The disciples of the prophets said to Elisha, "The place where we're staying is too small for us. Let's go to the Jordan River. Each of us can get some logs and make a place for us to live there."
Elisha said, "Go ahead."
Then one of the disciples asked, "Won't you please come with us?"
Elisha answered, "I'll go."
So he went with them. They came to the Jordan River and began to cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the ax head fell into the water. He cried out, "Oh no, master! It was borrowed!"
The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he showed Elisha the place, Elisha cut off a piece of wood. He threw it into the water at that place and made the ax head float. Elisha said, "Pick it up." The disciple reached for it and picked it up. 2 Kings 6:1-7
What struck me forcibly when reading this passage was the incredible faith these disciples had in Elisha. They asked Elisha to come with them. Maybe Elisha had helped them before. The first thing the man did when he lost the ax head was to cry out to Elisha. They believed that Elisha could do something about it. Think about it. A, probably iron, ax head fallen into a deep, murky body of water is pretty much gone. It's lost. All logic, physics, and experience of the world proves that. But this man's first instinct was not to despair in hopelessness, but to cry out to Elisha.
Elisha received a very different reaction when, a little later in the chapter, he prophesied to the King the end of the very long siege of Samaria. People were starving and some had resorted to cannibalism. And now Elisha was prophesying plenty of food for the starving people – in 24 hours! The King's assistant scoffed at him.
Elisha replied, "Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria." The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?" 2 Kings 7:1-2
What a stark contrast to the faith of the disciples! Like little children they thought Elisha could do anything, even gravity-defying, "reality"-defying feats. They didn't look at the deep, muddy water of the Jordan and despair, but looked to Elisha. Elisha had proven himself to them before. They trusted in him and therefore had asked him to accompany them in their work. In all of this, Elisha is a type of Jesus. The officer, in contrast, looked at the hopelessness of the situation and dismissed Elisha's words as impossible, as many dismiss Jesus when they look at the horrors that go on in this world.
This made me think: which am I like most days? I am a natural pessimist, a waiting-for-the-next-shoe-to-drop kind of person. Reality has been hard on me, "the next shoe" has crushed me down to the ground many times. I am afraid my first, natural reaction to seemingly impossible situations is despair. But "I know whom I have believed" and he has proven himself to me many, many times. Just lately, he has reminded me of two precious promises: nothing is too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:17), and his word, his promise, does not come back empty (Isaiah 55:11). His word does not come back empty! Nothing can stop it from accomplishing what it set out to do! Nothing – not even my shaky faith.
Lord, help me to stop listening for the next shoe to drop, but instead to listen for your voice. In your grace and unfailing love give me the childlike faith of these disciples. Help me to cry out to you in every "hopeless" situation, "Abba Father!"
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:14-15 (ESV)
For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
Is anything too hard for the Lord? Genesis 18:14a (ESV)
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27 (ESV)
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27 (ESV)
For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible. Luke 1:37 (Amplified)
Photo, A big splash, by Akamarpreet https://flic.kr/p/cvVSbu
No comments:
Post a Comment