Daily Devotion – September 3, 2020 – Erin Bjerke
2 Kings 6:1-7
Now the company of prophets said to Elisha, “As you see, the place where we live under your charge is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan, and let us collect logs there, one for each of us, and build a place there for us to live.” He answered, “Do so.” Then one of them said, “Please come with your servants.” And he answered, “I will.” So he went with them. When they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a log, his ax head fell into the water; he cried out, “Alas, master! It was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float. He said, “Pick it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
I love this little anecdote because it shows God’s provision, even in the little things in life. Elisha and the prophets that work with him are out felling trees to build a new place to live, when one of them drops his ax head in the river. Then he panics because the ax head he just lost wasn’t his—he had borrowed it from someone else. This scenario reminds me of times when I’ve been caring for children and they can’t seem to find something essential, like their shoes, even though they were just wearing them, and then expect me to find them. If I were Elisha, I might respond with something like, “Well why did you drop it in the river?” or “That’s what happens when you’re careless.” But that’s not what Elisha does, and that’s not what God does.
God is the one who has already located the child’s missing shoes and says, “Don’t worry, they’re right here.” God is the one who breaks the laws of physics to find a missing ax head, so that it can be returned to its owner. The love and care that our God has for the smallest details in our lives amazes me. Thanks be to God.
Let’s pray.
God, your love for us is beyond comprehension. Thank you for your presence in every little detail of our lives. Amen.
