When my children were little, they had more toys than they could play with on a regular basis. Consequently, as they played with their favorite toy of the week, other toys would sit forgotten at the bottom of the toy box. Then one day, seemingly out of the blue, they would start digging through the toy box and come across the toys they had forgotten. Suddenly, these old toys were like brand new toys to them.
The same sort of thing happened to me when I read through 2 Kings chapter 3. Some of the new/old things I found there were…
- Our tendency to make the same mistakes over and over again. (v. 3)
- The importance of loyalties, even in the face of differing opinions. (v. 7)
- How quick we are to blame or discount God. (v. 10)
- The importance of having God’s presence and instruction in everything we do. (v. 11)
- How a godly presence benefits, and sometimes saves, the ungodly. (v. 14)
- That nothing is impossible for God. (v. 20)
- That God can use simple things (like refection on water) to carry out His purpose. (v. 22-24)
- God’s word and His promises will come to pass…without fail. (v. 19, 25)
These are elementary principles we all know. But too often, they become like forgotten toys at the bottom of the toy box that need to be rediscovered.
May we not be so interested in making new discoveries about God and His will that we fail to rediscover what we already know to be true and powerful. May the old principles of our faith become the rediscovered practices of our life.
