powerless. I open my hands to whatever miracles You want me to receive. Amen
Blessing and praying for all,
Jacque
Hi Ladies,
There might be a possible job for me. A family who have 1 year old triplets, need a nanny. They live about 3-4 hours north of me. I was told about this in May but I never received a call about it and went on continuing looking for work. Well, I was outside today and a family member of the triplets called and left a message on my machine to see if I would be interested in being a nanny for the children. I called back and left a message for them to call me back.
I love children. When I was a child, my dream was to be a wife and a mother. Unfortunately, I could not bear children. I did babysit for awhile in my home and was the church nursery coordinator for the infants up to 2 years old. It has been quite a while since I have done that.
My prayer request is for the Lord to give me wisdom about this job. The Lord to give me the words to say and what I need to know and to pray about it. How soon do they need someone, etc. I will probably go up there to meet the family and talk with them. I know the mother has some health issues from when she took drugs in the past and sometimes she has to go to bed and can't take care of the triplets. Her husband has missed work to stay home and take care of the children. There are other family members close by who have been helping when they can.
I appreciate your prayers as the Lord guides me if this is the job for me.
Welcome to the group Stephanie from Texas.
Praying for all needs here.
Blessings, Elizabeth
Elizabeth, what exciting news! Dear Lord, we humbly pray with Elizabeth that you will bring her guidance as she pursues this possible opportunity. Please light her path clearly, and bring her confidence and composure as she presents herself and the gifts You have given her to those who are in need of those gifts. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Morgen, thanks for checking in, sweet sister. Happy trails to you!
Peace and Gratitude,
Michelle in New England
Elizabeth, I have been lifting you up in prayer. I will continue to ask the Lord to give you wisdom and direction and to open your eyes so you can clearly see the path He wants you to go. Thanks for keeping us posted.
Kris
Prayers for Ann and Allyson.
Thank You Lord for your healing. I have been sick for the last couple of days and HE has restored my health. Praise you Jesus. Thank you for today and the rest/sleep and recovery that I was able to receive today.
Love, Debra
Hey, GIGs! It's almost 11:00...I need to go to bed, but I had to read your wonderful comments about today's reading...so insightful! Thank you!! SAP for all of those mentioned by name as I go to bed. Stephanie, welcome sweet friend!! Your comments have blessed me.
Wendy, sending you hugs for all that you do!!
Love to all and goodnight!
Susan
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