JUNE 17 - ELIJAH TAKEN TO HEAVEN
READ 2 Kings 2
The Lord takes Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind.
INSIGHT
Miracles don’t permeate the entire Bible. They tend to be concentrated during the times of Moses, the prophets, and Jesus. They occur other times as well, but these are the times of greatest concentration; and Elijah and Elisha represent one of the strongest periods. In our lives today, God seems rather inactive in comparison. Yet that is not because He is unable to act-but rather because He has chosen not to act in the same way. The power is still there, and we can rest in the confidence that He still has all things under control.
PRAYER
Offer your praise to the Lord who possesses power to do all things He desires:
How magnificent are your works, Lord,
how profound your thoughts!
A stupid person does not know,
a fool does not understand this:
Though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be eternally destroyed
(Psalm 92:5-7).
Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. Now pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Lord, I have heard the report about you;
Lord, I stand in awe of your deeds.
Revive your work in these years;
make it known in these years.
In your wrath remember mercy!
(Habakkuk 3:2).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord who loves you:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16).
The Lord takes Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind.
INSIGHT
Miracles don’t permeate the entire Bible. They tend to be concentrated during the times of Moses, the prophets, and Jesus. They occur other times as well, but these are the times of greatest concentration; and Elijah and Elisha represent one of the strongest periods. In our lives today, God seems rather inactive in comparison. Yet that is not because He is unable to act-but rather because He has chosen not to act in the same way. The power is still there, and we can rest in the confidence that He still has all things under control.
PRAYER
Offer your praise to the Lord who possesses power to do all things He desires:
How magnificent are your works, Lord,
how profound your thoughts!
A stupid person does not know,
a fool does not understand this:
Though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be eternally destroyed
(Psalm 92:5-7).
Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. Now pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
Lord, I have heard the report about you;
Lord, I stand in awe of your deeds.
Revive your work in these years;
make it known in these years.
In your wrath remember mercy!
(Habakkuk 3:2).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord who loves you:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).
As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
- Contentment in God’s providence
- Opportunities for watching God work
- Your activities for the day
Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16).