During our recent trip we got to go tubing with our good friends the Dantzlers! All four of us were on the tubes at once--Jacob loved "the bumps!" However, as you can see, Owen didn't last too long. The hum of the boat, warmth of the sun, and "comfort" of a life-jacket quickly put him to sleep!

While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha and he said, "This is what the LORD says: Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the LORD; he will also hand Moab over to you. You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones."
The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was--water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.

THIS IS AN EASY THING IN THE EYES OF THE LORD. The backdrop to this miracle is that the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom had formed an alliance and set out to attack Moab. After seven days of marching through the Desert of Edom they were without water for their men and animals. They called upon Elisha to enquire of the Lord and this was the result. The Lord provided water in the middle of a desert for three armies of men and animals! And it was an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord! This encourages me to take heart in my day knowing that God has the power to do whatever He wills in the world today. I can trust in his sovereign power. I remember reading years ago in a book (which I can’t remember the name of) that it is important to remember God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving. This means he knows what is best in life, is able to accomplish that which He wills, and has my best interests at heart. I need to trust His sovereignty in these areas on a daily basis as I realize that He knows what is best for me, is able to do what is best for me, and wants what is best for me. This is not a license for me to be complacent or to live a life of sin, in fact the stories of 1 and 2 Kings show us quite the opposite. Nor is this a promise as to how God will respond in every situation. However, it is a license for me to trust in God because it is an easy thing for Him to provide water for three armies in a desert. I can trust that He is able to accomplish that which He wills. I must be like the kings in this specific situation and seek after God when in times of need. What is the “desert situation” in my life that I need to seek after Him for water? What about you?

5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."
6Solomon answered…9 “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.
11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.” (See all of 1 Kings 3:4-15)

As I read this passage this morning it struck me that Solomon could have asked for anything from God and yet he asked for “discernment in administering justice.” God had appeared to Solomon in a dream and told him to ask for whatever he wanted. What if God did the same to me? What would I ask for? Would it be something extremely temporal such as relief from a particular hardship? What is the one thing in your life right now that seems to loom over you like a cloud that never leaves? Would you seek relief from this? Or would it be for financial security and a long life as is alluded to in this passage? (Which by the way, God still contingently promised to him—see verses 13-15.) What is it that we would ask from God if we could ask for anything? I find this an interesting question to ponder.

But Solomon asked for discernment in administering justice which makes sense for a king. I am not a king but I realize that I administer justice quite frequently—mostly as a parent. This is not always an easy task and I don’t want to ever exasperate or frustrate my boys (see Ephesians 6:4). So my prayer this morning, and for the future, is that I have discernment in administering justice in my parenting as well as any other situation in which I am placed and required to do so.

And my prayer is for those who are in positions that require them to do this professionally. Specifically I am praying for my friend Tyler who is a Company Commander in the Army. This position often requires that he administer justice and make decisions regarding the soldiers under him. He has the power and authority to administer various levels of punishment for wrongdoing and I pray that God will provide him with discernment as he does this on a regular basis. Furthermore, he is serving in Iraq right now and I pray that he is discerning in the interactions he has with Iraqi people so that he may justly make the decisions he faces on a daily basis—often regarding the lives of Iraqi people that may or may not have been a part of attacks on coalition forces. These decisions are usually made on incomplete information but they still must be made. May God provide him great discernment.

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

It is midnight on a Friday at the Hospitality House at Ft. Bragg, NC. And as I sit and reflect on the night, I can’t help but think about the encouragement we received tonight. It is reflective of our trip as a whole. As the passage above states, our hearts have been encouraged and this has come as a result of the good deeds and words of those we have come in contact with. Every step along the way has brought some form of encouragement and we are grateful to many of you who are a part of that. This has come in your generous giving as you have been faithful to what God has laid upon your hearts. Thank you. It has also come in the words of many prayers. At every stop so far people have prayed for us and what we are doing. And God is answering those prayers as we continue along. He continues to confirm for us His calling on our lives for How He desires for us to minister in His name. We cannot understate the courage we receive from this confirmation. And finally, we have been encouraged by many different people who have spoken to us out of the experiences of their own lives as they have been in the place we are now. We are reminded that this is part of the faith journey we are on and that it is a part of the process of ministry and preparation for ministry. If God wanted to, He could easily provide all the necessary funds we need and do it at this very moment. But because He doesn’t, we know that we should continue to be faithful to ministering to the people we come in contact with. He has confirmed His call for our lives and because of this we know that He will also provide through His people what we need. We are grateful to be able to just share His love and His story and how we fit into it and see Him work from there. Thanks to all of you who have played a role in this season of encouragement. You are an answer to our prayers.