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We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow (2 Kings 7:1-16)

  By Henry Nicks Kizito Israel was out of options; the situation was beyond desperate. But they had taken God out of the equation. God wasn’t out of options; they just hadn’t turned to Him for help. But God in His mercy was going to deliver. That’s the reason Elisha was there, God kept calling them back to Himself, in spite of their lack of belief and turning their back on God, God was demonstrating that He was still on the throne. There were four lepers outside the city. In scripture, leprosy is a picture of sin. They were outcasts, diseased, and terminal. They had no options, so they decided to throw themselves on mercy. They had to decide whether to go into the city and join everyone else who is dying, stay here and do nothing, or go after mercy.  When the four lepers went over to the Arameans, behold, there was no one there. The Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear the sound of chari...
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Removing the sackcloth (2 Kings 6:24-33)

  By Henry Nicks Kizito   After Ben-hadad king of Syria had besieged Samaria, there was a great famine. As Joram, the king of Israel was walking down the streets of Samaria, a woman cried out to him for help. The king told her that "if the  Lord  will not help you, how shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the winepress?” The woman told him how they had eaten her son due to hunger, and how the other woman hid hers yet they had agreed to eat him next! King Joram tore his clothes and people noticed that he had sackcloth beneath on his body —   and he decided to have Elisha beheaded. Elisha was sitting in his house, with elders. Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent to take off my head? And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him and said, “This trouble is from the  Lord ! Why should I wait for the  Lord  any longer?”   Reflections: 1.     1. Th...
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Fighting in the Spirit. Reflections from Elisha's horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:8-23)

By Henry Nicks Kizito Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.”  But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.  And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?”  And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in  Dothan.” So he sent there horses and chariots and a ...
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The curse of materialism. Reflections from Gehazi's greed and punishment (2 Kings 5:15-27)

By Henry Nicks Kizito  After Naaman had been cured of leprosy, he returned to Elisha and said, “Now I know that there is no god but the God of Israel; so please, sir, accept a gift from me.”  Elisha answered, “By the living  LORD , whom I serve, I swear that I will not accept a gift.”  Naaman insisted that he accept it, but he would not.  So Naaman said, “If you won't accept my gift, then let me have two mule-loads of earth to take home with me,  because from now on I will not offer sacrifices or burnt offerings to any god except the  LORD .  So I hope that the  LORD  will forgive me when I accompany my king to the temple of Rimmon, the god of Syria, and worship him. Surely the  LORD  will forgive me!”  “Go in peace,” Elisha said. And Naaman left.  He had gone only a short distance,  when Elisha's servant Gehazi said to himself, “My master has let Naaman get away without paying a thing! He should have accepted wh...
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Clinging onto Christ in a toxic situation. Lessons from Elisha's miracle of purification of stew (2 Kings 4:38-41)

By Henry Nicks Kizito Once, when there was a famine throughout the land, Elisha returned to Gilgal. While he was teaching a group of prophets, he told his servant to put a big pot on the fire and make some stew for them.  One of them went out in the fields to get some herbs. He found a wild vine, and picked as many gourds as he could carry. He brought them back and sliced them up into the stew, not knowing what they were.  The stew was poured out for the men to eat, but as soon as they tasted it they exclaimed to Elisha, “It's poisoned!” — and wouldn't eat it.  Elisha asked for some meal, threw it into the pot, and said, “Pour out some more stew for them.” And then there was nothing wrong with it. We are starved We live in a situation of starvation for for a lot of things - happiness, information, having mysteries resolved, achieving a successful life etc. Sometimes we do what the young prophet did - we go in for things we think will satisfy us and yet they are poisonous ...
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Good deeds, contentment and faith. Lessons from the story of the Shunamite woman (2 Kings 4:8-37).

By Henry Nicks Kizito Elisha went to Shumen, where he met a wealthy woman who gave him food and accommodation. Elisha asked the the woman to make a wish in return for her hospitality but the woman said she was contented. Gehazi, Elisha's servant told him that the Shunamite woman had no child and her husband was too old. Elisha told the woman that she would conceive and have a son. And this came to pass. But after a few years, the Shunamite woman's son died. Elisha prayed to God and brought him back to life. Read 2 Kings 4:8-37 for the details. We can pick a number of lessons from this story: 1. Giving to God, facilitating God's work and doing good for others.  The Shunamite woman was so generous when she fed and gave accommodation to the man of God. Acts 20:35 says that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Luke 6:38 says that " Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For wi...
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