1 John 3: 1
February 24, 2024
Day Ten of Lent – The Sword of Sorrow
February 24, 2024
THE 24th OF FEBRUARY
THE LORD KNOWS THE PAINS AND DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS AND INTERVENES WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT
So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. – 1 Kings 19:19
Previously, God gave Elijah three tasks to do, with the last one being, appointing Elisha to take his place. Why did Elijah choose to fulfill the last task that the Lord gave him and ignore the others? Let us remember that the discouragement that overwhelmed Elijah after Jezebel promised to kill him, caused him to ask the Lord to take his life. Probably when God told him to anoint Elisha, as a prophet in his place, he forgot about the other two tasks and went straight ahead to find Elisha, hoping that God would then put an end to his unhappiness.
It took a few years until Elijah was taken from the earth, and in the meantime, he continued his work as the prophet of the Lord and he trained Elisha. It is encouraging to see that the Lord knew exactly what was in the heart of Elijah. Therefore, no other task could have made Elijah happier, than the fact that God had found him a replacement and his job was coming to an end.
The Lord knows how much things hurt us and what our desires are. God sees all things from the right perspective and takes care that all will work together and blend harmoniously for our best, but He will not work in our lives unless we want and allow Him to do so. There are extreme situations when God intervenes to save our lives or to stop bad attacks against us and most of the time He does it without us even realizing it, but God never forces us to do His will, if we do not want to do it.
SUGGESTED PRAYER
Thank You Lord, because You care about my desires and my suffering. Only You oversee the whole picture of my life and know what is best for me, so please give me the wisdom to be obedient and fulfill all You ask me to do. Please help me to never fall into the trap of hopelessness, to not hear You and do only what I prefer, from all the tasks You set before me. I surely do not want to cause pain to others or myself. Thank You for never forsaking me and for helping me in times of need. Amen.
Source: thetruthstandsforever
