June 17

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:
O Lord, how great are Your works!
Your thoughts are very deep.
A senseless man does not know,
Nor does a fool understand this.
When the wicked spring up like grass,
And when all the workers of iniquity flourish,
It is that they may be destroyed forever (Psalm 92:5-7).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving.

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
O Lord, I have heard your speech and was afraid;
O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years!
In the midst of the years make it known;
In 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:
You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor,
that you through His poverty 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:
By Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).