I've challenged myself to start memorizing scripture again, and this time stick with it! The first passage I'm memorizing is Psalms 23. I love how this psalm personalizes God. It shows His direct leadership, protection, and blessings in our single little life. God as a personal God has been resounding through my readings. My chapters in 2 Kings have been filled with stories of God working through Elisha in individuals that God chooses to bless. 2 Kings Chapter 4 starts out with Elisha and the widow of a prophet of God. In this first story in the chapter this woman who is never named is provided for by God with oil that she can sell and get out of debt and provide for her son. Its just a simple story that involves three people; Elisha, a widow, her son. The next story is about a wealthy Shunammite woman who provides food and a place to stay for Elisha. She does not do this for a reward but out of the generosity of her heart (which speaks to the blessings of wealth God has given her) even when Elisha asks what she wants she makes no request. Elisha is the one who asks his servant for an idea. His servant is the one who notices she has no son. So Elisha promises her the miracle of a son from God even in her husbands old age. There is a miracle provided for a woman who was just showing her love for God by being generous. The story doesn't end there. After the boy is grown he complains of a headache, and a short while later he is dead. The woman goes to Elisha and he sees that she is in bitter distress. When he find out he is dead he goes straight way to the boy. He first sends hisser vent ahead of him to lay his staff on him, but nothing happens. Then when he arrives he gets alone with the boy and prays to the Lord. He then stretches himself over the boy twice and the boy comes alive. Here, a story of a miracle for this small family. The next story Elisha is with sons of prophets and they make a stew only to find out they have put something in it poison. Elisha threw flour in the stew and it was fine after that and they were able to not only eat it but then feed it to a group of a hundred men and have some leftover! Another one in chapter six is of the sons of the preheats chopping wood to build. One accidentally loses his axe head into the water and is in distress because he borrowed it. When Elisha hears about it he puts a stick in the water and the axe head comes up!
Here I kept reading of God working blessings in individuals lives. These stories aren't about Elisha's miracles, but God's miracles through him. I see a God who enjoys blessings. I see a god who personalizes himself to ordinary people living ordinary lives! These stories revolved around the sons of God, people whose lives were for God. God provided food in a time of desperate need, He gave the amazing gift of life (twice!) to a generous woman whose heart was only to give back to God. He restored food and multiplied it to give it back as a gift. He gave a simple axe head back! Such small things from God, to seemingly small people, but great miracles nonetheless that only God could do! This challenged me about my beliefs of God. Have I always seen Him as too big and me too small for Him to help with some of my problems in life? What times in my life have I just let myself be disappointed or given up over something that was too big for me ( like losing an axe head) but would have been something so simple and easy for God! How many times could I have just asked God for His help and He with the loving pleasure of a father God who enjoys blessing His children would have given to me or fixed it. I am challenged to trust God for who He is and invite Him to do more miracles in my life whenever I come across something I can't do that He would love to show off His love and do for me.
Such overwhelming love. How blessed we are to have such a caring shepherd, leader, and father.
Here I kept reading of God working blessings in individuals lives. These stories aren't about Elisha's miracles, but God's miracles through him. I see a God who enjoys blessings. I see a god who personalizes himself to ordinary people living ordinary lives! These stories revolved around the sons of God, people whose lives were for God. God provided food in a time of desperate need, He gave the amazing gift of life (twice!) to a generous woman whose heart was only to give back to God. He restored food and multiplied it to give it back as a gift. He gave a simple axe head back! Such small things from God, to seemingly small people, but great miracles nonetheless that only God could do! This challenged me about my beliefs of God. Have I always seen Him as too big and me too small for Him to help with some of my problems in life? What times in my life have I just let myself be disappointed or given up over something that was too big for me ( like losing an axe head) but would have been something so simple and easy for God! How many times could I have just asked God for His help and He with the loving pleasure of a father God who enjoys blessing His children would have given to me or fixed it. I am challenged to trust God for who He is and invite Him to do more miracles in my life whenever I come across something I can't do that He would love to show off His love and do for me.
Such overwhelming love. How blessed we are to have such a caring shepherd, leader, and father.
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