Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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“Elisha the man of God
2 Kings 2:19-22

 “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive”2 kings. 2:21

Consequences are not unfamiliar to any of us. We know that if we touch a hot iron, we will indubitably burn our hand. Similar to our devotion about following the rules, we know that if we do the things that we are not supposed to do, there will be consequences. If we do the thing that our mother explicitly warned against, we can be sure that a punishment will ensue. The rules are clearly laid out in front of us, and even the consequences and yet we find ourselves still doing that which we should not. Insanity is defined by Albert Einstein as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Are we all just insane? Is there no hope for us?
Healing Water: In 2 Kings, we read about Elisha arriving in Jericho. He is met by the men of the city who warn him that they live in an unproductive land and that their water is no good. Why was this the case? These men and women were told clearly by God that if they followed His commandments, He would provide for them. We see this often throughout the Old Testament up until this passage. if they did not follow God’s commandments, they would be cursed. Elisha asked for a new bowl with salt inside. Elisha took this and poured the salt into their spring proclaiming that the Lord has healed this water. From that moment onward, the water remained wholesome.
God’s mercy is steadfast: God provided hope to these people. He showed again that He will never turn His back on us. Despite our shortcomings, our disobedience, our sin- He remains merciful. He is the God of second, third, fourth and fifth, chances. This however is not something that we should take advantage of. As gold refined in a fire, there are difficulties that we will endure, just as the people of Jericho did with the bad water. It is better to not be in the practice of testing the mercy of God.  Do not wait for the water to be healed, do what you can to always keep it, and ourselves fresh and wholesome.

Prayer Lord, give us the healing that we need today and help us to be agents of your healing. Amen

Rina Titus, St.John’s MTC, NY




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