The Heart of the Matter

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While reading about Elisha's ministry, I've been impressed by the miracles that followed his life. From the time Elijah's mantle was placed on his shoulders, he followed faithfully. He sought a double portion of the spirit that rested on Elijah and received it.

Drawing on the experiences of his ministry, the accounts that follow him serve as a backdrop for building up our faith:

1. The parting of the Jordan River (2 Kings 2:13-14)
2. The healing of the waters of Jericho (2 Kings 2:19-22)
3. The curse of the she-bears (2 Kings 2:23-25)
4. The miracle of the widow's oil (2 Kings 4:1-7)
5. The Shunammite woman's son (2 Kings 4:8-37)
6. The poisoned stew (2 Kings 4:38-41)
7. The feeding of a hundred men (2 Kings 4:42-44)
8. The healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-14)
9. The floating axe head (2 Kings 6:1-7)
10. The blinding of the Arameans (2 Kings 6:8-23)
11. The Siege of Samaria and the prophecy of abundance (2 Kings 6:24-7:20)

What was it about him that caused God to respond so often, with such magnitude?

In at least one of these miracles (the Shunammite woman) never asked for a son. But he spoke and God listened. And then the boy died, but after a time of prayer, Elisha was able to give the boy back to his mother.

We pray. We lean on God's promises. The wait becomes wearisome, and we grow discouraged. It's not uncommon to question whether somehow we disqualified ourselves from seeing the fruit of answered prayer. Maybe God doesn't hear us? Could it be that we've done something to disappoint him and he's waiting for us to get our act together, be better, and prove our worthiness of an answer?

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These questions lead me to another of Elisha's interactions--one of his final moments.

Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash, the king of Israel, came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, "O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!"

And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and some arrows." So he took himself a bow and some arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. And he said, "Open the east window," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot," and he shot. And he said, "The arrow of the LORD's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them."

Then he said, "Take the arrows"; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel. "Strike the ground," so he struck three times and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times." ~ 2 Kings 13:14-21 ~

There has been some discussion surrounding the instructions given to the king. Did he understand that he was supposed to strike the ground so many times? Why was Elisha so angry if instructions weren't clear?

I have a couple of thoughts about this:

• Elisha's statement, "You must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them," is an implication of instruction. The Syrians were not easy to overcome. In fact, quite the opposite. The Syrian army had a vast array of skills and could engage in warfare on any terrain with no trouble. They used military might as well as psychological means. Deception and infiltration would also be employed (Epoch Realm, 2024).
• Scripture tells us that God weighs the heart of a man (1 Samuel 16:7). 

Several times, Jesus is noted as saying "according to your faith ..." when linked with a miracle.

• Matthew 9:29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done to you."
• Matthew 15:28 Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
• Matthew 9:22 Jesus turned, and seeing her, he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
• Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
• Luke 8:48 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."
• Luke 17:19 And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."
• Luke 18:42 And Jesus said to him, "Recover your sight; your faith has made you well."

The apostles later spoke of faith as an ignition switch that fanned flames of miracles, actions, and growth. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

So perhaps it isn't in how many times the king struck the ground, but his belief system. Maybe he just wanted Elisha to make the problem go away--like Naaman did--and didn't put his faith into the action. To Naaman's credit, he did do as Elisha instructed and was amazed that his leprosy was washed away in the process.

A beautiful example of diligently seeking the Lord and receiving the reward of that action is my beautiful friend, Dawn. With her permission, I will attempt to share her story of God's amazing intervention.

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In 2022, her journey began. Being diagnosed with a AAA (aortic aneurysm) was enough to cause concern. In the public eye, Dawn carried herself as though she had no concerns; Jesus was all she needed. So when she stood at the front of a Wednesday night gathering at church, declaring the goodness of God, sharing her 3-year marathon with her God, jaws dropped, tears welled, and praises raised in celebration of the God who continues to work miracles.

From the time of diagnosis, Dawn did one of a few things. She instructed her family what to do if anything were to happen. But more importantly, she went to the Lord. Every. Day. Hand over her heart, asking Him, "Please heal my heart." Whenever fear spoke in her ear, she'd place a hand over her heart, "Please heal my heart." She stated there were days when this occurred multiple times.

Every year, she would go for tests, evaluating and measuring. Should the aneurysm grow any further, she would require surgery. Then, in August this year, she went in for her tests. Days later, her physician gave her the news.

The aneurysm had not grown. In fact, it had shrunk--which is something that does not happen. The physician went further to say, "This is not an aneurysm. There is no more risk."

She beat the arrows and defeated the Syrian army in her life. She could have simply said, "Jesus, please heal my heart," once or twice, and stopped with assurance that God heard. But her belief in what God can do went beyond a formula and attached itself to the hem of His garment just as the woman who'd bled for 12 years (Mark 5:25-34).

She pushed through the room crowded with fear and reaped a harvest.

And so can we, in faith and hope. As Jesus said, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23 NKJV).

In conclusion, God looks at the heart. He knows if we're going through the motions with a prescribed model of words and actions. And He knows when we're holding a mustard seed-sized faith.

😁 All it takes is a mustard seed to grow a great tree in the garden (Mark 4:30-32). 😁

Until next time,  💜 Karlene J 💜