557 - Seek Diligently, and You Will Find#
(JP Text Group - Shalom Compilation)
Peace be with you, dear family, and welcome. Today is Sunday, and we will look at God's words together.
The topic of the sharing is: Seek Diligently, and You Will Find
Let’s first read this passage from 2 Kings 2:6-10:
6 Elijah said to Elisha, “The Lord has sent me to the Jordan; you can stay here.” Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on. 7 Fifty men of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing them; the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said. “Yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
Let’s start with a prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for starting our new week of life, and thank You for leading us to seek the truth. Through the sharing of Your words, let us receive revelation, strength, faith, and wisdom, helping us to know You more and understand how to walk in our lives. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
Those who believe in the Lord hope to experience God's great power more in their lives, and those who serve also hope to have various gifts to better serve others. Does God want to give us these graces? And how can we obtain them? Today, through the story of Elisha, I hope to bring some insights and help to everyone.
First, let’s look at what happened to Elijah. Elijah was a very great prophet who had performed many miracles in the past, especially praying for three years without rain, and indeed it did not rain for three years. When he prayed again, the heavens brought forth rain. In this ministry, he demonstrated to the people of Israel that the Lord is the true God and killed four hundred and fifty false prophets. He thought that through miracles, he could turn the hearts of the Israelites back to God, but after the people saw the rain, they left and continued their previous idol-worshiping lives.
This caused Elijah to completely lose faith. He did not know what to do next and even had complaints against God. At that moment, the leader of the false prophets, Jezebel, ordered Elijah to be killed, so he fled and prayed for death under a broom tree. Although an angel brought him food and drink, after he ate and drank, he still lay down, feeling hopeless about the future.
1 Kings 19:9-10:
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “Elijah, what are you doing here?” 10 “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty,” he replied. “The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
As a prophet, Elijah's place of service should have been among the people. Even if the people went astray and did not listen to his words, he should have continued to serve them. But what about Elijah now? He ran to the mountain of God, went into the cave, and lay there for forty days and nights. The angel brought him food and drink, but after he finished eating and drinking, he still remained in that state. Later, he directly stayed in a cave.
As a prophet, what are you doing living in a cave? Isn’t this contrary to the responsibility God gave you? He lay down. At this time, the word of the Lord came to him: “Elijah, what are you doing here?” God's words were very clear: “This is not where you should be; you should go among the people and lead them.”
Shouldn’t today’s servants be serving among the brothers and sisters? If a brother or sister encounters a problem and comes to him, and he says, “I’m busy, I don’t have time, I’m not moved,” that is not what a servant should do. Servants should spend most of their time with the brothers and sisters, among the people.
But now Elijah is living in a cave. When God asked him, he had a reason: “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.” This means: I have done a lot, but now the Israelites have rejected Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets.
In his response to God, he spoke only of others' reasons. “Because the Israelites have rejected Your covenant, my zeal for them is ineffective; my service has no effect; they do not listen to me, and they do not love the gospel I preach. Moreover, now the false prophets are rampant, and they have killed all Your prophets, leaving only me, and they are seeking my life.”
Elijah meant: I have to flee; if I die, there will be no prophet left. At this point, Elijah felt particularly important, and he also felt that God was doing nothing, leading to the death of all the true prophets serving God, leaving only him. From his response, it is clear that he was full of complaints because things did not develop as he had expected. He thought that the people would awaken after seeing him perform miracles, but unexpectedly, the outcome was such that after he performed miracles, the people remained the same as before.
I don’t know how many people, relying on God, have encountered such confusion. They read the Bible, pray, and attend meetings, but there is not much improvement in their lives, so many become disheartened and unwilling to draw near to God. Some servants are the same; at first, they are zealous for God, thinking that performing miracles and preaching the truth will change everyone. But later they realize that life transformation is not a simple matter. Sometimes, when preaching the gospel to many people, others do not believe at all, and even after spending a lot of time and energy, the harvest is not great. When their own lives encounter obstacles, many will become disheartened and despair like Elijah.
From this, we can also see that miracles cannot truly make people rely on God and follow God; only the truth can change people, Amen. In the past, the Israelites who came out of Egypt saw miracles every day and witnessed God's provision, yet their hearts remained hardened and did not repent; they continually tested God.
In fact, looking at Elijah's ministry, we can see that when encountering obstacles or lack of effectiveness in the process of serving, the prophet should not lose heart but should seek God: “Lord, what should I do? What should I do now?” This is what a prophet should do. But Elijah lay down directly, wanting to give up, praying for death. God commanded Elijah to return to continue the ministry and anoint Elisha as a prophet to continue Elijah's work. This shocked Elijah greatly.
Through the descriptions in these chapters, it can be seen that Elijah did not truly want to die; he was just complaining and disheartened, feeling that he had given too much, yet there was no effect. He even complained to God about why He did not change this environment, and he did not know what to do next. Brothers and sisters, if we have not experienced miracles in our lives, we may feel unwilling; but many people have experienced miracles, and the situation still does not change, making it particularly easy to become disheartened. Because all the methods they should have used have been exhausted, they do not know what to do.
At this time, Elijah felt particularly important, but this is a form of pride. Those who serve God cannot be like this. We must be clear about one thing: all of God's work can continue without any one person. Take today’s situation as an example; if the prophet Elijah is gone, there will be other prophets to continue God's will; but without God, that will not work.
From here, all servants should be vigilant and take heed, not to emulate Elijah, but to know that we are co-workers with God. The world cannot function without God, but it can operate without other people. We cannot think too highly of ourselves; no matter how great the work a servant has done in the past, we cannot be complacent about it.
A new year has begun. Perhaps last year we did a lot of work and helped many people, but that is already in the past. We cannot take past achievements and feel great today; we should start from now, reset everything to zero, rely on God again, receive God's truth, and continue to serve with renewed thinking. This is what we need to do.
Every year should be like this, constantly renewing ourselves, receiving strength from God to continue moving forward. If we always feel proud of the great work we did in the past, we will fall into the same situation as Elijah. So God’s intention is: “Pass your work on to Elisha, and you can come back.” Since he did not want to continue, God did not force him.
Let’s look at Elisha's desire to serve God. Both encountered such an environment, but a person of faith does not care how bad the environment is; what he wants is the strength that comes from God to overcome this environment.
1 Kings 19:19-21:
19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” 21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people. They ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.
From the dialogue above, it can be seen that Elisha was very willing to serve God and was already prepared; he just needed an opportunity. When Elijah threw his cloak around him, he understood that it indicated he had already received related revelation from God.
Therefore, he directly said to Elijah, “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and then I will come with you.”
Why do I say that Elijah did not truly want to die, nor did he really want to go back? Look at what he said here: Elijah said to him, “Go back; what have I done to you?” I didn’t say anything; I just threw my cloak around you. What have I done that you must follow me? Elijah seemed quite unwilling.
But Elisha did not care about this; he said goodbye to his parents and those nearby and followed Elijah to serve him. This is the person God has prepared; he is not afraid of the difficulties ahead and is filled with confidence in serving God, not giving up. Even if Elijah rejected him, he was still willing to follow. After that, Elisha continued to follow Elijah to learn to serve God.
Serving God is not something you can just do on a whim; it requires equipping. If you serve without equipping, it is easy to do things according to your own will. At this time, Elisha was always following Elijah to learn; he should have joined Elijah's school of prophets and become one of the students. Years later, the time came for Elijah, and God was going to take him back.
So, dear family, what do we see? God's work is orderly. Elijah himself did not want to continue the work of God; he was wholeheartedly seeking death, so God let him clarify the following matters and find a successor. At this time, Elisha was full of confidence following Elijah to learn; he should have completed his studies, and the time had come, so all the students of the school of prophets knew that God was going to take Elijah back.
However, Elisha's seeking heart was different from that of other prophet students. He often followed Elijah to learn to serve, wholeheartedly seeking to inherit Elijah's power. This is what a servant does; they will diligently learn, do, and seek, with the aim of equipping themselves to participate in service later. This continuous following heart comes from within him. If a person is unwilling to serve, even if we offer them good conditions, it is useless.
Let’s look at a passage from 2 Kings 2:1-3:
1 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” Elisha replied. “So be quiet.”
The time for God to take Elijah to heaven had come. Elijah wanted to take one last look at his students and say goodbye, but these prophet students also knew about this matter. At this time, Elisha must follow Elijah; why? Because he had not yet received the power, nor had he received the gifts like Elijah, so he was determined to follow Elijah and obtain these. Many people envy the power that Elisha later possessed, but we should see how he obtained it. He sought diligently, wholeheartedly seeking, and those who seek will surely find.
Our God is not like the Elijah of the Old Testament who is unwilling to give; our God is willing to give various gifts to His children. But how many people are continuously seeking? Many people are just temporarily enthusiastic; after asking twice and not receiving, they give up, which shows that their hearts do not truly care about this matter.
What God wants is servants, those who rely on God, to continuously seek. If God does not give me this matter, I will keep praying, praying, for a year, if that doesn’t work, then for two years, if that doesn’t work, then for five years. Faith does not weaken; continuous prayer is the heart of Elisha. You must know that he followed Elijah not for one or two years; he started following Elijah from the time he left home and continued until he finally received it. As for Elijah, he actually did not pay much attention to Elisha, as we have discussed earlier.
However, Elisha's attitude was: You can reject me, but I must follow you; I will find an opportunity to follow until I receive the power from God. Other prophet students knew that Elijah was going to be taken by God, but no one sought the power of God like Elisha did.
2 Kings 2:4-5:
4 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you,” Elisha said. So they went to Jericho. 5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “So be quiet.”
Have you noticed something? Elijah did not want Elisha to follow him at all. From here, it can indeed be seen that Elijah had complaints in his heart and did not want Elisha to keep following him; he seemed unwilling.
But Elisha did not care about this; he said, “I will not leave you; wherever you go, I will go.” Thank the Lord, this is a truly seeking person. Because in the Old Testament, prophets were like God; a prophet used by God like Elijah had to be followed by Elisha; there was no other way.
Unlike today, we can pray to our Heavenly Father anytime and anywhere, and Jesus listens to our prayers, and the Father fulfills them for us. In the Old Testament, the path was very narrow; it had to go through the prophet. The prophets in Jericho also knew this, but none of them sought the power from God like Elisha did. Even if Elijah tried to stop him from following, he was still determined to follow. This seeking heart did not waver because others were unwilling.
Think about it; how many people today, because they prayed once and God did not fulfill their request, say they no longer believe, stop attending meetings, and will never believe in God again? Who is losing out in this situation? We need to be wise. Many people pray before God, saying, “Lord, if You do not fulfill this matter for me, I will not believe in You anymore.” What loss does God suffer from such statements? We should think about whether we lose God's glory or whether we lose something ourselves by not seeking Him.
I want to tell you the truth: even if a person does not believe in God, it will not cause any loss to God; but that person will suffer great loss. Elisha understood this principle, so he knew that if he did not receive God's gifts before Elijah was taken to heaven, he would suffer great loss. He must closely follow Elijah and have him bless him. This was Elisha's seeking heart at that time.
Let’s continue to look at 2 Kings 2:6-8:
6 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you,” Elisha said. So the two of them walked on. 7 Fifty men of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing them; the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
This was the third time. Elijah said to Elisha again, “The Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” This was really the time to go; he was going to ascend there, “You can stay here.” He did not want Elisha to follow him.
Elisha knew that this opportunity could not be missed, so he said again, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” Do you see Elisha's seeking heart? How many people today can have Elisha's unwavering heart to seek God continuously?
Although this time there were fifty prophet students who followed, what was their state? They stood at a distance. These fifty people probably just wanted to send off their master Elijah, standing far away.
Dear family, now you know why Elisha later became the leader of these prophets, right? The things those who entered school learned might have far exceeded Elisha, but their abilities could not surpass Elisha. The difference lies here. In our service to God, it is not about how long you have believed; it is not about how many years you have served; the key lies in the heart of seeking.
Many people always say, “I have believed for decades.” Do not envy such people. If a person has believed for decades but has not sought God or relied on God in everything, their life may just be like that. This does not mean we look down on anyone; that is not the intention. What we mean is that the number of years one has believed is not worth boasting about; the key is whether we rely on God every year.
Just like those fifty people, although they came along, they stood far away; but Elisha? He was closely following Elijah. At this time, Elijah performed another miracle, rolling up his cloak and striking the water, causing the water to divide. You must know that Elijah's cloak symbolizes his authority; it is his power because the adornment of clothing is a symbol of a person's identity.
At this moment, Elijah rolled up his cloak, indicating that his ministry had come to a close, but the power remained, so he struck the water with this cloak, and the water was divided. This was a miracle performed at the Jordan River. You see these miracles, but those fifty people did not immediately run over; they still stood far away. Everyone sees this is the difference between those who seek and those who do not.
2 Kings 2:9-10:
9 After they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said. “Yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours; otherwise, it will not.”
After the two crossed the Jordan, Elijah finally spoke: “What can I do for you? Just ask me.” Elisha had been waiting for this sentence; it was not easy. This was the passing of the anointing.
Because in the Old Testament, a prophet was like God; whoever he anointed would receive power from God, Amen. Elisha understood this, which is why he kept following Elijah, wanting to receive this passing of the anointing.
Now Elijah finally spoke, so Elisha said, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” He was really bold to ask; he wanted not just anything, but to inherit a double portion of Elijah's spirit. He wanted to do greater things than Elijah and to possess more power.
Logically speaking, a student should have a more ambitious heart than the teacher, and Elijah should have been pleased, but the reality was otherwise. This is why I keep emphasizing that Elijah was not truly willing to go back; he even seemed a bit dismissive of Elisha.
Look at how Elijah responded: “You have asked a difficult thing. Yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours; otherwise, it will not.” This statement is a bit awkward.
What does Elijah mean? What you are asking for is somewhat difficult; it is not a simple matter. But since you have spoken, I can tell you that when I am taken away by God, if you see me, you will surely receive it; otherwise, you will not. This statement translates to: Everything depends on fate; whether you can receive it depends on your fortune. Logically, it should not be like this; as a prophet, he should pray for his student’s blessing. He did not do that; he did not willingly pass on his anointing to Elisha but merely dropped this sentence.
In the New Testament, all power comes from the Holy Spirit; as long as a person is willing to seek, the Holy Spirit is willing to give various gifts to people. You see, in the Old Testament, Elisha had to go through so much effort to obtain these; we are so blessed, we do not need to seek like Elisha did. But how many people truly value the gifts of the Holy Spirit? How many people genuinely place God's truth at the forefront of their lives? And how many people seek God with the same dedication as Elisha? You must know that we are under grace; as long as you sincerely seek, God is willing to give it to you.
Let’s look at a true story from Matthew 20:29-34:
29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Comparing the process of Elisha seeking with these two blind men, isn’t it very difficult? Elijah was unwilling to give to him, repeatedly rejecting him from following, and even at the last moment did not pray for Elisha’s blessing. Now look at our Lord Jesus Christ and how He treats those who follow Him and seek Him.
Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they seized the opportunity to seek Jesus. What was their approach? They shouted loudly, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
The crowd rebuked these two men: “Don’t speak; who told you to shout? You have no manners.” But did you notice that these two blind men did not care what others said; they focused on seeking and continued to shout, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus heard them and called them over, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”
In contrast to Elijah, who only asked Elisha at the last moment, “What do you want me to do for you? Just ask me.” Comparing the two, aren’t these two blind men more blessed? Because they only shouted a few times and did not give up, Jesus directly called them over and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said, “Lord, we want our sight!”
Jesus did not set any limits for them, nor did He make them do any effort. Jesus had compassion on them, touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed Him. In this way, aren’t these two blind men more blessed?
If Elisha had followed Jesus at that time, he would not have had to go through so much effort; he would have received it early. We also believe that Jesus would have willingly laid His hands on him and blessed him. But after all, Elisha lived in the Old Testament.
Fortunately, you are not Elijah's disciples; you are disciples of the Lord Jesus. Since you are disciples of the Lord Jesus, when you encounter something, should you not call upon our Lord? Should you not seek our Lord? Thank the Lord, this is wisdom.
Dear family, since you believe that Jesus is capable, the wise approach is to call upon our God and seek our Lord in any situation you encounter. And you should believe that our Lord Jesus is different from Elijah; Elijah had his own selfishness, but our Lord Jesus does not. He is willing to give you the best.
Jesus has already given His life for you; He is willing to give you all kinds of spiritual blessings. But what do you need to do? Seek Him diligently. Do not give up seeking because of obstacles in the surrounding environment, and do not stop seeking because of what others say; these are all our own losses.
So dear family, we need to learn from Elisha's seeking heart. Although the surrounding environment did not seem satisfactory to him, he still steadfastly sought, Amen, and in the end, he received. No matter what Elijah said, he opened his mouth; once he opened his mouth, Elisha felt: as long as you open your mouth, it’s enough; I believe I will surely receive it. Thank the Lord.
Moreover, this is the passing of the ministry. Why did Elisha have to find Elijah and have him bless him? Serving God is not something you can do however you want; it must have a succession. When Elijah threw his cloak around Elisha, it was actually the passing of the ministry, similar to our ordination prayer. For example, in the church, establishing elders, deacons, pastors, teachers, etc., all requires ordination prayer; this cannot be done casually.
For instance, some people listen to a few sermons and think they can become a pastor, so they self-proclaim as pastors and start working. This is not recognized by God; God's work is orderly. Therefore, we still need to pay attention to the passing of the ministry; if we do it according to our own will, problems will arise.
Let’s look again at what Elisha sought: “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” This means, God, give me the same ability You gave to him, but in double measure; I also want to be a prophet of God like you and serve the people.
From the dialogue, it seems that Elijah was not very willing to give, saying, “What you ask for is a bit difficult, but if God gives it to you, you will receive it; if God is unwilling, you will not receive it.” But Elisha firmly believed that God would surely give it to him, and indeed he received it, Amen. From then on, the era of God using Elisha for work officially began.
2 Kings 2:11-15:
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. 13 He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. 15 The company of the prophets from Jericho who were watching said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
Let’s look at this last section. While the two were talking, God came to take Elijah back, and a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two. This was a spiritual vision, and Elisha saw it.
In fact, this was receiving the power from God by faith because Elijah himself was unwilling to give and did not pray for his blessing. Elisha received it by faith.
Then he said, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” It turns out that in Elisha's eyes, Elijah was like a god; he was equivalent to the chariots and horsemen of Israel. Thank the Lord, this is Elisha's recognition of Elijah.
If believers respect their pastors, believing that what the pastor says aligns with the truth of the Bible and comes from God, then they will receive such power; if they think the pastor is just eloquent, then what they receive is knowledge. Elisha viewed Elijah as a god-like existence, so he also received the power that came from God.
Elisha tore his clothes in two. He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah. I have mentioned before that this cloak represents the passing of power and anointing.
Then he picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back to stand on the bank of the Jordan. He struck the water with the cloak that had fallen from Elijah, which meant he had already received the passing of Elijah's power. So he said, “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?”
After striking the water, it divided to the right and to the left. Thank the Lord, this officially inherited Elijah's power. The prophet students across the river saw all this and finally realized: “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.”
In fact, God does not show favoritism; it is not that those prophet students were not good, but they did not have such a seeking heart. So they later bowed down before Elisha, and from then on, Elisha began to lead this group of students. Thank the Lord. If you seek Jesus Christ, your spiritual life will grow rapidly, and you may even lead those who have believed for many years. It is not by your own cleverness and wisdom that you lead, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, in the church, do not look at physical age. Some people may be young in age, but their spiritual life is very mature. Such people will be used by God to lead those who are older in physical age. This is something we need to learn from this text.
At the same time, from this text, we also see that Elisha's faith is unwavering and continuously seeking, and he also has wisdom. What is this wisdom? It is that he is determined not to leave Elijah and steadfastly follows him. If at any point he had cared about his image and listened to Elijah's words and stopped following, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
Let’s look at a passage from Jeremiah 29:11-13:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
This is the word of God Himself; we should keep such words in our hearts. The plans God has for us are plans to prosper us, not to harm us. Since God gives us peace and blessings, when you encounter any situation, when making decisions in life, you should seek our God, for He will give you the best.
To give you hope in the future. This future can refer to the last days or the low points in your life; our God is your hope. Moreover, when you seek Him, He has no selfishness; He is willing to give you the best.
Just look at the two blind men who sought the Lord Jesus, and you will understand. God blesses us not because of our good behavior or great achievements, but simply because we believe in Him and are willing to follow Him; then this blessing will come upon us.
It says: You will call on me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. This is the condition for God to fulfill blessings in our lives: you must call on Him, you must pray to Him, Amen; this is the only condition.
God will not force us to have blessings placed upon us. What we need to do is willingly seek Him, pray to God, and He will be willing to give to you. But this prayer must be continuous; if this matter has not yet been fulfilled, then we will keep praying. God will, at the right time and place, give you the best blessing. This is something everyone must be clear about: God wants to give us the best, Amen.
Later it also mentions: You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Do not learn from the Israelites, who prayed once, and when God did not fulfill their request at the best time, they turned to seek false gods, relying on Egypt and Babylon. This is not the example we should learn from; we should focus all our attention and goals on our Lord, Amen.
Just like Elisha followed Elijah, apart from Elijah, I will follow no one else; no matter what others say, I will follow my master. Today, who is your master? Isn’t it the Lord Jesus? Follow the Lord Jesus steadfastly, and you will not be disappointed, Amen. We need to continuously believe; there are too few people who follow like this.
In Luke 18, Jesus told a story about a judge in a certain city who neither feared God nor respected people. But in that city, there was a widow who had a grievance; she could only go to this unjust judge, with no other way.
She went to plead day after day, but the judge did not grant her request for many days. This woman did not give up; she continued to plead. Suddenly, one day, the unjust judge said, “Even though I do not fear God or respect people, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!” This was the thought of the unjust judge.
But our God is not like this; Jesus wants us to pray constantly and not lose heart. Just because God did not fulfill your request according to your wishes does not mean that God will not fulfill your prayers. God wants to give you the best at the right time, Amen. We need to have this continuous faith in God and follow Him. Especially in the last days, we need to have a heart that continuously follows the truth; when the time comes, you will see a good harvest, Amen.
John 16:23-24:
23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
This is God's promise to us. So dear family, no matter what you encounter in life, we should focus our eyes on the Lord Jesus and pray to our Heavenly Father. Amen, seek continuously.
Here, God's promise to us is that you ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. The only one who can give us grace in this world is our Heavenly Father; He will give you the best blessings because of Jesus. This year, may all of us have the wisdom to continuously call upon God, believing that He loves you and is willing to bless you, Amen.
Let us pray together
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for giving us such words, letting us know that You are a God who loves us, a God who is willing to bless us, a God who is willing to give us all good things. If we seek diligently, we will surely find. Help us to focus solely on our Heavenly Father in our lives, and we are willing to call upon our Heavenly Father in everything. Help us to have the heart of Elisha seeking the Lord. Thank You, Lord.
A new week has begun, and we believe this week is filled with blessings. No matter where we go, the Holy Spirit will be with us. May the Holy Spirit help us renew our thoughts and minds, so that we can experience God's great power in everything. All glory be to our Heavenly Father. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.