I feel that I have had a fresh word from the Lord for the past few weeks to become "sharpened." My spirit's pencil point had become dull. Of course, that fresh word followed a knowing in my heart that it was time to once again seek the Lord in depth of both intense personal and intercessory prayer.
July dawned with a sense of heaviness I have not experienced in a very long time. Serious world events and grim news paraded across headlines and blared from the mouths of reporters. It was almost as if we could not catch our breath. Scandals, terrorism unmatched in my lifetime, lawless abandon of timeless principles and endless waves of known and unknown hoards of people crossing the sacred borders of the state of Texas that I call home, came day after day. Then, there were the numerous phone calls and internet messages from personal friends facing incredible personal crisis that raised the level of intensity and my own anxiety.
I have to admit that my eyes and ears temporarily began to question the reality of what I perceived. Fear tried really hard to rear its head like some Goliath, taunting my faith as to what the near future would be like if all this continued.
Is it any wonder that the Lord had awakened my hungry heart, sent me to the prayer closet, and directed me to His Word to see, not as I was seeing, but seeing as it really is. He has been faithfully restoring my spiritual eyes and ears.
Today, I revisited 2 Kings 6: 8-23 to read the story of the prophet Elisha and his servant when Israel was subjected to invading Syrian bands who were making constant border raids. God kept revealing the enemy plans to Elisha who then relayed them to Israel's king thus interrupting Syria's former raiding success. All attention then turned to Elisha who did not run as the Syrians surrounded him and his faithful servant in Dothan.
Rising to go outside in the morning, Elisha's servant asked a familiar question we also ask when encompassed by bad news and overwhelming presence of our enemies: (Verse 15)" ...What shall we do?" I love what the Bible says next as Elisha's answer: (Verse 16) "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those that are with them."
Now, what comes next ignites the stone in my slingshot against the pesky Goliath of current events taunting my faith: (Verse 17) "Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he saw, and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
Yes, that servant saw as it really is...so did this sevant. So may you!
July dawned with a sense of heaviness I have not experienced in a very long time. Serious world events and grim news paraded across headlines and blared from the mouths of reporters. It was almost as if we could not catch our breath. Scandals, terrorism unmatched in my lifetime, lawless abandon of timeless principles and endless waves of known and unknown hoards of people crossing the sacred borders of the state of Texas that I call home, came day after day. Then, there were the numerous phone calls and internet messages from personal friends facing incredible personal crisis that raised the level of intensity and my own anxiety.
I have to admit that my eyes and ears temporarily began to question the reality of what I perceived. Fear tried really hard to rear its head like some Goliath, taunting my faith as to what the near future would be like if all this continued.
Is it any wonder that the Lord had awakened my hungry heart, sent me to the prayer closet, and directed me to His Word to see, not as I was seeing, but seeing as it really is. He has been faithfully restoring my spiritual eyes and ears.
Today, I revisited 2 Kings 6: 8-23 to read the story of the prophet Elisha and his servant when Israel was subjected to invading Syrian bands who were making constant border raids. God kept revealing the enemy plans to Elisha who then relayed them to Israel's king thus interrupting Syria's former raiding success. All attention then turned to Elisha who did not run as the Syrians surrounded him and his faithful servant in Dothan.
Rising to go outside in the morning, Elisha's servant asked a familiar question we also ask when encompassed by bad news and overwhelming presence of our enemies: (Verse 15)" ...What shall we do?" I love what the Bible says next as Elisha's answer: (Verse 16) "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those that are with them."
Now, what comes next ignites the stone in my slingshot against the pesky Goliath of current events taunting my faith: (Verse 17) "Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he saw, and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
Yes, that servant saw as it really is...so did this sevant. So may you!