O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
(Psalm 139:1-2)
2 Kings 1:1-2:25
Elisha said, "I'm not ready to let you go. Stay here with me."
How hard is it for a disciple to move on and to let go?
The other prophets tried to help Elisha. Elijah tried to help him. Yet, Elisha is still not ready to let Elijah go.
The way he puts it is to repeat, "I won't abandon you."
What really is his objection?
Even when he is told that the Lord has ordained this move, Elisha objects. He continues to delay the departure. They travel from Bethel to Jericho to the Jordan. Breuggemann points out that they are moving into the wilderness.
Think about an earlier crossing of the Jordan--Moses couldn't go, but Joshua led the people across.
Elisha is bereaved.
...
Elisha asked for a double share of Elijah's spirit. Elijah reminded him that the Spirit is God's to share. Let us continue to pray for God's spirit to light on us as we face loss and challenge.
The other prophets tried to help Elisha. Elijah tried to help him. Yet, Elisha is still not ready to let Elijah go.
The way he puts it is to repeat, "I won't abandon you."
What really is his objection?
Acts 13:42-14:7
Psalm 139:1-24
My first appointment as a pastor was to a three-point charge in rural Scott and Smith Counties in central Mississippi. Each of the three churches had its own cemetery, and I was called to preside at many funerals.
Not uncommon was the situation that the deceased was not a church-goer but the mourners were.
I often relied on this psalm for the core of the funeral homily.
Read again verses 1-6: God knows where we are. God is paying attention. God is caring for us.
"No matter where we go, God knows where we are. No matter where we are, God is with us there."
Not everyone comes to realize the presence of God. But, the Psalmist does and offers words that we can use to express the knowledge and gratitude for God's presence.
Verses 13-18 emphasize the intimacy we have with God. And the response that is appropriate:
I acclaim You. I may not be able to figure out what you are thinking, but I know that I am with you.
"You know everything about me," the psalmist says. "You know where I'm going and when. You know what I'm going to say before I say it."
The psalmist admits, and we admit when we pray this psalm, that the Lord knows everything about us whenever or wherever we are. The Lord knows what we are going to say before we say it.
Do we read these verses as reassurance, or are they unsettling to us? How comfortable is it for us to admit that God already knows what we have been doing today--and every day? For Arminians, are we bothered by the predestination element in verses 7 and 16?
Proverbs 17:19-21
One who loves transgression loves strife;
one who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.
The crooked of mind do not prosper,
and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity.
The one who begets a fool gets trouble;
the parent of a fool has no joy.
Prayer for Today: Choose a prayer from Joan Stott's website The Timeless Psalms.
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