What is the reaction of a believer when something goes wrong, when something happens that I do not want, that I consider to be bad?
Let us learn from the Prophet Elisha.
Read 2 Kings 6:1-7.
We find two completely different ways of reaction when the axehead fell into the water.
The servant, representing the unbeliever, cries out in despair: “Oh no! I lost it, and even worse, it was borrowed.“
Elisha, the man of God, representing the believer, says calmly: “Show me where it fell, and let us see how God will solve the problem.“
Yes, it was a serious situation.
The axehead is valuable, it is needed to continue the work, and it needs to be returned to the owner. Elisha saw the situation clearly, but did not fall into despair.
Elisha was a man of God, a man of prayer. His heart was always focused on God and he must have prayed very sincerely before he performed this miracle.
What can we learn from Elisha? The story is not about the question if an axehead can float or not. The story shows us how a man or woman of God reacts when something happens that needs to be solved.
How do I react as a believer?
I do not cry out in despair, closing my heart and my eyes, thinking that all is lost and against me… Then everything gets dark, my heart becomes narrow and I cannot find any way out.
Instead, I look up to heaven, take a deep breath, bow down and pray to God to show me the way that he has prepared to solve the situation.
Elisha cut a stick and threw it where the axehead had fallen. This means, there was something to be done, the axehead did not just show up by itself. It can be that God asks us to do something, it can be that I need to go a certain step before the situation is solved. This is the moment to show my faith and trust in God. Even though God does not give the solution immediately, I go forward, trusting that God is working for me and that he will eventually give the solution.
God is our good father who never leaves us alone and who is willing and able to solve all our difficult situations – knowing this, I, as a believer, do not need to cry out “oh no!” Instead, I turn my heart towards God and pray: Dear heavenly Father, please guide me the way to solve this situation!
