20-20 Blog

Scripture Focus:

2 Kings 7:2 So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”
And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

2 Chronicles 20:5–6 Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?

2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

Observation:

There are two ways to look at our circumstances—one is to see the enormity of our need and doubt that God can do anything about it. The other is to look at the enormity of our need and affirm that God is powerful enough to help us. It’s called faith. We not only affirm—we ask for help, as Jehoshaphat did. James 4:2 says, “Ye have not because ye ask not.”

Application:

What is my seemingly insurmountable problem today? Is God big enough to handle it? Yes. Then I need to ask him to handle it and believe that he will.

Prayer:

Father God, I trust in your provision for my need today, and I’m excited to see how you’re going to handle it!

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Scripture Focus:

2 Kings 4:43 But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?”
He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

Observation:

2 Kings 4 is all about how God provides for his people. First we hear about providing a widow with oil so she can pay her debts and have enough left over to live on, then giving the Shunammite woman a son and raising him from the dead when he dies as a young child, then the purifying of a pot of stew so the prophets can eat, and finally, Elisha feeding one hundred men with a small amount of food.

I’d never noticed the similarity between the feeding of the 100 by Elisha and the feeding of the 5000 by Jesus in Matthew 14:13–21. God provided in the same way in both cases—he took a small offering and multiplied it so that it was enough for a large crowd with some left over.

Application:

God reminds me over and over that he is my provider, so why do I get fearful or panicky when I don’t have enough? God can take my paltry offering and multiply it so that there’s enough for me and enough left over to give away.

Prayer:

Father God, thank you for this reminder that you are the God Who Provides.

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Scripture Focus:

2 Chronicles 16:7–9 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the LORD your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

Observation:

God wants us to rely on him when we have a need. Our first tendency is to look around us for someone who can help us out, but God is looking for people who will be loyal to him on a heart level. For those people, he will show himself strong.

Application:

When I have a need, what is my first response? Do I turn to God for help, or do I look around me for solutions? May I be loyal to God in my heart today!

Prayer:

Father God, I look to you for help today. I know you are eager to show yourself strong on my behalf! Thank you for taking care of my needs.

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