It was during the time of the final kings that Isaiah was a prophet. God used him to help His people understand what was about to happen to them – how they were about to go into a time of captivity and exile as a consequence to years of unfaithfulness. Isaiah also spoke boldly that God had a plan – a plan of redemption and restoration. They would return again one day and they would rebuild what was about to be destroyed.

Part of God’s plan of restoration revealed through the prophet Isaiah was in regards to the Messiah. Isaiah foretold how he would grow, be rejected and beaten, killed and placed in a rich man’s tomb. This righteous servant would die, bearing all our sins and making it possible for the many to be counted righteous.

My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him.
He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care. – Isaiah 53:2-3

And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels. – Isaiah 53:11b-12

Lord, this morning we give you honor. Thank you for dying so that we could be restored from our sinful condition. Thank you for reminding me again this morning of your generous gift of redemption – that you made it possible for me to be counted righteous by bearing my sins on the cross. For that gift I am forever thankful! Over the next week approaching Thanksgiving, there will be so much to thank you for – protection, provision, your generous love outpoured. Thank you for pointing my thankful heart back to the biggest reason I have to give you praise!

Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.
The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me and I have listened…
Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. – Isaiah 50:4b-5a,7

Some days the weight of my job rest heavy on my shoulder. I find myself praying for God to equip me for the difficult decisions ahead. I ask Him to fill me with His Spirit and give me wisdom for the work to which He has called me. I cling to a verse He gave me last year:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” – Psalm 32:8

This morning I walk into God’s presence with a desire to understand His plan and to be instructed by Him in the way I should go. The following verses were a help to me and I pray that God uses them in your specific situation today.

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.” – Isaiah 48:17b

“At just the right time, I will respond to you…” – Is. 49:8a

Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”
“Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that was possible, I would not forget you!
See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” – Is. 49:14-16a

If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God.
But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. – Is. 50:10b-11

What a great reminder to me when I am tempted to solve my own problems, make my own decisions, or look for advice from other people instead of praying for wisdom from God. To do that would be to rely on myself – to live in my own light and warm myself by my own fire.

Oh Lord, I long to come to Your fire, to be warmed by Your presence and to walk in Your light! Yesterday You reminded me that You have had a plan for me since before I was born. Today You remind me that You will teach me and give me wisdom for the task You have before me. Thank you, Father, for Your generosity. I don’t have to warm myself by my own fire or accomplish anything by my own strength today. Why drink water, which is the only thing I can afford if I rely on myself, when I can drink of the more expensive wisdom that comes freely from You?! Today I choose to listen to You and trust that Your ways are much better than mine. I trust You to teach me, instruct me, counsel me and watch over me.

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink – even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk – it’s all free!
Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.

“Come to me with your ears wide open.
Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David…

“Seek the Lord while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near…

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:1-3,6,8-9

WOW! I went back and read what the Lord had to say last Friday (my last post) and how timely. God knew what was ahead for our weekend with the tornadoes that ripped through our community. What a great reminder that God is in control and that he sees our troubles. We serve a wonderful and powerful God! And God had more to say this morning – He has a purpose for each one of us today:

“And why have I called you for this work?
Why did I call you by name when you did not know me…” – Isaiah 45:4

There have been several times over the course of my life when I have wondered why God chose me for the purpose He seems to have called me. I assume we have all had moments like this – moments when we wonder what our purpose is or why God chose us for this purpose. At times we look to the person on our left and the person on our right and ask God why His plan for them is so different from His plan for us.

“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’” – Is.45:9

Isaiah spoke of how God uses even those who do not know Him. 150 years before it took place, Isaiah prophesied that God would use a foreign leader named Cyrus to accomplish His plan of setting Israel free from Babylon. “I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose, and I will guide his actions. He will restore my city and free my captive people – without seeking a reward! I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!” – Isaiah 45:13

God had a plan for Cyrus before he was even born. He prepared the way for this man before he had even submitted to God’s sovereignty in his life. In the same way, God has had a plan for each of us before we were even born. He goes before us and equips us for the battle to which He has called us. He does this for two purposes – salvation and righteousness. It is God’s plan that each of us would come to a saving knowledge of who He is and how He has loved and cared for us before we were even a thought in the mind of our parents. It is God’s plan for righteousness to “sprout up together” with salvation to accomplish His purposes (Is. 45:2-8).

“I have cared for you since before you were born.
Yes, I carried you before you were born.
I will be your God throughout your lifetime – until your hair is white with age.
I made you, and I will care for you.
I will carry you along and save you.” – Is. 46:3b-4

How beautiful! God cares for us and carries us from the time before we were born, throughout our lifetime, until the end of our life. He carries us along with the plan to save us and to accomplish His purposes through us – so that salvation and righteousness can sprout up together.

The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name.
He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory.”

And now the Lord speaks – the one who formed me in my mother’s womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him.
The Lord has honored me, and my God has given me strength.
He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.
I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” – Is. 49:1b-6

…so that salvation and righteousness sprout up together. God saves us for the sake of righteousness, with which he saves others for the sake of righteousness, so that still others can be restored to a place of salvation for the sake of righteousness.

So, as we look around at the damage caused by the tornadoes we find ourselves asking “Why?” With confidence we believe that God will use it for His purposes – for the purpose of salvation and righteousness. We pray some will come to a saving knowledge of God through this and that some will be drawn back into a relationship with Christ. We pray that thousands will take the opportunity to live out the righteousness of God in the lives of others. In the midst of the rubble and destruction, we pray we will see sprouts of righteousness growing, healing our land and our community.

Lord, you know our hearts today. You know our desire to reach out and help those around us – those who were affected the most by the tornadoes and those whom you put in our path today. God, only you know your plan for my day but I submit to your plan. Thank you for caring for me, for carrying me. Use me for your purposes today, Oh Lord. Help me to see you at work in the lives of all those around me – those who have come to a saving knowledge of you and those who still do not know you. Give me eyes to see what you see and a heart that trusts you with the details. Amen.

The King of Assyria was pressing in on the nation of Judah, making threats and taunting the people with plans to destroy Judah. The chief of staff made comments like, “Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue your from my power. Don’t let him fool you into trusting in the Lord by saying, ‘The Lord will surely rescue us…’” (2 Kings 18:29-30).

But King Hezekiah, knowing and trusting in God to deliver, 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. Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God” (19:15-16).

Hezekiah knew how big his God was! The prophet Isaiah, through whom God replied to Hezekiah, knew how big God was! In fact, he knew God was too big to fully understand – too awesome for our human minds to fathom!

Who else has held the oceans in his hand?
Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?
Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?
Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord?
Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?
Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice?
Does he need instruction about what is good?
Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice? –Isaiah 40:12-14

To whom can you compare God? – Isaiah 40:18a

“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.

Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. – Isaiah 40:25-26

A few years ago, as our family was driving to Florida, a new song came on the radio. In that quiet moment in the car, I felt like the lyrics were written just for me – as if God himself was speaking to me as I drove down the interstate. The song is “What do I know of holy?” by Addison Road.

Can we truly grasp how incredible our God is? Our human understanding causes us to compare God to what we know but God is so much bigger than anything we know. So why do I question Him? Why do I think I know better than He does of what I need or what should happen? Consider the lyrics of this song by Addison Road:

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all, No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood but the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood but the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury? Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

O ________, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
O________, how can you say God ignores your rights?
Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint. – Isaiah 40:27-31

The people of Judah had a history of depending on other nations for rescue from their enemies. They even looked to their former captors, Egypt, for the supply of horses for their army (2 Kings 18:24). But God desired for them to call upon His name and look to Him for help in the midst of trouble.

This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved.
In quietness and confidence is your strength.
But you would have none of it.
You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt.
They will give us swift horses riding into battle.’…

So the Lord must wait for you to COME TO HIM so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
Blessed are those who wait for his help.” – Isaiah 30:15-16a, 18

This verse was so convicting to me this morning. How often do I get impatient waiting on God and try to make things happen through another source or my own strength? I need to stop reaching out to “Egypt” and come to God with a willingness to WAIT for his help…in his time…his way.

He will be gracious if you ASK for help.
He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.
Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, HE WILL STILL BE WITH YOU to teach you.
You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
Your own ears will hear him.
Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.
Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images.
You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them “Good riddance!” – Isaiah 30:19-22

It is time to throw out MY plans and all of the things in my life that I have made more important than waiting on God – my idols. It’s time to throw them out and say, “Good riddance! I choose God!”

At times God’s plan for me may include adversity, through which he teaches me and guides me. Sometimes the adversity is the result of my own mistakes. He doesn’t leave me to experience my consequences alone. He stays with me and is my teacher. I hear His voice, “This is the way you should go.” During the hard times, I can rest in him, knowing that there will also be times of blessings pouring down from my Heavenly Father.

Then the Lord will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock. The oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat good grain, its chaff blown away by the wind. In that day, when your enemies are slaughtered and the towers fall, there will be streams of water flowing down every mountain and hill. The moon will be as bright as the sun, and the sun will be seven times brighter – like the light of seven days in one! So it will be when the Lord begins to heal his people and cure the wounds HE gave them. – Isaiah 30:23-26

Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord!
Make it a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places.
Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.
The Lord has spoken!”

O Zion, messenger of good news, shout it from the mountaintops!
Shout it louder, O Jerusalem.
Shout, and do not be afraid.
Tell the towns of Judah,
“Your God is coming!” – Isaiah 40:3-9

I can wait on God knowing that He is coming! He is my deliverer and my Lord, in whom I trust and for whom I wait. Anything else I could reach out to or cling to will fade away because nothing else is eternal. The word of my God stands forever and He is coming!!!

Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in power.
He will rule with a powerful arm.
See, he brings his reward with him as he comes.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.
He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. – Isaiah 40:10-11

Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, was 25 years old when he became the next king of Judah. He behaved in ways that were pleasing to the Lord, removing pagan shrines and breaking the bronze serpent to which God’s people were offering sacrifices. (2 Kings 18:1-4). He repaired the Temple and reopened its doors, calling his country to return to the Lord in submission, coming to his Temple and worshiping the Lord God.

“For if you return to the Lord, your relatives and your children will be treated mercifully by their captors, and they will be able to return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful. If you return to him, he will not continue to turn his face from you.” – 2 Chronicles 30:9

Hezekiah trusted in the Lord and remained faithful in everything he did, carefully obeying all the commands the Lord had given Moses. Hezekiah brought back the celebration of Passover and required his people to tithe so they would devote themselves fully to the Law of the Lord (2 Chron. 31:4). And here’s the good part – So the Lord was with him and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did (2 Kings 18:7).

In this way, King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God WHOLEHEARTEDLY. As a result, he was very successful. – 2 Chron. 31:20-21

Oh the blessings God bestows on those who faithfully obey Him! He longs to generously pour out His love on His people when they follow Him in obedience. Do you recognize the many ways in which God is blessing your obedience? The evidence that He cares for you is all around – do you see it?

“Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care – but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.” – Isaiah 1:3

I wonder how often I fail to recognize God’s blessings in my life – His care for me. As I eagerly anticipate the Thanksgiving Holiday, I long to wrap my mind around how incredible God is toward me DAILY! My prayer is that this week gets our attention; that we are able to recognize God’s favor and His care and that our hearts will respond in sincere thanksgiving toward our Creator, Provider and Friend.

“I will praise you, O Lord!
You were angry with me, but not anymore. Now you comfort me.
See, God has come to save me.
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
The Lord God is my strength and my song, he has given me victory.”

With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!
In that wonderful day you will sing:
“Thank the Lord! Praise his name!
Tell the nations what he has done.
Let them know how mighty he is!
Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things.
Make known his praise around the world.
Let the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy!
For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.” – Isaiah 12:1-6

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God.
You do such wonderful things!
You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them…
“This is our God!
We trusted in him, and he saved us!
This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.
Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!” – Isaiah 25:1,9

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal rock…
For those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough.
You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them.
Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws;
Our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
All night long I search for you;
In the morning I earnestly seek for God. – Isaiah 26:3-4,7-9a

I love that last verse. It describes how I wake up in the morning – with a longing to hear from God. He is so faithful to meet us when we turn to Him!

Oh Lord, this morning, I recognize that every good and wonderful thing in my life is a gift from you! Thank you so much for your tender care of me. When I am scared or lonely, you comfort me. When I am happy, it is because you have filled me with your joy. As I start a new day, I trust in you for what is ahead. You are my eternal rock and I long to fix my thoughts on you and stay there. The road ahead is unknown but I believe the way will not be steep or rough, for you will smooth out the path ahead for me. Glory to God in the Highest! Praise His Name!!!

Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem 16 years. HE did not do what was pleasing in the sight of the Lord, as his ancestor David had done…Because of all this, the Lord his God allowed the king of Aram to defeat Ahaz and to exile large numbers of his people to Damascus. The armies of the king of Israel also defeated Ahaz and inflicted many casualties on his army…At that time King Ahaz of Judah asked the king of Assyria for help…Even during this time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the Lord (2 Chronicles 28:1,5,16,22).

But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God’s instructions and teachings! – Isaiah 8:19b-20a

It was during this time in Judah’s history that God called the prophet Isaiah to speak His message loud and clear – You can depend on God and it is foolishness to trust in anything or anyone else but God! That sounds like a great message for us today.

Don’t put your trust in mere humans.
They are as frail as breath. What good are they? – Isaiah 2:22

The horrible time that Judah was experiencing was a consequence of its own sin. They needed the reminder that we serve a God who is able to break the power of sin and help us survive the mess we have made. When we look around and trouble surrounds us, when all we can see is the result of bad decisions and sinful actions, we can know that our God is there to guide us out of the predicament we have found ourselves in. The secret – surrender and trust in God so that we can experience the grace that rescues God’s people from the consequences of their sins.

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.
If you will only obey me…” – Isaiah 1:18-19a

God’s grace and mercy are calling out to us. He is eager to wash us clean and restore our relationship with Him. So what keeps us from running back into His arms? Why do we turn to other people or to other solutions for help when our Creator and loving Father is beckoning us? Is it pride? Do we struggle to find the humility needed to repent of our sins?

Human pride will be brought down, and human arrogance will be humbled.
Only the Lord will be exalted on the day of judgment.
For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has a day of reckoning.
He will punish the proud and mighty and bring down everything that is exalted…
Human pride will be humbled and human arrogance will be brought down.
Only the Lord will be exalted on that day of judgment. – Isaiah 2:11-12,17

The Lord sent Isaiah to King Ahaz when Ahaz and the people were trembling with fear. He had this message for the king: Stop worrying. You do not need to fear the fierce anger of other nations. But unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm (Isaiah 7:2-9).

God said: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want – as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”

Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yogurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.” – Isaiah 7:11-16

Do you need a sign from God? Do you need confirmation that your God is trustworthy and wants to restore you? Are you trembling with fear and in need of faith so that God can help you stand firm against what you are facing? Look – the sign you are seeking is in His Son, Jesus Christ. He sent His Son to die on a cross so that we could be restored!

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” – Isaiah 2:3b

Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life.
He is the One you should fear.
He is the One who should make you tremble.
He will keep you safe…

May this be our testimony today, no matter what we are facing:
I will wait for the Lord…I will put my hope in him. – Isaiah 8:13-14a,17

The history of God’s people at this time displays their fickle hearts. They would worship God for a time and then go back to their selfish, evil ways. They would turn their hearts to God but not wholeheartedly. They would keep things in their life that would cause them to be distracted and disloyal. This pattern led to the eventual decline and exile of the people of Israel, as well as the destruction of Jerusalem.

Elisha sent a young prophet to anoint Jehu the next king of Israel. The call God had on Jehu’s life was to destroy the family of Ahab. Jehu accomplished what God had commanded him to do, also destroying every trace of Baal worship from Israel, but he did not destroy the gold calves at Bethel and Dan. Jehu did not obey the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with ALL his heart. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit (2 Kings 10:31).

King Jehoahaz did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and experienced the result of God’s anger. He prayed for the Lord’s help and the Lord heard his prayer. The Lord rescued Israel from their enemies and allowed them to live in peace again. BUT they continued to sin during the reign of King Jehoahaz and the next king – Jehoash. So God allowed the king of Aram to oppress Israel. But the Lord was gracious and merciful to the people of Israel, and they were not totally destroyed. He pitied them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (2 Kings 13:23).

It was during the reign of King Jehoahaz that Israel and Judah went to battle against one another again- brother against brother. After his death, King Jehoahaz’s son, Jeroboam II, ruled over Israel and King Amaziah’s 16-year-old son, Uzziah, ruled over Judah. Jeroboam II did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord (14:24) but Uzziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight except that he did not destroy ALL the pagan shrines, leaving opportunity for the nation to once more sin against God (15:4).

The fate of Israel:
Zechariah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, refusing to turn away from sin. Shallum became the next king of Israel until he was assassinated by Menahem, who also did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. His son, Pekahiah, followed in his father’s evil footsteps and was assassinated by the son of the Commander of his army, Pekah. Pekah reigned for 20 years, until he was assassinated by Hoshea, who reigned for nine years until he was captured and imprisoned by the king of Assyria.

This disaster came upon the people of Israel because they worshiped other gods. They sinned against eh Lord their God, who had brought them safely out of Egypt and had rescued them from the power of Pharoah, the king of Egypt…The people of Israel had also secretly done many things that were not pleasing to the Lord their God…Yes, they worshiped idols, despite the Lord’s specific and repeated warnings.

Again and again the Lord had sent his prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah…But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they despised al his warnings. They worship worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves (2 Kings 17:7-15).

Because of their idolatry and rejection of God’s covenant, the Lord swept them away from his presence. He punished them by handing them over to their enemies, banishing Israel from the presence of the Lord. So Israel was exiled from the Promised Land to the land of Assyria (17:23).

God made it clear generation after generation – “Do not worship any other gods or bow before them or serve them or offer sacrifices to them. But worship only the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt with great strength and a powerful arm. Bow down to him alone and offer sacrifices only to him. Be careful at all times to obey the decrees, regulations, instructions, and commands that he wrote for you. You must not worship other gods. Do not forget the covenant I made with you, and do not worship other gods. You must worship only the Lord your God. He is the one who will rescue you from all your enemies.” – 2 Kings 17:35b-39

Lord, would you please reveal anything I have kept in my life that is becoming a distraction from serving you with my whole heart? Shine your light on any traces of disloyalty or fickleness in my life. Fill my heart with the strong desire to obey and serve you wholeheartedly. Reveal anything in my life today that has taken priority over my covenant relationship with you.

Lord, I long to serve you with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength and with all my mind. I long to dwell in your presence and worship you – the God who has brought me out of my Egypt with great strength and a powerful arm. Today, I choose to worship you and only you! Amen.

The king of Aram had great admiration for the commander of his army, Naaman, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But although Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy (2 Kings 5:1). Even though God was doing great things through Naaman, even though Naaman was a mighty warrior, there was still something in his life that he was suffering with – something he needed God to heal in order to be whole.

The king sent Naaman to Elisha for healing and Elisha sent a messenger out to Naaman with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”

But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers in Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage (2 Kings 5:11-12).

How do we react when God tells us to do something we do not want to do?
Are there times when pride gets in the way of following God’s instructions?
What is my response when God answers my prayers but in a different way that I thought He would?

Naaman’s officers reasoned with him and Naaman went down to the muddy waters of the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, just as the man of God had instructed him. His skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child and he was healed! – (5:13-14)

This story reminds me of our own stubborn behavior. We want God to heal us or to make us whole but we have a preconceived idea of how He should do that. What God desires is obedience and complete surrender to whatever He tells us to do – for physical healing or spiritual cleansing.

Let’s dip into the words of King David as he asked God to cleanse him from his unrighteousness after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Let’s allow Psalm 51 to wash over us in complete surrender to the God who heals and makes us whole again. Perhaps God is doing mighty things in your life and through your life, but you need Him today to remind you that you have been forgiven and He has washed you clean.

Dip #1: Create in me a clean heart, O God. Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.

Dip #2: Create in me a clean heart, O God. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.

Dip #3: Create in me a clean heart, O God. Against you and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.

Dip #4: Create in me a clean heart, O God. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Oh give me back my joy again; you have broken me – now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.

Dip #5: Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit with within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Dip #6: Create in me a clean heart, O God. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you.

Dip #7: Create in me a clean heart, O God. You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repent heart, O God.

“Go in peace,” Elisha said. So Naaman started home again (2 Kings 5:19).

Elijah knew God was about to take him to heaven and so he asked his assistant Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.” Without hesitation, Elisha replied, “Please let me inherit a double portion of your spirit and become your successor” (2 Kings 2:9). In other words, I want what you have! Elisha had been watching God work in a mighty way through Elijah and he desired for God to use him in the same way. And that is exactly what God did.

Elisha asked for a double portion of the Spirit and he was able to do miraculous things:

Just as Elijah had done, Elisha was able to part the waters of the Jordan River by striking it and walk across on dry land (2:14).

Elisha came to the city of Jericho, which did not have a clean water source, causing death and infertility as well as the land to be unproductive affecting their food supply. Elisha placed salt in the water supply and healed the water, breathing new life into the town (2:19-21).

Elisha heard from the Lord and told the Kings of Israel, Judah and Edom that God would provide water for their men and animals, as well as victory over the King of Moab. By having a double portion of the Spirit, Elisha was able to enter God’s presence and hear from God. God spoke through Elisha (3:15-18).

There was a widow of one of the prophets whose sons were about to be sold as slaves in order to repay her debt. Elisha was able to take the only thing she had left, a flask of olive oil, and make it a source of income for her by filling every available jar in the village with olive oil. By doing this, God provided for the widow and her two sons (4:1-7).

Elisha wanted to thank a woman who had been kind to him and provided him with a place to stay. He inquired as to what she needed and found out that she did not have a son. Elisha prophesied, “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms,” and that is exactly what happened (4:8-17).

When that same boy died and his mother grieved heavily, Elisha was able to stretch himself out across the child and bring him back to life (4:18-35).

When poisonous fruit was mistakenly added to a stew being prepared for the prophets during a time of famine, Elisha was able to add flour to the stew and heal it so that the group would have something to eat (4:38-41).

During this same time of famine, Elisha was able to bless a sack of bread and have it feed a large group of people with food leftover – sounds familiar doesn’t it? (4:42-44)

When Naaman, the commander of the Aramean army, was struck with leprosy, Elisha instructed him to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times and Naaman was healed. Through his healing, Naaman came to believe in the one true God (5:1-15).

Elisha was able to retrieve a borrowed ax head that had fallen into the River by breaking a stick and throwing it in where the ax head had landed, causing it to float to the surface. To us that may seem like a small miracle but to the man who would have been unable to repay the one from whom he had borrowed the ax head, it was huge (6:1-7).

Elisha was able to save the Israelite army from ambush time and time again by revealing to them where the Aramean army was waiting to attack them. When the king sent his troops to seize Elisha, he was able to speak the word and the entire Aramean army was blinded. At the same time, he was able to speak the word and allow his servant to see the heavenly troops and chariots of fire surrounding them to protect them from their enemy (6:8-18).

So what stops us from asking God for a double portion of His Spirit so that God can use us in a mighty way in the lives of those around us? With the Spirit in our lives, dry ground can be walked upon, water can be healed, God can be heard, needs can be provided, wombs can be filled, the dead can be raised, the hungry can be fed, the sick can be healed, the lost can be found and enemies can be defeated.

I know I need a double portion of His Spirit just to make it through a full day of responsibilities, patience with my children, wisdom to make godly decisions, and the fruit of the Spirit to bear fruit through my life – but I want to do more than just make it through my day, I want to be used by God in a powerful way through the infilling of His Spirit. Today this is what I am going to ask of God – May I have a double portion please? Dear God, I want what you have!