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Read this passage in II Kings 6:8-23
Imagine the realistic anxiety in the servant’s heart. Can you understand why he didn’t understand Elisha’s calmness? Now that his eyes were opened to all the protection Elisha had, can you understand why Elisha was calm? Wow! We say we believe God is caring for us or that He is more powerful than any forces against us, but to be able to see the powers of God that are surrounding us would really be exciting wouldn’t it?
That isn’t something God allows very often, if at all, in the life of a Christian. Our walk is a walk of faith, not of sight. We don’t often appreciate it, do we? But think about these people in the Old Testament. They didn’t have the Bible like we do, to read about those who had gone before them. They didn’t have any of that. They only had God to guide them or the leader God spoke through. They didn’t know how any of the story had turned out. We know how most of it has turned out. We know how many of the promises God has kept. They didn’t know much of it.
But one thing we can do is keep track of what God is doing and where He is working. We have to pay attention, but it is possible. A few years back, we were in something called a God Hunt. Basically, it is just looking each day to see what God is doing in the everyday places of your life. It helps to write them down because it is too easy to forget them.
Take some time over the next few weeks to track your own God Hunt. Pay attention to where God is involved in your life. What is He doing? Where is He showing up unexpectedly? When does He touch your life when you don’t deserve it? Where do you see Him working, even when you didn’t ask? Even when you don’t desire it? Even when it is simply mercy and grace? Where do you see His protection of you physically? spiritually? emotionally? Just this week, God protected me in spite of myself. In spite of ignoring safeguards I had set up to protect myself…and Ignored them anyway because I was in a hurry. God was merciful to me this time for no good reason. I deserved to pay dearly for my stubbornness. He was kind to me. I totally didn’t deserve it. I am going to make my children gray too soon. Don’t repeat my mistakes. It isn’t worth it. It causes sleepless nights. It harms relationships. And for not good reason than your desire to get things done on your timetable and take shortcuts that can lead to disaster.
He is a good God. He loves and cares for you. He is mighty and powerful. He has the ability to help you. Make time to ask for Him help in times of need.
ChangePoint
- Re-read this story in II Kings. (See link above.) Compare what the servant saw at the beginning and what Elisha saw. Why was the servant anxious? Why was Elisha not anxious?
- When the servant saw what Elisha saw what Elisha saw, why do you think his anxiety went away?
- Do you ever feel that if you ever could see what God was doing, your anxiety would be less?
- Try your own personal God Hunt for 2 full weeks, jotting down where you are seeing God at work each day.
- Did you see God working in places that surprised you? Where you didn’t deserve it? Where you found yourself very thankful for His intervention in your life? Do you feel that your eyes have been opened to God’s work in your life? Take some time to thank Him.