2 Kings 7:6
“For the Lord had made the army of the Arameans hear a sound of chariots, a sound of horses, that is, the sound of a great army; and they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians against us, to attack us!”
This is crazy, but one of the ways God works. He plants thoughts in peoples minds. In this case He worked through their sense of hearing to protect Israel. We’re not sure if He planted the thought of hearing or if He conjured up the sounds of a great army. Either way it was a miracle.
Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He pleases.” What’s true for the king is true for the commoner. He is always implanting thoughts and altering circumstances to bless and protect His children, as well as attempting to reach the lost.
David says in Psalm 3:3, “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” He’s that for His children as well. He’s our defender and He seeks to bless us. Many have heard that, but it hasn’t quite sunk in. Particularly for nonbelievers. They don’t grasp the extent of His love and how much He wants to help and bless.
Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.” That is simply amazing. The almighty God who created and sustains the world wants to come into our hearts and dine with us.
I Peter 1:12 says of the angels, “It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.” They understood that they were helping God set things up for us. They were amazed and curious. “They longed to look”. They understood how amazing it was the plan that God had for us.
Todays scripture demonstrates the extent God goes to in assisting His children. He drove off an entire army. It looked utterly hopeless. They were doomed. But God drove them off with mind games.
Those outside of Christ are outside of His care and protection. That doesn’t mean that they are pawns of the devil. He provides general protection, unless they give themselves up to corruptions and evil. They are going far beyond God’s protection and are quite vulnerable. God tries to reach people their entire life time. Because they reject Him, they are outside of His care and protection. There are all sorts of psychological issues they could encounter. Then there are the substances and addictions that people get enslaved to. There are unhealthy relationships the people get into. The result of their choices can drive them back to God. Sometimes not.
God’s way is like a highway. Being in the center has His clouds protecting us from the corrosive direct sunlight. As we swerve to the edge of His highway, there is less shade there. Trees from the outside have limbs that lean in and can hit us as we go. As we walk with Him we learn to stay in the center and avoid the edges.
God will allow us to have natural consequences of our actions. This is different from today’s rescue. A bump on the head from a branch is different from the destruction unaware to us. That’s keeping us from evil. Some times we make sinful choices that we need rescuing from. He will save. Our choices can result in death, but the soul is saved.
Lord, thank You for Your ways. Walking in them keeps us safe. Thank You for rescuing us when we stray and when we are unaware. Your power and intervention are amazing.