Thou Shouldest Have

“And [Joash the king of Israel] smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.”—2 Kings 13:18-19

It takes great faith to put oneself “out there.” It takes great faith to prove God and wait for His response. It takes great faith to trust Him with our lives.

Just consider this king of Israel. He pleaded with God’s prophet to do something about the coming invasion of Syria. Elisha told him to put his hand upon the bow, and he did that. Then, Elisha told him to open the window eastward. He did that. He was then told to shoot an arrow, and he did that, too. Finally, Elisha said to Joash to take the arrows and smite the ground. There was no explanation as to why he was supposed to do this or for how many times, but just that he should.

He hits the ground three times and stays.

Was this a test of his urgency of how much he truly wanted God’s help? Did he stop because he felt like he looked foolish long enough obeying the prophet of God? Or did he stay because he had some sort of “foolish mercy” (so says Matthew Henry’s Commentary) toward the Syrians?

Whatever the reason, his hesitancy angered the man of God because I believe if the king had showed more faith, courage and/or desire for God’s help, he would have smote the ground more times, and the Syrian army would have been defeated completely.

So often we don’t do the things we should do and vice versa. Paul said it perfectly through the Holy Spirit in verse Romans 7:19. “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”  

But we also do the things we should, thankfully, but not with our whole heart thereby missing the opportunity to bring something to its proper end. This is where the verse above sticks because I can see much of this in my own life in the areas of my talents, especially.

He then brought to my mind another wonderful verse in Psalm 78:41 that reminded me that God’s people “limited the Holy One of Israel,” and how we do that in our lives.

God makes each of us for a purpose. That purpose may be to shout about Him from the “rooftops” or to quietly in the shadows of the days, months, and years, to raise a godly family and nurture a godly marriage for a great witness to the world. The purpose could be a number of things at once or various things in the process of time. Whatever His design, we each are designed by God to be used for His glory.

And we should not limit Him. But trust Him. Completely. With our whole heart.

Onesti, Romania (2005)

Five Minute Friday: Comfort

Holy Spirit, the Great Comforter, please be my guide as I attempt to share a precious memory that is only one day old.

Yesterday, my daughter, who is just shy of 10 months old, gave me a gift. It was a gift covered in her smile and wrapped with her squeals of affection. We were resting together on the living room couch—after a long day filled with so much activity. Dishes—as in her bottles—were dirty in the sink but I forced myself to enjoy a restful moment with my daughter.

And it was not found wanting.

I wrapped her with my arms and pulled her close, covered with one of her beautiful blankets. And we spent time cuddling, laughing, kissing and hugging.

At that moment, my heart was sealed with love for my precious daughter.

Inside, my heart was filled with so much comfort, affection and love.

It was precious. My gift, this first Mother’s Day.

The Entrance of His Words

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple.” 

Psalm 119:130

The theme verse in my church this year is “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) The emphasis is that we “Walk in the Spirit” in all we do, in our ministry and in our daily lives. This has led me to study the Holy Spirit in my Thompson Chain Reference Bible. I have been blessed learning about how God’s Spirit will abide with us continually, how that He is our Comforter, that He is our Guide into all truth, and that He enlightens our understanding, to name some of His works in and with the Children of Men.

Most of the blessings of this study have come from being reminded that God’s Holy Spirit is there guiding me and teaching me. He is showing me how to walk and where to walk. I am reminded, though, that this guidance does not come in a feeling (although it can) or a preset logic or something taught (although that may be true), but it comes in the entrance of His Words. 

When I read the Bible, I am gently moved to the right or the left by His Word. 

When I read the Bible, a section of Scripture may stand out to me and give me the direction I need for the day. 

When I read the Bible, a verse can settle me and give me rest.

This morning, as I was reading my daily Proverb, I was struck by “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” (Proverbs 13:3) 

Ouch, I said in my spirit. Oh Lord, how is it I can feel so great one minute about this blog "adventure" and be so humbled the next by the thought that I am in a state of opening wide my lips by the words I write? Lord, please keep me close and humble, so that I can be used by You to bless others with this gift You have given me.

And just as quickly, in my readings about the Holy Spirit, Jesus wraps His arms around my heart, giving a gentle hug with “ … he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever … even the spirit of truth … for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:16, 17) 

Yes, Lord, You are with me in this venture. Because You dwell in me, I can rest in this awesome task I believe you have given me. That does not mean I won’t fail, that I won’t get prideful, but despite those likely results from time to time, You will abide with me. You are abiding in me.

Thank you, Lord. 

Ankor Wat, Cambodia. (2000)