October 3, 2020 8:00 pm
The verse on the card Lisa received didn’t seem to match her situation: “Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). I have cancer! she thought in confusion. I’ve just lost a baby! A verse about angel soldiers does not apply.
Then the “angels” began to show up. Cancer survivors gave her their time and a listening ear. Her husband got released early from an overseas military assignment. Friends prayed with her. But the moment she most felt God’s love was when her friend Patty walked in with two boxes of tissues. Placing them on the table, she started crying. Patty knew. She’d endured miscarriages too.
“That meant more than anything,” Lisa says. “The card made sense now. My ‘angel soldiers’ had been there all along.”
When an army besieged Israel, a host of literal angels protected Elisha. But Elisha’s servant couldn’t see them. “What shall we do?” he cried to the prophet (v. 15). Elisha simply prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see” (v. 17).
When we look to God, our crisis will show us what truly matters and that we’re not alone. We learn that God’s comforting presence never leaves us. He shows us His love in infinitely surprising ways.
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Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Today's reading titled Strange Comfort was written by Tim Gustafson. The verse on the card Lisa received didn't seem to match her situation. It read, I have cancer, she thought in confusion.
I've just lost a baby. A verse about angel soldiers doesn't apply. Then, the angels began to show up. Cancer survivors gave her their time in a listening ear. Her husband got released early from an overseas military assignment. Friends prayed with her. But the moment she most felt God's love was when her friend Patti walked in with two boxes of tissues. Placing them on the table, she started crying. Patti knew. She'd endured miscarriages too. That meant more than anything, Lisa says.
The card made sense now. My angel soldiers had been there all along. When an army besieged Israel, a host of literal angels protected Elisha. But Elisha's servant couldn't see them.
What shall we do? He cried to the prophet. Elisha simply prayed, open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see. When we look to God, our crisis will show us what truly matters and that we are not alone. We learn that God's comforting presence never leaves us.
He shows us his love in infinitely surprising ways. A devotional scripture reading is from 2 Kings chapter 6 verses 15, 16, and 17. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. Oh, no, my Lord.
What shall we do? The servant asked. Don't be afraid, the prophet answered. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And Elisha prayed, open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.
Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Now let's pray. Omnipotent Father, Romans 8 reminds us that you are for us and not against us because of the sacrificial and final work of our Lord Jesus. And you're doing thousands and even millions of things on our behalf, even right now. May we catch more glimpses of the protection and the love that you bring in the timely gifts of weeping friends and good meals and other everyday graces. You are so good and you never stop loving us. Thank you for going before us and sustaining us right now when we need you. Thank you that in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we see everything that we need and so much more. It's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-02-24 17:44:37 / 2024-02-24 17:46:03 / 1
