Has God Lost His Power? (2 Kings 4:42-44)

One of my favorite miracles that Jesus performed was the feeding of the five thousand. I think it is so cool how Jesus took the few loaves and fishes and fed so many with all those baskets full left over. Trying to picture how that went down in my mind stretches my imagination. How did He do it? Did He just keep breaking the loaves and it grow back? Did He just break it in half and start passing it out and as each person broke a piece off and passed it down did the loaves keep extending? And how did He do the fish? I can kind of see the bread but how do you break fish? Fish is flaky when cooked and I don't think Jesus was serving sushi. Besides the scripture doesn't mention anything about cubing or rolling the fish. I guess He could have made fish sandwiches but even that seems like it would take a lot time to prepare especially for five to as many as twenty thousand people. And you know that some where going to have seconds. The Bible does say that they had their fill.

This isn't the only time God performed this type of mass feeding miracle. Yes, there was another time Jesus fed three thousand. We also know that God fed the Israelites with manna and quail. But do you remember the time that God fed hundreds with only a few barley loaves through Elisha? You will find the account in 2 Kings 4. Jesus didn't just pull one out of his hat when He fed the five thousand. Of course what Jesus did was on a much grander scale, but the principle was the same. God took a few loaves and fed a mass of people.

In 2 Kings 4 there was a famine in the land. A farmer had brought the first of his harvest as an offering to God, giving it to the prophet Elisha. Seeing the need of the people, Elisha ordered that the loaves be given to the hungry mass. His servant freaked out. I'm sure he was thinking, "Do you know what will happen if I show up with a few loaves in front of that hungry mob? It will be pandemonium! People will be fighting over them. A riot could break out. You take them out there!" Obviously that's only my speculation. But being a keen observer of typical human behavior, I doubt that I am too far off.

Jesus was keenly aware of God's patterns throughout biblical history. He often quoted scripture to explain or challenge His listeners. I don't know if Jesus said anything to His followers that day reminding them of the time when Elisha fed the hungry masses, but I know it was in His mind. Jesus throughout His ministry demonstrated faith in God for His disciples based on the past actions of God portrayed in biblical history. It's a lesson for us. As we read and study and meditate on God's Word, we should look for and trust in His principles. If God could and would part the Red Sea and let His children cross on dry land in the past, why couldn't or wouldn't He today? Has God's power diminished? Is He weaker today than He was back then? Does He care less about people today than He did in Moses' or Elisha's or Jesus' day? Does He love us less today? Is He less interested in a relationship with us today than He was with those living in biblical times?

God, why do I have the tendency to minimize your power? Why do I often read the stories of your interaction with your people in the Bible and discount your involvement today? Where's my faith? Have I just brought you down to a philosophy of life? Do I even believe you're real? I want to see your power in my life! I want to have the faith of Elisha. I want to hear your voice. I want to be known as a man of God and not just a spouter a life philosophy. I want to see lives changed through your power. I want to see your miracles.

Need Some Refreshment? (2 Kings 3)

Why is it that many people never acknowledge God or turn to him until they're in trouble? And then when tragedy or a difficulty comes their way they blame God or cry out wondering why God would let something like this happen. Why is it that even self proclaimed followers of Christ chose to live however they want throughout the week without a thought for God? Some have referred to this phenomena as "practical atheism," living as if God doesn't really exist. I think it is more like "practical deism," God exists but He has left us alone to figure everything out.

Routines of life seem to take over the most well meaning of people. Our perspective shifts from focusing on God to day to day stuff. Somehow God just gets left out of the picture. For some that's purposeful. For some it's not. No matter the intent it still happens. Then when trouble seizes us panic or depression or at least major frustration occurs. But it seems like it's not until despair hit us that we turn and cry out to God.

That's exactly where King Joram was in 2 Kings 3. He convinces King Jehoshaphat to go to war with him against Moab. In their attempt to be coy, they plan on sneaking up on Moab catching them by surprise. However after 7 days through the wilderness without water, King Joram starts to panic and he reaches the desperation phase. Luckily King Jehoshaphat has the wisdom to go seek out the prophet Elisha. Elisha's first response is to blow them off telling them that they should go seek advice and help from their pagan gods since King Joram worshiped them all the time. But because of the faith of King Jehoshaphat Elisha helped them.

God provided for the armies of Israel and Judah by filling the dry barren wilderness with pools and streams of water without making it rain. No storms, no flooding, just the welling up of water from the ground in ample supply. Not only did God do that for them, He also gave them an easy victory over Moab.

There's nothing like a cool drink when you are thoroughly parched. The image here in this text describes what God can bring to our parched lives. We try to do life ignoring or simply without acknowledging God's desire to be actively involved in our daily lives and then wonder why we're exhausted, stressed out or why things are going awry. We're thirsty and we need God's Spirit to well up within us. We need His "living water." We need to draw from His well spring, His life spring.

Here's the good news! Even though we've ignored Him intentionally or unintentionally in the past, God is always willing to satisfy our thirst, to step into our lives when we humble ourselves before Him and turn to Him.

God, life gets so crazy sometimes. I don't mean to leave you out, it just kind of happens. I want to drink from your well of life. I want your living water. Pour out Your Spirit on me. Fill my cup, my life with your presence.

Daily Reflections on 2 Kings 5:1-14 (Baptism; an Act of Faith)

I hear it all the time. Do I have to be baptized to be saved? To be honest it's a weird question in light of what Jesus said in Mark 16:16 (NIV), "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." I figure Jesus ought to know what He's talking about. I never have really understood the argument of those who say baptism is not necessary. I guess I'm really simplistic. If Jesus says it, I accept it.

I also don't understand why people say that baptism is an act of obedience. Seems to me that salvation is act of faith, trusting in God to do something that we couldn't do ourselves. Maybe it's semantics, but it seems to me that baptism is an act of faith. I'm trusting God to do something in me to present me alive in Christ. I know that to follow Christ I must answer His call to surrender my life. But isn't that putting my life in His hands by faith?

I was reading this passage again from 2 Kings 5 about Naaman, an Aramean high commander who suffered from leprosy. The whole story is about faith in God. Naaman's wife had a Israeli servant girl who told Naaman that Elisha could heal him. So Naaman went to him to be healed. Elisha didn't even come out to meet him but sent his messenger to tell this important and powerful man to go dip seven times in the Jordan River to be healed.

Naaman was hacked off and even insulted. He wanted Elisha to come out and make some big deal, do some hocus-pocus on him. Naaman went home unhealed. But his servants came to Naaman and asked him if Elisha had asked him to do some great work wouldn't he have done it. So Naaman caved in an went in faith to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times. The moment Naaman dipped the seventh time, his leprosy was instantly healed. In order for the healing to occur, Naaman not only had to believe but he had to submit himself in faith to the dipping. His dipping was an act of faith. Sure he obeyed Elisha's command, but the dipping wasn't out of obedience. It was out of faith that through the dipping God would heal him.

I think the overlying principle is that for a lot of people, they want what God wants to give them, but they just don't want to follow what God asks them to do in faith. It's not just about baptism. It's about relationships, lifestyles, finances, etc. God says to trust Him by tithing, but we say no way. I've got these bills and I want my cable and on and on it goes. And then we wonder why God won't bless us and we struggle financially. Same with sex and marriage and virtually any other issue in our life.

To be honest, obeying God is an act of faith. We trust in faith that by following God's instruction we will come out ahead. Since Jesus says believe and be baptized and you'll be saved, I do what he says in faith. He says cast out into deeper water for a catch, then I'll cast into deeper water in faith expecting a catch.

God, living by faith is a strange place sometimes. Most of us, Lord, like to see where we're going or what's ahead of us. Living by faith feels a lot like driving a car with a blindfold on. Yet, I know that living by sight and trusting my own instincts are often times disastrous. Help me swallow my pride like Naaman and take the dip of faith, exactly how you ask me. I don't want to minimize your instructions/teachings by inserting my own interpretations or ideas.