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Category Archives: 2 Kings

Ephesians 6:10-12

13 Nov

Photo of Northern Lights as observed in Fredericksburg, Texas, by Ron Sutton.

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:10-12

Dear God, there is so much more to this place that what we can see. As I sit in my study right now, there is so much more to this room than what I can see. When I die and some of the mysteries are revealed to me, I am going to be simply blown away. Blown away!

I thought of this yesterday when a friend, Ron Sutton, sent several images he took from outside his home of the Northern Lights that were “visible” from South-Central Texas. I put “visible” in quotes because we couldn’t see any of this with our naked eyes. For Ron, this was only visible with a very slow shutter speed on his camera.

It made me start thinking about everything happening around me right now in the spiritual world that I cannot see. That’s what made me think of this Ephesians passage on spiritual warfare below. Then I went and searched other passages about not being able to see what you see. Here are some examples:

2 Kings 6:12-17

13 “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”

And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” 14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.

15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.

16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

Then there’s this one:

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

And one more for good measure:

Hebrews 11:1-2

11 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.

Father, there is so much happening I cannot see. Whether it is the spiritual warfare going on around me, the plans you have that there is no way I can comprehend them, or simply the little things you are doing to ordain my steps and impact your world through me. There are also bad things I cannot see. I can’t see the devastating impact of my sins upon others. I hate to think about that. I also often miss the pain others are in and how you might be calling me to love them or help them. Help me in all of this, Father. Help me to love others and love you well. And even if I can never see what is around me on this side of life, help me to at least understand there are things I cannot see and to be humble before you in the knowledge that I am simply not as strong, smart, or whatever as I think I am.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on November 13, 2025 in 2 Corinthians, 2 Kings, Ephesians, Hebrews

 

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2 King 5:1-15a

11 Oct

5 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents[b] of silver, six thousand shekels[c] of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”

8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 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.”

11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that 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. 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 turned and went off in a rage.

13 Naaman’s servants 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’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.“

2 Kings 5:1-15a

Dear God, I’m intentionally stopping the story before Naaman offers the gift because I want to sit with the idea of you doing something even greater in our lives by not giving us what we want. In Naaman’s case, he wanted a bit more of a show. Something more grandiose. Something more worthy of his stature. His ego, even in his desperation and need, were getting in his own way. It took some humble servants with courage to watch him and think to themselves, “He’s lost all perspective! Why not just do what he was told to do?” The good news for Naaman is he has a moment of clarity with the servant and accepts the humble path you laid out for him. The ultimate thing that you needed him to learn was that he and his stature weren’t part of the solution at all. It was all about your mercy for him as an individual, loved child. If he had gotten his way, he would have thought somewhere in his mind that you healed him because of his stature and power. Instead, you healed him in a quiet, humble way. You leveled him down and he became like anyone else.

I confess, Father, that I do my best to be humble, but I still love to think of myself as special. My wife and I have this joke where sometimes when she gives me a compliment I say, “I know, right?” It’s a joke…but is it? When she says the nice things, they are at least something I hope is true. I want to be whatever it is she says I am. Smart. Kind. Loving. Handsome. I guess I would love to believe that these things are really true. But why? Why do I want/need those things to be true? Probably because I do want people to admire me and be impressed by me. I want them to see me and not you. And it’s so ridiculous that I want this. What good does it do anyone if I am lifted up? But if you are lifted up through me then it can do all kinds of people good.

Father, if I suffer a setback, help me to simply lean into it as the path you have for me to walk. Help me to encourage others when it’s there path too. I’ve mentioned Christian Men’s Life Skills class a lot. These men had their worst days when they were arrested and charged with felonies. But I’ve talked to several now who have leaned into it and said how grateful they are for the path you put them on through that arrest. It included this class. It included them meeting you through this class. Help me to take that attitude about the path of setbacks and suffering and encourage others when they are experiencing it they can consider it as an opportunity to gratefully walk through the narrow gate.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 11, 2025 in 2 Kings

 

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2 Kings 4:8-37

13 Jul

8 One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat.

9 She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God. 10 Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”

11 One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to this upper room to rest. 12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman from Shunem I want to speak to her.” When she appeared, 13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’”

“No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.”

14 Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?”

Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”

15 “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, 16 “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!”

“No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.”

17 But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.

18 One day when her child was older, he went out to help his father, who was working with the harvesters. 19 Suddenly he cried out, “My head hurts! My head hurts!”

His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him home to his mother.”

20 So the servant took him home, and his mother held him on her lap. But around noontime he died. 21 She carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and left him there. 22 She sent a message to her husband: “Send one of the servants and a donkey so that I can hurry to the man of God and come right back.”

23 “Why go today?” he asked. “It is neither a new moon festival nor a Sabbath.”

But she said, “It will be all right.”

24 So she saddled the donkey and said to the servant, “Hurry! Don’t slow down unless I tell you to.”

25 As she approached the man of God at Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her in the distance. He said to Gehazi, “Look, the woman from Shunem is coming. 26 Run out to meet her and ask her, ‘Is everything all right with you, your husband, and your child?’”

“Yes,” the woman told Gehazi, “everything is fine.”

27 But when she came to the man of God at the mountain, she fell to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is deeply troubled, but the Lord has not told me what it is.”

28 Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? And didn’t I say, ‘Don’t deceive me and get my hopes up’?”

29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready to travel; take my staff and go! Don’t talk to anyone along the way. Go quickly and lay the staff on the child’s face.”

30 But the boy’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I won’t go home unless you go with me.” So Elisha returned with her.

31 Gehazi hurried on ahead and laid the staff on the child’s face, but nothing happened. There was no sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, “The child is still dead.”

32 When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the prophet’s bed. 33 He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he lay down on the child’s body, placing his mouth on the child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes, and his hands on the child’s hands. And as he stretched out on him, the child’s body began to grow warm again! 35 Elisha got up, walked back and forth across the room once, and then stretched himself out again on the child. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!

36 Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. “Call the child’s mother!” he said. And when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son!” 37 She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she took her son in her arms and carried him downstairs.

2 Kings 4:8-37

Dear God, my wife brought this story up to me yesterday, and it’s such a good one. It describes women so well. How much they love their children. What they are willing to do for their children. My wife pointed out to me how willing this woman–albeit a wealthy woman who might have had more courage than a peasant–was to stand up to Elisha and confront him when necessary.

First, she was extremely hospitable to him. She could sense that he was really of you and so she got her husband to build Elisha a special room. I know some women of means, and I can picture them being this compassionate. I can picture them approaching their husbands and saying, “Hey, we need to do this,” and their husbands agreeing.

But then this thing takes on a whole new dimension. The woman carries a great pain and she has it tucked away. There were months and years in her past where she had her hopes up that she would get pregnant, only to be disappointed. It’s a wound she rather keep covered than open and relive. She finally killed her hopes and buried them. She had given up hope. And sometimes that’s the right thing to do. Sometimes the hope is gone, and dealing with that disappointment is difficult. In this case, however, Elisha brought it all up again and she told him flat out that she doesn’t want to be disappointed again.

But she wasn’t disappointed. She had the baby, and he grew enough to be with his father out in the field. We don’t know how many years passed, but she at least had him for a few. And then he had some sort of brain aneurism or something and died. It’s her response to this death that really shows what mothers feel for their children and how nearly all of them will give their last breath for their child.

  • It’s not clear she tells her husband the boy died. It looks like she just tells him she needs to go see Elisha.
  • She heads out and when she gets to him she confronts Elisha with her pain: “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? And didn’t I say, ‘Don’t deceive me and get my hopes up’?”
  • She won’t take anything less from Elisha than what she wants. She could have accepted Gehazi going back with her with Elisha’s staff, but she would accept nothing less than Elisha himself. If her son was dead, she wanted 1.) all of Elisha’s power and connection with you and 2.) if it didn’t work, she wanted him to feel all of her pain along with her.

It wasn’t nearly as critical as this, but our daughter wasn’t speaking at the age of 3. It really concerned us. Our doctor couldn’t see anything wrong and kept explaining it away: “Well, her older brother talks for her.” Stuff like that. But my wife would not accept that answer. She badgered the doctor until he finally referred us to a pediatric ENT who discovered she needed tubes in her ears. As soon as we got that done, she began speaking almost immediately. But who knows how her language would have developed had my wife not been so persistent?

Father, I have pain in my life that I talk about with you often. And I’ve gotten to a point where I have pretty much accepted it. In fact, it’s hard to imagine my life without that pain. But one thing you’ve done for me in this pain is you’ve taught me to think about my personal pain less and less and care for the one who is causing me pain more and more. I heard someone refer to the healing of Bartimaeus recently and how Jesus asked him, “What would you have me do for you?” The person said, “What would you have Jesus do for you?” My answer wasn’t about me. It was for the healing for the ones I love who are in such pain and have been so deeply wounded. So I come to you this morning as the mother went to Elisha and ask that you heal their pain. Heal their wounds. Heal their souls, hearts, minds, and bodies. Raise up people in their lives who can be your voice as you offer them healing. And I have a friend who is really afraid for her son this morning. Answer her prayers, Father. Even in ways she is not expecting. Please, answer her prayers.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

P.S. I wonder what Elisha’s prayers to you were like while he traveled back to her home. Was he regretting having offered her the child. Did he hear from you in the first place when he offered it, or was all of this out of his own head and Gehazi’s suggestion? Was he repenting to you? And when Gehazi returned and said the staff didn’t work, did Elisha start to empathize with the woman’s pain in a new way? I could probably spend a lot of time thinking through how this experience impacted Elisha as well.

 
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Posted by on July 13, 2025 in 2 Kings, Mothers of the Bible

 

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Prayers of Supplication

15 Jan 
Is war the only 
language you think 
Yahweh speaks?

Anna Friedrich

Dear God, I read this poem this morning by Anna Friedrich that was inspired by a story in 2 Kings 13 with Elisha. The poem is much longer than this, but these are the first words of it, and they really struck me. We can be very specific about the prayers we bring to you. I could take the word “war” and replace it with any number of words that would describe the kinds of prayers we bring to you.

  • Is war the only language you think Yahweh speaks?
  • Is medicine the only language you think Yahweh speaks?
  • Is poverty the only language you think Yahweh speaks?
  • Is parenting the only language you think Yahweh speaks?
  • Is marriage the only language you think Yahweh speaks?

I think all of us are guilty of not bringing all of our lives to you. The successes. The failures. The concerns. The hopes and dreams. A lot of these things I think I can handle myself. I was listening to two different podcasts this week wonder out loud about our response to the Los Angeles wild fires. What is our response as Christians. If we pray, what do we pray? What should we pray? What actions should accompany our prayer.

My wife and I spend a lot of time talking together. People ask what we talk about. I couldn’t tell you. We just talk. Is my relationship with you the same, or do I just bring you the big things?

Father, you are interested in all of me. Help me to know how to make all of me available to you. You are my God and my king. You are my savior and redeemer. You are my teacher and counselor. You are my confidant and my confessor. You are my friend. It’s weird, but you love me. And I love you. Help me to know how to love you better.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 15, 2025 in 2 Kings

 

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Five Old Testament Books

22 Aug

Dear God, I heard a question right before I came in here to pray. on the Russell Moore Show Podcast, the question was asked, “If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only have five books from the Hebrew Bible, which would they be?” The guest, Yuval Levin, chose Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Job. He took Nehemiah as a bonus book.

As I thought about that question myself, I wondered how I would answer that question. Could I come up with five? But the more I thought about it, the more trouble I had whittling it down to five. So here are the five I would take and why I would take them.

Exodus: I’m holding out on Genesis to see if I have room for it later, but I think it is important to have Exodus because is has great narrative about your power and faithfulness, but it also has quite a bit about your laws and guidance for us. It shows your anger at Israel and your love and mercy for them. It gives a pretty complete picture, I think, of your character.

1 & 2 Samuel: Frankly, I think these are simply the best narratives in the Bible. For me, they are page-turners. You start with Hanna, Peninah, and Elkanah. You get Samuel and Eli. The Ark is lost in battle and then returned. Samuel anoints Saul. Then David and Goliath followed by David, his relationship with Jonathan, running from Saul, and eventually Saul’s and Jonathan’s death. Then you get David’s reign and king and all of the good and bad. From Bathsheba, to Absalom, to David’s death. 1 & 2 Kings covers many more generations of kings, but there is so much humanity in 1 & 2 Samuel.

Ecclesiastes: I haven’t spent enough time in Ecclesiastes, but I probably should. It’s a great book with great wisdom. I prefer it to the fortune-cookie style of Proverbs. Yes, I’ll take Ecclesiastes because I know I need it.

1 & 2 Kings: I guess I’ll polish it off with 1 & 2 Kings (this tips me over to 6, so I’ll just take 1 Kings if I have to choose just one. These stories are amazing. from Solomon and his ascension to the throne to Elijah, Hezekiah, and all of the way to the collapse and exile. Tragic.

Books that I’ll miss: I’ll miss Judges and Ruth. I know the Ruth story pretty well, so I think I’m okay there. Judges has great stories, but can also be very frustrating. I still know that I would have never accepted your choice of Samson as leader had I been a Jewish elder at the time. And Genesis has great stories, but, again, I know them fairly well and I get so frustrated with the heroes. I never quite understand why you decide to choose Abram, Isaac, Jacob, et. al. I guess the good news out of those stories is that I don’t have to be a particularly good man for you to choose me.

Father, you picked an awfully unique way to reveal yourself to your people. My wife said recently that she knows the Bible wasn’t written by a committee of influential and powerful people because it is so messy and doesn’t sterilize the stories of the heroes. For me, I am just glad to know I’m not alone in my confusion, failures, duplicity, and love for you–all at once. Thank you for loving me as much as you love Abram and the rest.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 22, 2024 in 1 Kings, 1 Samuel, 2 Kings, 2 Samuel, Ecclesiastes, Exodus, Genesis, Judges, Ruth

 

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2 Kings 4:8-37

01 Jul

8 One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. 10 Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”

11 One day he came there, and he turned into the chamber and rested there. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” 14 And he said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 He said, “Call her.” And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 And he said, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.” 17 But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her.

18 When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again.” 23 And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “All is well.” 24 Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, “Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite. 26 Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’” And she answered, “All is well.” 27 And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” 28 Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me?’” 29 He said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not reply. And lay my staff on the face of the child.” 30 Then the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. 31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. Therefore he returned to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.”

32 When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. 33 So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. 35 Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 Then he summoned Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.

2 Kings 4:8-37

Dear God, this is an interesting story. It’s interesting because it happened. It’s interesting because it happened the way it happened (a child was given as a “gift”–I suppose–to a couple that didn’t ask for him dies and then is resurrected). It is also interesting because it was recorded for us to know these thousands of years later. Why?

As I’ve thought about this since this morning when I first read it, I think the idea I’ve finally come to is that you used this child in the lives of this couple the same way you use children for parent or person who raises them. You change them through this child. In this case, I think even Elisha didn’t know what you were up to. Gehazi didn’t either. They thought they were giving her and her husband a child. This wonderful gift of joy and love. What they were really doing was giving this couple the gift of refinement. You used this child to refine them and make them even more your children. You also used it to impact Elisha’s life as well. This child changed everyone he touched. I guess every child does to some extent or another.

I had lunch just two days ago with a dear man who lost his 11-year-old girl to leukemia just 10 months ago. It’s tragic. He commented that it was easier to go through the strain of fighting the leukemia than it is to endure this loss. This man and his wife are people are great faith. They love you. What could possibly come from this?

Then there’s the mourning process. I go back to the Garth Brooks song “The Dance” that I’ve talked about a few times with you before. I still can’t hear that song without tears coming to my eyes.

The chorus is actually in the thumbnail of the YouTube video I just linked to. It says it all. If they’d have known the pain in store for them with this child, they might have been tempted to avoid it. To not experience it. But if they’d have missed that opportunity, they’d have missed “the dance” they had with their little girl.

I’ve sung this song for myself over pain I’ve experienced. Nothing like theirs. Nothing even close. But I’ve had pain that I would love to have removed. This pain still stays with me every day. But I’m glad I never had the chance to even consider making the decision about whether or not to avoid the path that brought me here because that path shaped me in its good times, and it is shaping me now. The question is, how will I move forward and enable that pain to shape me even now?

Father, I wish I could take my friend and his wife’s pain away. All I know to pray now is that, if this pain must be experienced, then please make it count. It hurts too much for it to be wasted. This much pain should somehow, ultimately, maybe even in ways they will never see, produce some kind of way for your kingdom to come and your will to be done on this earth as it is in heaven. Holy Spirit, please sit close this couple, even in this very moment. Help them to feel the Spirit of the Lord. Help them to feel you in your role as counselor, comforter, and even healer. Flow through them into their children. Flow through them into this world that seems intent on running from you. And do the same for my wife and me. Don’t let our pain be wasted. Don’t let the pain the ones we love are experiencing be wasted either. Oh, Lord. My heart is heavy for me, but it is heavier right now for this couple. Holy Spirit, like I prayed for the couple in our town who lost their son to suicide a few months ago, please moan for us in words that are too deep for understanding. Pray for us to the Father. Jesus, touch this couple. Fill them with your peace.

I pray all of this through the grace of Jesus and with the power of the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on July 1, 2023 in 2 Kings

 

Act 12:1-11

29 Jun

About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration. ) Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”
Acts 12:1-11

Dear God, I keep going back to the story of King Hezekiah laying the letter from the other king that told him to surrender to the Assyrians out before you and praying about what to do (2 Kings 19). The situation seemed impossible, but in 2 Kings 19:35 accomplished the impossible in a way no one could have ever seen coming. T

The same is true with this story about Peter. As everyone prayed for Peter, including Peter, they probably envisioned Herod’a heart turning and showing mercy or something like that. They never considered you would send an angel for a jail break.

Father, there are several seemingly immovable mountains in front of me right now. I know you can move them, but I simply cannot conceive how you might do it. But I lay it before you, like Hezekiah. Please come, move and work do it all for your glory and your plan.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 29, 2022 in 2 Kings, Acts

 

2 Kings 19:9-19

21 Jun

9 Soon afterward King Sennacherib received word that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia[c] was leading an army to fight against him. Before leaving to meet the attack, he sent messengers back to Hezekiah in Jerusalem with this message:

10 “This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria. 11 You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different? 12 Have the gods of other nations rescued them—such nations as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Tel-assar? My predecessors destroyed them all! 13 What happened to the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad? What happened to the kings of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?”

14 After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord: “O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. 16 Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.

17 “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. 18 And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. 19 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.”

2 Kings 19:9-19

Dear God, there is so much we fear. There is so much I fear. The odds seemed stacked against our society in many areas. Against me in certain areas. Yes, there are things I fear and don’t see any conventional way you can help me or change my circumstances. Discouraged. Hopeless. Sad. These are all things I have felt, even today. Yes, I believe you can move and do something in these situations, but do I really. I believe. Help my unbelief.

Hezekiah’s prayer here and his response to the wisdom of the world is impressive. He hears the message from King Sennacherib, and it makes a lot of sense. Yeah, it doesn’t look like there is anything Judah can do to stop the onslaught. Yeah, the situation looks hopeless. But Hezekiah, even if he had some amount of unbelief, took what existed of his faith and laid it before you. I think this is the part of his prayer I liked the best: 17 “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. 18 And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands.” He claimed your superiority to idols. He named them as idols and you as God. He rejected the premise of Sennacherib’s argument that you were just like any idol from any other country.

Father, you are greater than the idols of my country. You are greater than our economy. You are greater than our military, our government, and our other systems that make us work such as education and healthcare. I don’t know what you plan to do with us or our country, but I know that the history of the earth is not focused on the United States of America, regardless of how much we (or I) might want that to be. We are not your chosen people. Again, we might want to be, but we are not. So when I see the stock market negative, unemployment high, food scarce, and/or my health or the health of those around me in danger from one virus or another, may I lay my fears out before you. May I lay the lies and the faulty arguments before you. May I burn them at the altar, take up my cross and follow you today.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 21, 2022 in 2 Kings