Category: I Kings

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Outside the Box

Do you have a tendency to compartmentalize your life? Family, work, health, friends, finances, social activities? Do things have to be kept in their own little box, not touching or interfering? Like vegetables on a dinner plate, don’t let them blend.

Some people do that with the Lord.

It’s ok for Him to have their Sunday and even occasionally, when times are tough, to be brought into the areas of career or life’s passions but they aren’t ready to allow Him to permeate all the areas of their life.

I found an interesting assessment of the Lord in the book of I Kings. Benhadad had attacked King Ahab of Samaria. The Israelites had gone to aid in the fight. King Benhadad was defeated and look what he was told by his advisers.

“King Ben-Hadad’s officers said to him, ‘The gods of Israel are mountain gods. We fought in a mountain area, so the Israelites won. If we fight them on level ground, we will win.'” I Kings 20:23 ERV

Our God won’t be limited. He won’t be kept in a box. This was the Lord’s reply to their limiting of His involvement.

“A man of God came to the king of Israel with this message: ‘The Lord said, ‘The people of Aram said that I, the Lord, am a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys. So I will let you defeat this great army. Then all of you will know that I am the Lord, wherever you are!’” I Kings 20:28 ERV

The same holds true in our lives. God wants to be involved in every aspect. He has the knowledge, the plan and the power to bring us through in victory.

He wants us to depend upon Him for everything, not just the things we think are too big for us to handle on our own. I’ve learned that trusting the Lord with all I do has a better result.

“ All these good things will come upon you if you will obey the Lord your God. 3 Good will come to you in the city, and good will come to you in the country. 4 Good will come to your children, and the fruit of your ground, and the young of your animals. Your cattle and flock will have many young ones. 5 Good will come to your basket and your bread pan. 6 Good will come to you when you come in, and when you go out.” Deuteronomy 28:2-6 NLV

When we farmed alfalfa, we prayed over the crops and the weather. When we travel, we pray for safety on the roads both in the city and the country. We believe the Father to be involved in our home life and our work life – coming in and going out. Our Father wants to be the leading participant in our life’s story.

My question is this, where have we limited God? Isn’t it time to let Him have it all? Learn to live outside the box, “Then all of you will know that I am the Lord, wherever you are!’”

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A Strong Heart

So many advertisements and commercials encourage us to be “heart smart”. I agree we should, but it won’t come from eating a certain cereal, taking a low grain aspirin every day, or any other thing that man can advertise.

To truly have a strong heart we must take a good dose of Scripture every day.

“Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.” I Kings 8:61

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

We should be trusting the Lord always and letting him direct our paths. He will keep us from accidentally running off course and colliding with discouragement, depression, anger and bitterness.

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27:14

The Lord will strengthen our hearts when we feel emotionally drained and unable to go on. He came to heal the broken-hearted.

“ The Spirit of the Lord is on Me. He has put His hand on Me to preach the Good News to poor people. He has sent Me to heal those with a sad heart. He has sent Me to tell those who are being held that they can go free. He has sent Me to make the blind to see and to free those who are held because of trouble. 19 He sent Me to tell of the time when men can receive favor with the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19 NLV

What we believe can either cause our hearts to fail or to be encouraged.

“If you openly say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from death, you will be saved. 10 Yes, we believe in Jesus deep in our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we openly say that we believe in him, and so we are saved. 11 Yes, the Scriptures say, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be disappointed.'” Romans 10:9-11 ERV

Never disappointed – now that’s an amazing promise! I can honestly say I have not attained that, yet. I deal with disappointments some are just temporary, but others remain for a while and really increase my dependency on Jesus.

“ I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 ERV

Our Father desires to fill us with hope, joy and peace. He will as we trust Him, keep your heart strong.

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Listen!

If you’re anything like I used to be you are probably in a rush this Wednesday morning. The week’s about half over and you have lots that you NEED to get done.

Listen…No stop right now and listen for 10 seconds…If you’re anything like me you’re morning starts with the sound of the coffee pot, the hum of the computer fan and a myriad of other noises all competing for your attention.

I am blessed to live where there are no sounds of traffic, sirens, planes or other such noises. I hear the birds, the air conditioning and the clock ticking.

Yesterday morning I had a very strange experience. I called my doctor’s office to get the results of my lab work. Four times I called. Each time I would hear them say hello, I would say hello and then “click”. I was disconnected. I was frustrated to say the very least; you could hear my frustration in my voice when I finally got through. The nurse on the other end was also frustrated, her phone system was malfunctioning. She apologized and so did I.

Is that what is must be like for God? He calls, we say hello and then He gets a disconnect. Or maybe He calls and we’re too busy so we send Him to voice mail and/or put Him on hold.

I love when I wake up each morning I can say, “I love you Father, I love you Jesus, I love you Holy Spirit” and then I can hear that inner voice say “We love you too”. WOW!!

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Folks spend much of their time looking for the big, the spectacular, the miraculous and miss the simple, still small voice of God trying to lead them and give them insight. How many times have you heard someone say, “I knew I shouldn’t have done that” or “It just dawned on me” or “I was just thinking about that very thing”. And we don’t realize that God is trying to get through to us. It’s a bad connection.

Elijah was looking for God’s answers during a very serious time in his life. He was seeking God and there came a great wind and then an earthquake and then a fire and finally a still small voice. God spoke in a still small voice!

“…a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.” I Kings 19:11-12 NLT

The most important thing you’ll hear each morning, if you listen, will be the still small voice of the Lord. Sssssh – just listen!

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No Broken Promises

The last few days I have been reading in the Old Testament. King David has aged, and the Lord told him to set his son Solomon on the throne. Solomon had been given the task of building the Temple of the Lord.

King David had amassed a great treasury of gold, silver, bronze, jewels and cedar which he left for Solomon to use.

When the Temple was finished and the people were gathered for the dedication, Solomon prayed a prayer of thanksgiving honoring the Lord for His faithfulness and for His promise to “dwell” with His people. And then Solomon prayed over the people of Israel.

“When Solomon prayed this prayer to the LORD, he was on his knees in front of the LORD’s altar and his arms were raised toward heaven. When he finished praying, he stood up. 55 Then, in a loud voice, he asked God to bless all the people of Israel. Solomon said,

56 ‘Praise the LORD! He promised to give rest to his people, Israel. And he has given us rest! He used his servant Moses and made many good promises to the people of Israel. And he has kept every one of them! 57 I pray that the LORD our God will be with us, as he was with our ancestors. I pray that he will never leave us. 58 I pray that we will turn to him and follow him. Then we will obey all the laws, decisions, and commands that he gave our ancestors. 59 I pray that the LORD our God will always remember this prayer and what I have asked. I pray that he will do these things for his servant, the king, and for his people, Israel. I pray that he will do this every day. 60 If he will do these things, all the people of the world will know that the LORD is the only true God. 61 You people must be loyal and true to the LORD our God. You must always follow and obey all of his laws and commands. You must continue to obey in the future as you do now.’” I Kings 8: 54-61 CEV

This is Solomon’s reminder to the people. “He used his servant Moses and made many good promises to the people of Israel. And he has kept every one of them!” God keeps His word. He kept it to Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon and the Israelites and He keeps His word to us today.

And here is the key – it isn’t so we can walk around bragging and arrogant.

“If he will do these things, all the people of the world will know that the LORD is the only true God.”

God gives and keeps His word so that all the world will know that the Lord is the only true God!

Plain and simple, so much in this world changes – you’ve heard it said “everything is relative” but that doesn’t apply to God’s promises and plans.

He is the same – yesterday, today and forever!

The word of the Lord stands forever. In our Father there is no variableness or shadow of turning. God’s love, his truth, his mercy and his grace will endure – His promises never fail.

Thank you, Father! Heaven and earth may pass away but Your word, your promises, will remain forever. They will never be broken.

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Mountains & Valleys

When I was a girl I would hear the people in our church talk about “mountain top” experiences in their walk with the Lord. It was wonderful to hear those testimonies. However, quite often they would also say, “we can’t always live on the mountain top, we have to accept the valleys too”.

Frankly, that was confusing to me. It sounded like they were saying that we couldn’t always have that closeness with God in the valleys of life.

This morning I was reading in I Kings 20 and that was what the enemies of Israel were saying about God. They had gone out to make war against King Ahab. King Ben-Hadad had the armies of 32 other kings with him, the Israelite army had 232 valiant rulers and a marching army of 7000. It appeared the Israelites would be easily defeated.

But God…

“Now the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Israel’s gods are gods of the mountains. So they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and for sure we will be stronger than they. 24 And do this. Take each of the kings from his place, and put captains in their places. 25 Gather together an army like the army you lost, horse for horse, and war-wagon for war-wagon. Then we will fight against Israel in the plain. For sure we will be stronger than they.” And Ben-hadad listened to them and did so.” I Kings 20:23-25 NLV

So, at the beginning of the following year King Ben-Hadad went out against Israel again, this time in a valley. The description given of the Israelite army is they looked like two little flocks of goats while the Arameans covered the land. Once again, they were greatly outnumbered.

“Then a man who spoke for God came to the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says. ‘The Syrians have said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys.” So I will give all these many people to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”  I Kings 20:28 NLV

Whether we are experiencing mountain-top victories or the battles in the valleys God rules. He promises us that when we walk through the valleys of the shadow of death, He is there with us and we have no reason to fear.

God is not limited by location or by circumstance! There is nothing too hard for the Lord. When we keep our eyes on Him and follow His leading, we will see the same thing that the Israelite king saw and “Then you will know that I am the Lord”.

There’s a song that I used to sing years ago, and it came to mind this morning as I was reading these verses.

“For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day is still God in the night”

Mountain-top or valley – we will experience both, but we will never be alone for God is with us!

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Surprised by God

Remember a few days back I told you of Elijah, a man like us, who prayed it wouldn’t rain and it didn’t for 3 1/2 years (James 5:17-18). Well today, I’m going to give you some more of his story.

After Elijah told King Ahab that it wouldn’t rain, he hid in the desert. The Lord led him to a brook. There he had plenty of water and ravens would come morning and evening bringing him food to eat.

Elijah wasn’t surprised by God sending ravens with groceries or that He was led to a place where there was still fresh water while the rest of the nation was in drought.

But after a while the brook dried up. The Lord told him to go to a town called Zarephath and there would be a widow who would feed him. When he got to the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks.

This surprised him!

“So he arose and went to Zarephath. Now when he came to the town gate, to his surprise, a widow was there gathering sticks. So he called her and said, ‘Please bring a little water in a jar that I may drink.’ 11 As she was going to fetch it, he called her and said, ‘Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.’” I Kings 17:10-11 TLV

Elijah was a prophet of God. He had seen and done miracles but here when he encountered a woman, whom God told him he would meet, he was surprised. I find that so encouraging!

There have been times in our life that Dave and I have known that God was leading us to a place and when we got “there” we were surprised. Surprised by God’s favor and provision. It was better than we could have imagined.

“Now to Him who is able to do far beyond all that we ask or imagine, by means of His power that works in us, 21 to Him be the glory in the community of believers and in Messiah Yeshua throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 TLV

The “far beyond all that we ask or imagine” is referring to the previous verses that tell us we can know the width, the depth, the length and the height of God’s love.

It was God’s love that sent Elijah to the woman in Zarephath. His love for the widow, her son and for the prophet. His sustaining love.

“…’Now look, I am gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.’ 13 Elijah said to her, ‘Fear not! Go and do as you said, but first make me a little cake from what you have there. Bring it out to me and afterwards, make some for you and for your son.'” verses 12-13 TLV

Once again, we have a story where God steps in and says, “fear not”. God’s plan is one of provision and not lack or fear.  The woman thought she only had enough for one more small meal. But God…

This widow was surprised by the prophet’s words and God’s supply.

“So she went and did according to the word of Elijah—and she and he, and her household ate for many days.” verse 15

Follow the Lord’s leading today – you just may be in for a surprise!

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Which Box?

Do you have a tendency to compartmentalize your life?

Family, work, health, friends, finances, social activities. Everything has to be kept in its own little box, not touching or interfering with the others, like vegetables on a dinner plate, we don’t let them blend.

Many people do that with the Lord. It’s ok for Him to have their Sunday or days when times are tough, but they aren’t ready to allow Him to permeate each area of their everyday lives.

Yesterday’s blog dealt with opening our heart’s door and letting Jesus in. Welcoming Him in a warmer way than we do with family and friends. Today, we need to look at giving Him full access to every area of our lives.

I found an interesting assessment of the Lord in the book of I Kings. Benhadad, a foreign king, had attacked Ahab, king of Samaria. The Israelites had gone to aid in the fight. King Benhadad was defeated, his officers needed to find a reason for his defeat and this is what they told him.

“King Ben-Hadad’s officers said to him, ‘The gods of Israel are mountain gods. We fought in a mountain area, so the Israelites won. If we fight them on level ground, we will win.'” I Kings 20:23 ERV

God won’t be kept in a box. God won’t be limited. This was the Lord’s reply to their attempt to confine his involvement.

“A man of God came to the king of Israel with this message: ‘The Lord said, “The people of Aram said that I, the Lord, am a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys. So I will let you defeat this great army. Then all of you will know that I am the Lord, wherever you are!’” I Kings 20:28 ERV

The same holds true in our lives.

The Lord wants to show that He is the Lord, wherever we are. God wants to be involved in every aspect of what we do. He has the knowledge, the plan and the power to bring us through in victory. He wants to be Lord over every area of our lives.

“Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.” Colossians 3:16-17 CEV

Our lives should be completely filled with the message of Christ, letting Him have every area, holding nothing back. Then whatever we say or do will be done to honor Him.

We have all given the Lord limited access in our lives at one time or another. Isn’t it time to let Him have it all? No more putting Him in a box. Let the Lord bring the victory we need in every area.

“Then all of you will know that I am the Lord, wherever you are!”

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Common Sense

Wisdom – a commodity to be treasured. Some call it common sense but it’s far from common.

People seek for knowledge but don’t know what to do with it – not sure how to apply it. The application of that knowledge is wisdom.

Here’s the Bible records about Solomon:

“God made Solomon very wise. Solomon could understand more than you can imagine. 30 He was wiser than anyone in the Eastor in Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone on earth, even Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. King Solomon became famous in all the surrounding countries. 32 By the end of his life, he had written 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs.

33 Solomon also knew very much about nature. He taught about many different kinds of plants—everything from the great cedar trees of Lebanon to the little vines that grow out of the walls. He also taught about animals, birds, and snakes. 34 People from every nation came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. Kings all over the world sent their people to listen to him.” I Kings 4:30-34 ERV

When the Lord asked Solomon what he wanted Solomon didn’t ask for money or strength or power, he asked for wisdom so that he could rule well. God blessed him in that way and added the other blessings also.

What is it that you find yourself asking the Lord for? Do you ask Him for wisdom – direction to finish a project, the ability to lead well, understanding of the unknown? The Lord desires to aide us in our day to day life and He will give us the wisdom we ask for – it comes from Him.

“Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom. 6 But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind. ” James 1:5-6 ERV

I found it “coincidental” that as I was reading about Solormon’s great wisdom that I also started reading Proverbs again. Look at the first few verses there.

” These are the proverbs of Solomon, the son of David and king of Israel. 2 They will help you learn to be wise, to accept correction, and to understand wise sayings. 3 They will teach you to develop your mind in the right way. You will learn to do what is right and to be honest and fair. 4 These proverbs will make even those without education smart. They will teach young people what they need to know and how to use what they have learned. 5 Even the wise could become wiser by listening to these proverbs. They will gain understanding and learn to solve difficult problems. 6 These sayings will help you understand proverbs, stories with hidden meanings, words of the wise, and other difficult sayings. 7 Knowledge begins with fear and respect for the Lord, but stubborn fools hate wisdom and refuse to learn.” Proverbs 1:1-7 ERV

Let me encourage you to spend time each day reading in Proverbs. Learn from the wisdom that God gave Solomon. If we ask, the Lord will give us wisdom also.

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Loud & Boisterous

Yesterday was so busy that I almost forgot to look for the Lord’s blessings, that is until this big guy came bouncing across the prairie grass on the side of our RV.

I don’t normally take much interest in the crows, they’re just not an attractive or interesting bird but he caught my attention. He was headed for the mouth of the underground spring at the back of our campsite.

He wasn’t cautious at all. The little birds that come to drink are timid and will light on a branch for only a few seconds, look around and take off again but not him. He strolls in boldly knowing that all others will clear out when he arrives.

Oh my, he’s noisy but he was created by God for a purpose!

This is what Wikipedia says about the crow: “Crows appear to show appreciation to humans by presenting them with gifts.”.

Nothing appears to be said about crows in the Bible but they are very much akin to the raven who is spoken of.

My favorite story involving ravens is found in I Kings 17. Elijah, the prophet, had just told King Ahab that the Lord was going to withhold rain for the next several years. It would only rain again when Elijah said. After that proclamation, the Lord told Elijah to head to a ravine where there was water.

Enter the raven…

“Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 “Leave this place and go east. Hide near Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan River. 4 You can get your water from that stream, and I have commanded ravens to bring food to you there.” 5 So Elijah did what the Lord told him to do. He went to live near Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan River. 6 Ravens brought Elijah food every morning and every evening, and he drank water from the stream.” I King 17:2-6 ERV

I wonder what kind of food they brought him.

The crows in our campground are always finding morsels and tidbits of food in the trash dumpsters. I don’t think I would be too open to be partaking of the food they would bring. However, if the Lord said he sent them, I probably wouldn’t argue.

My takeaway from watching this feathered friend was this. The Lord is willing to use anyone who makes themselves available. It’s not just those who are petite, beautiful (brightly colored), and sing with a sweet melodious voice. He will also use those who are big, unattractive, loud and boisterous.

If I had to give human characteristics to the crow/raven I would say that the Apostle Peter would be a crow – loud, impetuous, foot-in-mouth kind of guy and the Apostle John would be more like the meadowlark with a sweet song and attractive appearance.

The Father uses all kinds of people and birds. Let’s learn to truly appreciate all those God brings into our lives.

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Singing Before Dawn

This morning I slept a little longer than normal. How did I know? I was awaken by the birds singing in the pines just before dawn.

Normally I’m up and have had my first cup of coffee before they start their chorus. It’s a glorious way to start the day.

Listen…Stop right now and listen for 10 seconds…If you’re anything like me you’re morning starts with the sound of the coffee pot and the hum of the computer. But it hasn’t always been that way.

I remember what it’s like to wake to the alarm clock. Have kids that need to get up, be fed and taken to school on my way to the office in the busy traffic. Radio’s playing, tv spilling the morning news, emails to read, FB to check in on – so much noise.

When you stopped to listen did you hear the voice of God?

I love that when I wake up each morning I say “I love you Father, I love you Jesus, I love you Holy Spirit” and then I can hear that inner voice say “We love you too”. WOW!!

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Folks spend much of their time looking for the big, the spectacular, the miraculous and miss the simple, still small voice of God trying to lead them and give them insight.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I knew I shouldn’t have done that” or “It just dawned on me” or “I was just thinking about that very thing”? We often don’t realize that God is trying to get through to us.

Elijah was looking for God’s answers during a very serious time in his life. He was seeking God and there came a great wind and then an earthquake and then a fire and finally a still small voice. God spoke in a still small voice!

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” I Kings 19:11-12

The song of the birds is my morning reminder, the still small voice, as it were that God has the day in order. The birds wake singing praise to God for His provision.

“ I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth much more than birds?” Matthew 6:25-26 CEV

The most important thing you’ll hear each morning, if you listen, will be the still small voice of the Lord. Sssssh – just listen!

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