Remembering

^“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done” (1 Chronicles 16:11-12).

Those two bits of instruction go together, don’t they? It’s so much easier to rely on the Lord’s strength when we remember all he has done. So, here’s more to remember, condensed from 1 and 2 Kings.

Flowing Water

Elisha said, “You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink.” The next morning, there it was—water flowing.

More Olive Oil

A widow told Elisha, “My husband is dead, and now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves. I have nothing at all, except a small jar of olive oil.”

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Pour oil into all the jars.” They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, the oil stopped flowing.

The man of God said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

More Resurrection

Gehazi said (regarding a woman who had shown hospitality to Elisha), “She has no son, and her husband is old.”

Then Elisha said, “About this time next year, you will hold a son in your arms.” The next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

The child grew, and one day he said to his father, “My head! My head!”After the servant carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.

When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch.  He went in and prayed to the Lord. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

Deadly Stew

Elisha said to his servant, “Put on the large pot and cook some stew for these prophets.” One of them went out into the fields to gather herbs and found a wild vine and picked as many of its gourds as his garment could hold, unaware that they were poisonous. When he returned, he cut them up into the pot of stew.

As they began to eat it, they cried out, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it.

Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He put it into the pot and said, “Serve it to the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

photo by Roberta Sorge via Unsplas.com