2 Kings 6.5-7 5 But as one was felling a log, his axe
head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.”
6 Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place,
he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. 7 And he
said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it. (ESV)
I also love (see my post from 6-20-13) the presence of
Elijah and Elisha in the apostasy of Israel. These “miracles” of Elisha help me
to remember and rejoice in the presence and power of God. Elisha seems to be a
bit more focused than Elijah and his personality seems a little less
personable. How would you be if you
had to follow in Elijah’s footsteps?
Elisha helps me remember as well the providence of God
even in the least worst of times. The story above (found in 2 Kings 6) is how
God comes through in the midst of the oddly annoying circumstances of life:
lost keys or wallet; lost cell phone; etcetera.
God is with us in the everyday-ness of life: the
hangnail, the zit, fender-bender, whatever; these are annoying things that
remind us of our limitations and the frustration of good old everyday life: the
stuff-happens kind of life. The question is what we do with what we experience?
A couple weeks ago I drove through the drive-thru at the local convenience
store to buy myself some quick mountain bike riding energy (a 20 oz. Mountain
Dew; fortunately Mayor Dumberg wasn’t
around…) and I gave the gal at the window a couple bucks and told her to keep
the change (big tipper, me). She brightened and thanked me as I drove away.
Later that same day, I couldn’t find a ten-dollar bill I
had and thought: Crap! No wonder she was
so friendly I gave her flippin’ eleven bucks instead of two! I then thought
glumly, Oh well… So, last Sunday I
went out for a Father’s Day jaunt on the old bike and because it was warm I had
the windows down on the pickup as I drove to my bike-riding spot and as the wind
swirled around in the cab, out from under the seat came a ten-dollar bill. I
thought, Huh! It’s that everyday-ness
stuff that God doesn’t forget about.
God cares for us at a level we can easily dismiss or
disregard; or write off to coincidence. God cares about axe heads and
ten-dollar bills. Built into God’s plan for us is a place, if you’ll pardon the
word-play, called: Axe-Head room. Borrowed,
broken, overlooked, over-paid, God is still with us. And He cares for us and
provides a way for us. I wonder in heaven how many times we’ll exclaim: “Oh! So
that’s where that went!”
Elisha reminds me of how much we need God in the everyday
stuff. Elisha reminds me of how much God cares about the minute details that we’d
rather try to solve on our own or just write off to bad luck or whatever. There
is no such thing in my life as coincidence – at least not if God is involved.
Father, I’m glad for Your presence and providence in all of the small stuff, borrowed and blue
or with a sixpence or a dime in my shoe. You care, and Your word tells me over
and over You do! Thank You for Your word this day and for Your presence on that
riverside that day when someone found You faithful in relieving their fret –
may I walk relieved in that same manner – amen.
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