564 - Trusting Him with All Your Heart#
(JP Text Group - shalom compilation)
Peace in the Lord, dear family. Today is Sunday, and we welcome your presence as we look at the truth we want to share today.
The topic of sharing is: Trusting Him with All Your Heart.
2 Kings 6:1-7:
1 The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look now, the place where we dwell with you is too small for us. 2 Please let us go to the Jordan, and let every man take a beam from there, and let us make there a place where we may dwell.” He answered, “Go.” 3 Then one said, “Please consent to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.” 6 So the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick and threw it in there; and he made the iron float. 7 Therefore he said, “Pick it up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
Let us pray together first.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You for granting us the beginning of a new week. We are willing to come before You to receive faith and wisdom. Your truth can give us the strength of faith and wisdom. We come before Your word with a longing heart, and through the revelation of the word, let us be renewed and strengthened. We commit this time to the Holy Spirit to help us, so that every brother and sister may receive abundant blessings. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
The God we believe in is omnipotent, and His power exceeds what man knows or thinks. Even what seems impossible to man is possible with Him. Many people shake their heads at miracles and say, “This does not conform to the laws of nature.” But let’s think about it, who set these rules? God created all things and established rules and boundaries for everything. Through these matters, people can come to know God. If people use the laws of the world to judge God's power, it is rationally impossible. Therefore, believing in God means believing that His words are true.
There are many words in the Bible that we cannot analyze or prove with theory. But if you receive them with faith, believing that God is real and omnipotent, you can accept these words. Even if we cannot analyze them, we still believe, and this will not limit God's power from being manifested in your life. Through today’s sharing, I hope everyone can learn to rely on God in all things, return to the truth, and stop searching elsewhere.
This article mentions that these sons of the prophets followed Elisha to learn God's words. As the number of disciples increased, the place became too small, and some disciples suggested, “Let us go to the Jordan and cut down some trees to build houses.”
From this dialogue, we can see that this school of prophets was likely near Jericho, very close to the Jordan River. They went there with axes, which had iron heads attached to wooden handles. At that time, iron was expensive, and the sons of the prophets could not afford to buy it, so they could only borrow it.
When one man was cutting down a tree, the axe head fell into the water, and he immediately sought out the man of God, Elisha. This is a part we should learn from. Because at that time, in the Old Testament, the man of God was on the same level as God; to acknowledge the man of God was to acknowledge God. Seeking the man of God was also seeking God.
After the disciple's axe fell into the water, he found the man of God, Elisha. After clarifying the situation, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water, and the axe head floated up.
Does this matter conform to our reason?
Does it conform to the laws of nature? Not at all.
How could iron, which fell into the water, float back up by itself? Moreover, it was not retrieved; it was the stick that Elisha threw in that attracted the axe head. This is completely impossible!
But can you believe this miracle? A miracle is when God's finger moves; it is what God does. If you do not believe that God can do all things, then indeed, you would not even pray about this matter. Elisha believed, so he threw a stick into the water and retrieved the axe head.
The Bible says the axe head floated up. The original meaning is that the stick made the axe head float up; the stick automatically found the axe head and brought it back. What is the spiritual meaning here? The stick represents the cross of Jesus Christ, where everything impossible becomes possible.
When Jesus was on the cross, curses turned into blessings; death did not conquer resurrection; resurrection triumphed, and curses were replaced by Jesus' blessings. Everything changed because of Jesus. In the past, the impossible was that death was the end for man; but now that is not the end; that is our salvation. Hallelujah! The cross is our salvation, able to save you and turn the impossible into possible. Hallelujah.
All miracles have a special purpose from God. This shows that God not only watches over His people in great matters but is also willing to help them in small matters. Even in the small matter of an axe falling into the water, God is willing to listen to their prayers. If we only see this miracle, we miss the central message of today’s sharing. This miracle is just a beginning; through this miracle, we see that the lives of the Israelites were not good because they had turned away from God and did not believe in Him in their lives, resulting in idol worship. When the nation was weak, the enemy came.
2 Kings 6:8-10:
8 Now the king of Aram was making war against Israel, and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” 9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Arameans are coming down there.” 10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice.
Through these events, we see the importance of the man of God in Israel. If it were not for the prophet continually praying in Israel, perhaps the nation would have already perished. The king of Aram had planned everything before launching the war, but unexpectedly, everything he said was known to the man of God. How did he know? The answer is prayer. During the process of the prophet praying for the nation, he learned of the king of Aram's plans and issued a warning. The king of Israel also heard the prophet's warning and took precautions, and this matter passed.
Brothers and sisters, from here we see a problem: the man of God actively informed the king of Israel, rather than the king seeking the man of God for help. Logically, after being rescued from danger more than once or twice, shouldn’t the king also actively seek the prophet Elisha to ask how to solve the current problems of the people? But in fact, he did not. Even though the prophet repeatedly solved their crises, they did not rely on God. We might think, how could the king of Israel and the people be so stubborn? But let’s not laugh at them; let’s look back and see how many believers are like this.
They come to church, and through the truth, their problems are solved. Once the immediate problems are resolved, they disappear, and when they encounter problems again, they come back. God has solved their problems more than once or twice, yet many believers still have not learned to rely on God. Aren’t they just like the king of Israel? This means that the king of Israel did not have the habit of seeking God, and even when the people were suffering so much, he still had not identified the root of the problem.
2 Kings 6:15-17:
15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
The Arameans’ plans to attack failed several times, and they finally found the reason: the prophet Elisha had revealed their movements. So they came to besiege Elisha with a great army. At that time, Elisha was in Dothan, which is about twenty kilometers north of the city of Samaria. The Aramean army could penetrate here, indicating that they did not regard the Israelite army at all. The Arameans strategically besieged the small city at night to prevent Elisha from escaping during the day.
In the early morning, the servant of the man of God was very afraid. When Elisha’s servant saw this situation, he was terrified and went to his master Elisha, saying, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” In such a situation, the servant's first thought to find Elisha was also a kind of wisdom.
If our brothers and sisters, no matter what happens in life, can think of praying to God first, seeking God, or coming to church to hear God’s truth, that is wisdom. With such wisdom, you can generate faith, and with faith, you will have greater wisdom from God to solve problems. How wonderful that is!
Although Elisha’s servant was very afraid, Elisha did not seem to be afraid. He comforted his servant, saying, “Do not fear! For those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Elisha saw from the spiritual realm that God’s power was greater, and God had already sent angels to protect their small city. Here it mentions that Elisha prayed, saying, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” The Lord opened his eyes, and he saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha.
From here, we want to give everyone a spiritual insight. Why could Elisha have such a vision? This is greatly related to his following of Elijah at that time. Elisha had a strong desire for God’s truth. When he followed Elijah to learn the truth, he was always close to Elijah. Later, when Elijah was taken up by a whirlwind, he saw the chariots of fire. From the moment Elisha saw the chariots of fire, he knew that these chariots could protect his master Elijah and would certainly protect him as well. This faith he always had; thank the Lord. What the human eye can see is the army surrounding the city, which indeed looks terrifying, but in reality, it is not formidable. Unless you see the chariots of fire, otherwise, everyone would be afraid.
At that time, Elisha prayed, saying, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Can we pray like this today? Can we pray, “Lord, open my eyes that I may see”?
You need to see the power of Jesus, to see the salvation of the cross, to see the rich provisions in the kingdom of heaven! When you see that what God gives you is better, and that God’s power surpasses everything, you will no longer strive to pursue worldly things. Instead, you will, like Paul, let go of the empty things of this world to pursue the truth.
Look around at how many people abandon the truth to pursue the empty things of this world. Some pursue knowledge, some pursue fame, and some pursue wealth. It is a pity. In fact, all of this is found in God; your benefits are not outside of God. In Christ, God has already prepared abundant blessings for us. This grace exceeds what you ask or think. Even when problems arise, if you see God’s power from the spiritual realm, you can use it. If you cannot see, you can only be afraid.
Elisha saw and from the first time he saw God’s power, he knew this matter and continued to believe. Not only did he see, but he also prayed to God, saying, “Lord, let this young man’s eyes see all of this.” God opened his eyes.
How can our eyes be opened? Do not pray, “Lord, open my eyes to see where the chariots of fire are.” What do you want to see them for? God’s Bible has already been given to you; the truth has already been given to you; God’s power is all written in it. Can you believe? If you can believe, your eyes will be opened. Amen.
In the Old Testament, because God’s words had not yet been fully revealed, He could only reveal His power to the people through such means. Today, God has written His power and revelation in the Bible. If you can believe what is recorded in the Bible, your eyes will be opened. Hallelujah. This is the key to victory in spiritual warfare.
Therefore, in the face of difficulties, when you need to make choices, I hope our brothers and sisters can pray to God and see that God is with you. Moreover, today, what is with you is not chariots of fire but the Holy Spirit, who is personally with you. The past chariots of fire were just angels, just a spiritual presence; now God is personally with you, and you are more blessed than Elisha! The key is whether you can see all of this.
1 John 4:4: Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
When the elder John saw the brothers and sisters in the church leaving the truth to seek worldly knowledge and elusive heresies, he was very anxious and said, “You are of God; Jesus Christ has already overcome; He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
John meant, why do you not rely on the Holy Spirit, but instead pursue what a certain celebrity says, what a certain pastor says, or the testimonies of certain people? Why not seek God directly? Isn’t it better to let the Holy Spirit guide you? The resources and power are already within you, yet you abandon the best and search everywhere else. How unfortunate. The key is that we need to have such spiritual insight so that we can fully rely on God. David also had such insight, so he was not afraid of Goliath, but relied on God’s power and wisdom to slay the Philistine.
1 Samuel 17:45: Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
David was not afraid of the Philistines’ equipment and their height because he knew that God’s power was greater. Moreover, David believed that this army was not fighting on their own; God was the leader of this army. Hallelujah. Therefore, in the name of the Lord of hosts, victory is sufficient. The name of the Lord of hosts is worth more than all armies; what are the Philistines? What is Goliath? Thank the Lord. Because David had such spiritual insight, he could fully rely on God to gain faith and wisdom, ultimately slaying Goliath and becoming famous.
If we can rely on God in our lives, what can defeat you? What can make you afraid? The concern is that too many family members spend their time and energy watching the world; our eyes are all on this world. Through short videos, through others’ experiences, and through what they say, the more you hear, the more afraid and worried you become, and you lose faith in God.
When the world tells you, “How could the axe fall into the water and float back up? That’s a lie; have you ever seen it?” When you hear these words and believe them, you cannot believe in miracles, and you cannot see the chariots of fire in the spiritual realm or the work of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, you need to return to the truth. I hope brothers and sisters can spend more time on the truth. How did Elisha rely on God? Here we see faith and wisdom that come from God.
2 Kings 6:18-19:
18 So when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 Now Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.
This is Elisha’s solution; he prayed to God to lead these enemies to the city of Samaria. Because there were troops in the city of Samaria, and there were no troops in this place, this could not intimidate these people. This is crucial. Many people say, “Elisha’s trick is really clever; if I had such power, I would not be afraid of any enemy.” Do you have such power? Yes, the Holy Spirit is within you; you have that power. So why do some believers not live out such power? Because they do not fully rely on God.
Elisha was a man who often prayed to God; he relied on God in all things. You see, the axe fell into the water; would you pray to God? We might think more about how to retrieve the axe, like using a magnet tied to a rope to pull it up; if that doesn’t work, we could dive down to find it. In such situations, almost no one thinks to pray to God.
But Elisha learned to rely on God in small matters, and it was the same in great matters. If we do not rely on God in small matters in our daily lives, seeking solutions from people in this world, when big matters arise, you will not trust God. Even if the Holy Spirit is within you, you will not trust Him; this is very common. This is why I always encourage everyone to develop the habit of being close to God and relying on Him.
Elisha was such a person who relied on God in all things. So when the great army was pressing in, he prayed to God, saying, “Strike this people with blindness.” They could not recognize him as Elisha. Then he said to them, “Aren’t you looking for Elisha? I tell you, you have come to the wrong place; he is not here. I will take you there.”
The purpose of those people was clear: to kill Elisha. But Elisha stood before them, and because they were blind, they could not recognize him, yet they wanted to kill him, so they followed Elisha to the city of Samaria. After arriving in Samaria, the king of Israel certainly sent troops to surround these people. If at that moment the king of Israel ordered them to be killed, it would have been easy. But after Elisha prayed to God, God said, “Feed them well and let them go.” From then on, the king of Aram did not invade again.
This is wisdom from God. Although Elisha had such insight and obeyed God’s will, the king of Israel did not have such faith and wisdom. He might have thought that this method was like letting a tiger return to the mountain, and they would surely come back for revenge. Let’s first share why God’s way is better. Doesn’t God fear they will come back?
From God’s perspective, if the Israelite army had surrounded these Arameans, they would have fought to the death. At that time, it would have likely resulted in mutual destruction. Don’t forget that if these people are not afraid of death and have no hope, the destructive power they unleash is also quite terrifying. God knows all of this, so His way is certainly the best. By treating them well, He is telling them, “I have the power to kill you, but I will not.” This instilled fear in their hearts, so they returned, and for a short time, they did not come back.
However, after a while, they thought again, “Since they did not kill me then, they probably did not have the power to kill me.” Of course, people think this way, so they came back again. When they came back again, God could deal with them the first time, and He could do so the second time as well. Elisha was not afraid of their return; what he feared was that the Israelites had not learned to rely on God. If they did not learn to rely on God, they would repeatedly underestimate you, despise you, and attack you. Indeed, the king of Aram later besieged the city of Samaria, and the people in the city had almost no food, even leading to cannibalism.
2 Kings 6:26-31:
26 Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” 27 And he said, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?” 28 Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we boiled my son and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him.’ But she has hidden her son.”
First, let’s look at this event: At that time, the Aramean army besieged the city of Samaria, and the people in the city were living very hard. At this time, the king of Israel did not think to rely on God. He did not remember that last time God had repelled the enemy without them losing a single person. Instead, the king of Israel felt that this was the disaster caused by Elisha, that it was because they let them go last time that they faced today’s siege. After the siege, when the Israelites were in such difficulty, the king became even angrier because cannibalism had occurred, and the people had no food.
Let’s look at verses 30-31:
30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body. 31 Then he said, “God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!”
Through these two verses, what do we see? The king of Israel was very unhappy about letting the Aramean army go last time. He felt that was a mistake. If they had killed them then, this time they would not have come back. In fact, the king of Israel was mistaken. Even if they had killed the Aramean army, they would still have surrounded the city for revenge because they did not regard Israel at all. From every angle, your national strength and your people are not enough to defeat them; it will only provoke their greater wrath. So God’s way was actually correct.
But the king of Israel did not have such wisdom; he only saw that the situation was so dire. Even in such circumstances, why did he not pray to God? He saw the people suffering and felt very sad, tearing his clothes and wearing sackcloth, making an oath that he would kill Elisha, saying, “If I do not kill Elisha, may God punish me severely!” He did not believe in God and made such an oath. He never thought that the Israelites had come to this point because of their idol worship and turning away from God.
Looking back at our current situation, if you constantly encounter various problems in your life and always experience failure, perhaps you are always complaining about the injustice of society, or complaining that your boss is unfair, or blaming other reasons, etc. In fact, I hope you look at whether you have turned away from God and whether you have placed God’s truth in your heart.
If you have been far from God for a long time, welcome back to rely on God; these problems can be solved. Otherwise, if you solve this problem, the next one will pop up, just like whack-a-mole; you do not know which hole it will come out of, and troubles will continue. But if you let God help us, when these problems arise, we rely on God, and it becomes very simple.
Therefore, when the king did not realize this, he became very angry and wanted to capture Elisha to kill him. What was Elisha doing at that time? Elisha was sitting at home praying with the elders. When the king’s messenger arrived, he said some words to Elisha. Let’s see what they said.
2 Kings 6:33: While he was still talking with them, there was the king coming down to him, and he said, “This calamity is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
Through the king of Israel’s words, we can see that when the king saw Elisha still praying and persuading the elders to pray with him, the king’s anger instantly flared up, and he directly rebuked them, saying, “This calamity is from the Lord.”
Let’s first look at whether his thought is correct. Why would he have such a thought? He actually thought of the last time. He felt that the Aramean army had been besieged with great difficulty, and they should have killed them all. As long as they killed them, such things would not happen today. So the king of Israel was blaming God, thinking that God’s method was wrong.
Brothers and sisters, if a person does not believe in God, he will think that everyone is targeting him; it is all God’s punishment. When a person has no faith in God, he will truly think this way. If your spouse does not believe, when something bad happens at home, he will say, “It’s all because of that Jesus you believe in that these things are happening in our family.” People are indeed strange; they always manage to push these things onto God.
Of course, this is also one of the calamities left to us by Adam. At that time, both of them ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When God asked them, both of them shirked responsibility. Adam said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” What does this mean? If You had not given me that woman, she would not have given it to me; if she had not given it to me, I would not have eaten. This is all Your responsibility. Is that so? Of course not. From the perspective of truth, did God force him to eat? Wasn’t it their own choice?
Let’s think back; if a family does not believe in Jesus and encounters such things, can they blame God for sending calamity? No, they will think their fate is unfortunate or look for other reasons: perhaps the feng shui at home is not good, and they need to find a master to rearrange things. If this place does not work, they will change places. They will still look for other reasons but will not blame Jesus. But if one person in the family believes in Jesus, they finally find an excuse: “This is all the disaster that Jesus has brought to our family.” They do not know God and do not realize that Jesus cannot bring disaster to us because He is not the God who brings calamity.
God’s thoughts are thoughts of peace, thoughts of blessing, and absolutely not thoughts of calamity. This means that in God’s heart, there is not even a thought of bringing calamity; how could He possibly bring calamity to you?
But the king of Israel did not believe and thought that this calamity was from the Lord. Since the source of this calamity is God, why should I wait for the Lord? But ultimately, he had never sought God, so when he saw such a big matter, he stubbornly refused to seek Elisha. He might have thought that it was the Lord who brought this calamity, “I do not want to seek the Lord; I want to rely on myself to win.”
In the end, he could not win, and the people became more and more miserable. This was actually the king of Israel’s downfall. If this continued, the people might really perish. So when he went to find Elisha with his army, he saw that Elisha was actually praying. The army was surrounding the city, and the people had no food, yet you are here praying. Does prayer work? Let’s ask everyone a question: “Does prayer work?” In such circumstances, does prayer still work? Of course it does. For believers, this is the best wisdom; for non-believers, this is the most foolish act.
Elisha believed in God; perhaps God told him: “When the king of Israel comes to find you, that is when the problem will be solved.” God was truly giving the king of Israel a chance to repent and recognize God’s power, and instead live relying on God. Unfortunately, he was filled with resentment against God and never believed in or relied on God. But at least he saw Elisha praying, and he thought it was useless. Let’s see how Elisha solved this dilemma. Elisha prayed; he did not engage in close combat with the outside army, nor did he send the people out to their deaths. The next day, those Arameans fled. This was indeed the effect of prayer.
2 Kings 7:6-7:
6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and the sound of horses, the sound of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us.” 7 Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact— their tents, their horses, and their donkeys— and they fled for their lives.
This is the result of Elisha and the elders praying. They prayed in the city, and our God created these sounds at the most suitable time. At that time, the Aramean army heard the sound of chariots, the sound of a great army. This sound must have been very loud, so much so that the Arameans were afraid and thought that if they did not flee quickly, they might be completely annihilated.
Thus, they did not have time to pack their things and fled at twilight, leaving their tents, horses, donkeys, and all their supplies behind. What were they thinking? They thought that the king of Israel had hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack them.
No matter how they thought, whether they were right or wrong, it no longer mattered. What mattered was that God made them flee. The Israelites did not go out to fight them and still won. This is the result of prayer and a powerful evidence of Elisha fully relying on God. The king of Israel thought prayer was useless; however, Elisha did not think so. He believed it was useful, so he did the most important thing, which was to pray. Amen.
How many believers think prayer is useless? When you think prayer is useless, you will not pray anymore. Even if you pray, you will not expect good things to happen because you think prayer is useless. But if you believe that prayer is useful and the most useful, you will pray and see the effects of that prayer. This is also the way to fully rely on God, Amen.
God has many methods: reading the Bible, meditating, gathering; these are all tools and methods, and you can use any of them. Fully relying on God is the key. You cannot let Elisha go to battle to kill the enemy; what he can do is pray to God and let God act. This is already the best method. Unfortunately, the king of Israel did not have such insight, so he led the Israelites, and the people were to be pitied.
You come to our church; I encourage you to spend your energy and time on God’s truth, to cry out to Him, to pray to Him, and to fully rely on Him. This will be helpful and greatly beneficial for you. If you persist in doing this, you will see this great power manifested in your life. Amen. Of course, you cannot say, “I just prayed; why hasn’t anything happened? Why is the army still here?” In fact, you just need to pray until the matter is accomplished. Amen.
At that time, the Israelites did not know that the Arameans had retreated; only some people were so hungry that they could not survive, so they ran out, saying, “Otherwise, we might as well go to these people; if they give us something to eat, it would be worth it to die.” They did not expect that when they went out, they found that the enemy had fled, so they returned to report. Thank the Lord; He has done such things, and God’s way is the best.
In these two instances, the Israelite army suffered no losses, but the enemy had already retreated. After this matter, the king of Aram returned and was frightened because he certainly knew that it was not other kings who had come. Where did such a great sound come from? It must have been the God of Elisha, so he was very afraid of this God and fell ill, his health deteriorating. Later, he heard that Elisha had come to their city and specially sent someone with gifts to ask Elisha if he could be healed of his illness.
Unfortunately, from beginning to end, we do not see the king of Israel seeking God or consulting the prophet. Even your enemy knows God’s power, yet he does not know. How unfortunate. The king of Israel has the best resources but does not use them, yet he continues to live in hardship. He has worshipped so many idols for so many years, and they have not helped him. It is a pity that he does not have good vision and has never had faith to rely on God, always struggling. How unfortunate.
Brothers and sisters, through these events, we are not to be critics judging how foolish the king of Israel was, but through these events, we should not walk the same path of failure. We must fully rely on God; otherwise, you cannot keep anything.
Psalm 127:1-2:
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.
This is a song of ascents sung when they went to the temple. This is very well said; Solomon must have had deep insights.
Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. If you do not rely on God to build this house, but rely on your own ability to build it, and go against God’s will and words, even if you build it, it is in vain.
For example, the temple built by the Israelites was built by Solomon, and it was magnificent, considered one of the most luxurious buildings in the world! But unfortunately, God was not there, and ultimately, this temple was destroyed. Later, they rebuilt it, and it was destroyed again because God was not there. No matter how many times you build it, the final outcome will always be in vain. Even now, aren’t the Israelites still trying hard to rebuild the temple? What is the purpose of building the temple? If you do not rely on God, what use is the temple once it is built?
Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. If people do not rely on God, can you guard this city? In the past, under Solomon’s leadership, how vast was their territory? How many cities were there? Yet, when they turned away from God to worship other idols, these cities disappeared one by one. How unfortunate.
This is the part we need to be vigilant about.
Everything you have today, if you do not fully rely on God, you cannot keep it. Whether it is your wealth, your health, or your life, it is the same. You can spend your whole life, but you cannot keep it. Unless you let God guard it and let God build it, and you build all these things according to God’s truth, no one can take them away, and you will find it very easy.
You rise early in the morning, stay up late at night, and eat the bread of sorrows; all of this is in vain. If God does not build and guard, everything will return to emptiness.
Only those whom the Lord loves will He give sleep. Are you loved by God? If you are loved by God, you will certainly be willing to walk according to God’s truth. When you walk according to God’s truth, you will build the house according to God’s will, and the one guarding the city will no longer be you but our God, and then you can sleep peacefully.
Just like Elisha, what does it matter if the enemy surrounds the city? I will sleep and eat; the rest, I will pray to God. Thank the Lord. Therefore, through today’s miracle of Elisha, we can see that whether in small matters or great matters in life, if we rely on God, He will not leave us unattended. Because He loves us, He loves Israel, and today He loves all who believe in Jesus. Thank the Lord; He is willing to give us the best blessings. May each brother and sister rely on God and live, fully relying on Him.
Let us pray together.
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for giving us such words today, allowing us to learn to fully rely on You in all things in our lives. What You give us is the most real and the best grace. We are willing to live according to Your truth. You have given us such insight, allowing us to see in the spiritual realm that You have already given us the best. Let us rely on this strength to live a new week. I also believe this week will be blessed because the Holy Spirit is with me; wherever I go, He will help me. I am also willing to act according to God’s words, and I look forward to experiencing Your goodness in my life this week. All glory be to You. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen. Thank the Lord; Jesus loves you.