by George | Dec 3, 2020 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
A Final Request
“And the man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times.””
II Kings 13:19
Elisha is dying. His time is short. Joash the king came to visit him.
“Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!”
II Kings 13:14
Joash is expressing his sorrow over the fact that Elisha, a mighty prophet of God, is sick and is about to die.
Elisha doesn’t focus on himself. He had not retired from being a prophet. Elisha knew that Syria was an enemy of Israel. He instructs Joash:
“And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” So he took himself a bow and some arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. And he said, “Open the east window”; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot”; and he shot. And he said, “The arrow of the LORD’s deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them. ” Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped.”
II Kings 13:15-18
Why did Joash stop after only shooting 3 arrows? David Jeremiah suggests that Joash was not “all in” as far as his commitment is concerned.
You would think that he would have jumped at the chance to see his enemy finally defeated.
Elisha was furious. He told the king that he would only get to strike the enemy 3 times.
Elisha was dying.
This was Elisha’s final request of the king. His dying wish, if you will.
I’ve been a hospice Chaplain for many years.
In hospice, we minister to patients who are dying.
Whatever you do in life, think about this.
Do I use the “Joash” approach, or do I give my all to make their quality of life as good as I can? I may not be able to fulfill all their requests, but I can do something.
by George | Nov 23, 2020 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
Wait On the LORD
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”
Psalms 27:13-14
I went to get blood work done the other morning. Getting there early is my goal, so I can be on time for work. To my dismay, several others got there ahead of me.
I hate to wait!
Honestly, I was going to try and do some writing as I waited, but I find it hard to think when I get frustrated.
It seems 2020 is a year of waiting.
We have had to wait, while sheltering in place, to be able to eat in a restaurant, attend sporting events and go to the movie theater, just to name a few.
We have also been waiting for the end of the of the Corona Virus.
Sometimes it can be discouraging.
The psalmist nearly lost heart, but he believed that he “would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.”
Then the psalmist urges us to wait on the LORD.
He also says to “Be of good courage.”
We could live in fear if we dwell on all the bad things happening around us.
The LORD reminded Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Finally, when we wait on the LORD and take courage in Him, He will strengthen our heart.
Isaiah tells us:
“But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
Remember that “… The joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
So, while we wait on the LORD, continue to pray that the LORD will vanish the Corona Virus.
Keep in mind the psalmist’s hope that he “would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”
A better day is coming.
Don’t be afraid.
He will strengthen us.
May the joy and peace of God be yours today.
by George | Nov 19, 2020 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
Be a “Stretcher Bearer.”
“And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.”
Mark 2:4
He was paralyzed. How was he going to go see Jesus for healing?
The only way to get there would be with the help of his friends.
This would not be an easy task. The paralyzed man was dead weight. He would have to be carried.
So they lift the man on a stretcher, which was possibly a thick blanket.
The Bible doesn’t say how far they had to carry him, but I imagine it was hard work!
Then they get to the house where Jesus is. Standing room only! And, there’s a crowd around the house.
I imagine that the friends were disappointed. But, something made them not give up!
It was the love and compassion they had for their friend. They had to try something “outside the box.” So they climbed up to the roof of the house, pulling their paralyzed friend up to the top probably with ropes. This too was no easy task!
Then they cut into the roof which might have been made of straw and mud. (Luke uses the word tiles.)
G. Campbell Morgan said that original Hebrew text conveys the idea that they tore into the roof. A sense of urgency!
Can you imagine being inside the house listening to Jesus, when the ceiling starts coming apart?
Then, a man is lowered into the room.
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.””
Mark 2:5
It doesn’t say that the reason the man is paralyzed because of sin, but Jesus knows that forgiveness is his greatest
need.
However, Jesus did heal the man of paralysis.
I’m sure the man’s friends were thankful for that. They sure didn’t want to carry him home again!
They… Not just one person. It sure would have been hard if not impossible for one person to carry, climb up to the roof and lower their paralytic friend to where Jesus was.
So, the question is. Who can we be a “stretcher bearer” for today? We can work together to help those who are weak.
Paul tells us to:
“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.”
I Thessalonians 5:14
May God grant us the discernment to determine who needs our help today and may we work together to help them.
