2 Kings 8:7–15 ‘Then the man of God began to weep.’ (v11)
Often, we feel pain and sorrow when we see those we love going through difficulties. We witness a loved one struggling through a health issue, or see another experiencing intense problems in a relationship.
God’s prophets experienced these sorrows too. Although Jeremiah is known as the ‘weeping prophet’ because of the many difficulties he encountered through being God’s messenger, Elisha knew the pain of heartbreak as well.
Although he can perform miracles on God’s behalf, he also experiences some of the sorrow the Lord must have felt over His people.
In today’s reading, Elisha weeps over the revelation that the king’s messenger will turn on the king and wreak destruction on the Israelites. So although the king will recover from his illness, he will yet die.
Because we live in a fallen world, often we will weep over the actions of others. Perhaps the times of distress feel greatest when we experience pain at the hand of a loved one, someone we should be able to trust.
But when they betray us, we experience not only the hurt from the particular event, but also the larger tear to the relationship.
God doesn’t magically remove these moments of pain from our lives, but He will never abandon us to face them alone. We can look to Him for hope and perseverance. Although we experience sorrow, He gives us strength to face each new day.
A Prayer To Make:
‘Lord God, how much You must grieve over the state of Your world. We beg You to come and work Your transformation, that peace would reign. Amen.’
An Action To Take:
If you see destructive patterns emerging in the lives of people close to you, pour out your feelings to God and ask Him to intervene.
Scripture To Consider:
Exod. 14:29–31; Ps. 77:13–15; Mark 16:19–20; Acts 14:1–3
