Wed.’s Devo - God’s Miraculous Help

Read: 2 Kings 3:1-4:17; Acts 14:8-28; Psalm 140:1-13; Proverbs 17:22 Ahab’s son Jehoram or Joram reigned in Israel for 12 years and did evil like his father. He did take down the Baal pillar that Ahab had set up but continued worshipping the golden calves Jeroboam set up. King Mesha of Moab had paid Ahab tribute in lambs and wool but when Ahab died, Mesha rebelled and didn’t want to pay anymore. Jehoram enlisted the help of Jehoshaphat of Judah and the king of Edom. The three armies marched toward Moab but ran out of water. Jehoshaphat asked if there was a prophet of the Lord they could ask. One of the officers told them of Elisha who was nearby. They sent for him and his answer makes me laugh. He told them to go ask one of their pagan gods. Joram spoke up and told him that God had brought them there. Did God want the Moab army to defeat them? Elisha called for someone who could play the harp so he could move into the spirit and ask God. The Lord spoke and said that the dry valley before them would be miraculously filled with water but not by wind or rain. They would be victorious over the army of Moab and conquer all the best of their towns. They were to cut down all their good trees, and stop up all their springs and ruins all the good land with stones. God was bringing judgement against their land. The next day water mysteriously appeared and there was water enough for everyone and their animals. The Moabite army saw the water and it looked red so they thought it was the blood of their enemies. They ran to collect the plunder and were ambushed by the three armies. They were completely destroyed. They did everything to the land they were told to and the king of Moab sacrificed his own son in hopes of saving his nation. One day, one of the prophet’s widow came to Elisha and said that creditors were coming to take her two sons if she couldn’t pay him. Elisha asked her what she had and she had a flask of oil. He told her to borrow containers from her friends and take them into her house and shut the door. Then start pouring her oil into them. She did and it filled every container. Elisha told her to sell the oil and pay her debts and live off the rest. Elisha often visited the town of Shunem and stayed with a wealthy woman and her husband. The woman had a room added on to her house for Elisha to stay in when he passed through. Elisha wanted to do something for her in return but she didn’t need anything. Elisha asked his servant Gehazi what she might want and said that she had no son and her husband was old. Elisha called her in and told her that next year she would be holding a son. It happened. Elijah spoke to kings and queens for the Lord. Elisha spoke to kings too, but he also cared for the least of the least - the individual. God is concerned and in control of the nations and the kings of this world but he is also concerned about the individual and the ones who feel the least of his concern. He loves us corporately and individually. In Acts, Paul and Barnabas were in Lystra. They saw a man who had been crippled from birth. Paul preached and perceived that his crippled man had faith to be healed so he called him out and said, “Stand up”. The man stood and was healed. The crowd thought Paul and Barnabas were the Greek gods, Zeus and Hermes. They brought bulls for them to sacrifice in their temple to Zeus. Paul and Barnabas tried to convince them they were just ordinary men. Some of the men from Antioch and Iconium who had opposed Paul and Barnabas told the crowd slanderous things about them. They won the crowd over and now the crowd wanted to kill Paul and Barnabas. They stand Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. The believers took care of him and he and Barnabas left the next morning. They went to Derbe and preached the good news and then came back through Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. They were not afraid of their opposition. They then returned to Antioch in Syria and told the believers all the good stories of the Gentiles accepting the gospel. Lord, may we walk in boldness and confidence that You see us and hear our cries for help.