God Is More Than Willing To Help Us
Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, "Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury."
But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?' Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!' " "So Elijah went.
When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you come back?"
"A man came to meet us," they replied. "And he said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, "This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!" ' "
The king said, "That was Elijah the Tishbite."
Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men . . . The captain went up to Elijah . . . and said to him, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down!' " Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you . . . "Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. . . . Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. "Man of God," he begged, "please have respect for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! . . ."
The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him."
. . . He told the king . . . Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. . . . So he died, according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. . . .
2 Kings 1:2-17
But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?' Therefore this is what the LORD says: 'You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!' " "So Elijah went.
When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you come back?"
"A man came to meet us," they replied. "And he said to us, 'Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, "This is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!" ' "
The king said, "That was Elijah the Tishbite."
Then he sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men . . . The captain went up to Elijah . . . and said to him, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down!' " Elijah answered the captain, "If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you . . . "Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.
At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. . . . Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
So the king sent a third captain with his fifty men. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah. "Man of God," he begged, "please have respect for my life and the lives of these fifty men, your servants! . . ."
The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him."
. . . He told the king . . . Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. . . . So he died, according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. . . .
2 Kings 1:2-17
I believe if we were to take some time to reflect over God's desire and willingness to meet our needs as His children, we will certainly be overwhelmed with gratitude.
The Bible makes it clear that God will not withhold anything good thing from His children. He has also promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). His promise is that when we ask, it will be given to us; when we seek, we will find and when we knock, the door will be opened to us. He makes it clear that if we (though we are evil) know how to give good gifts to our children, why would He not do the same for us? (Matthew 7:7-11). In Romans 8:32, there is also another astonishing promise from God: "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all -- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?"
The picture is pretty clear: God does not want His children to live with unmet needs. Our responsibility is to ask Him and let Him say: "Yes," "Wait," or "No," according to His will for us.
Ahaziah ignored the God of his fathers and sought answers from a false god. God was very displeased and allowed Ahaziah to die!
But Ahaziah is not alone. There are occasions when many of us have failed to seek the counsel of God and have gone ahead to do things for ourselves. We depend on whatever resources we have at our disposal and plunge ahead to meet our needs. Sometimes those steps turn out to be rather unfruitful and God is very displeased in the process. He simply wants to help us!
Would you cast all your cares on God today? He is more than willing to meet your need.
The Bible makes it clear that God will not withhold anything good thing from His children. He has also promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). His promise is that when we ask, it will be given to us; when we seek, we will find and when we knock, the door will be opened to us. He makes it clear that if we (though we are evil) know how to give good gifts to our children, why would He not do the same for us? (Matthew 7:7-11). In Romans 8:32, there is also another astonishing promise from God: "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all -- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?"
The picture is pretty clear: God does not want His children to live with unmet needs. Our responsibility is to ask Him and let Him say: "Yes," "Wait," or "No," according to His will for us.
Ahaziah ignored the God of his fathers and sought answers from a false god. God was very displeased and allowed Ahaziah to die!
But Ahaziah is not alone. There are occasions when many of us have failed to seek the counsel of God and have gone ahead to do things for ourselves. We depend on whatever resources we have at our disposal and plunge ahead to meet our needs. Sometimes those steps turn out to be rather unfruitful and God is very displeased in the process. He simply wants to help us!
Would you cast all your cares on God today? He is more than willing to meet your need.
Prayer: Father, I thank you that there is no need that you cannot meet because you own and control all things. Please help me to turn to no one else but you with every situation I encounter. Amen.