Elisha Vision – Commentary

For decades we have made deposits in our “faith account” We believe in storing up faith more than anything else for future times of need. There will be times for all of us when we need to “withdraw from our faith account.” April 11, 2001 Doreen and I had finished preparations to travel in a motor home, and preach in support of God’s purposes for Israel. It was the final day of our rental house and we would drive away the next morning. As I positioned the motor home for the last minute loading, it caught fire which jumped to the wooden porch of the home and within minutes the whole house was burning. It was a total loss. As the firemen fought the 40 foot flames, Doreen and I watched (with a hundred of our closest friends and neighbors). Doreen leaned over to me and said: “I’m sure glad I wore my comfortable shoes.” And I was just thinking to myself: “Wow Lord! I didn’t see that coming. What are You going to do now?” Honestly, we had some sort of real supernatural faith withdrawal from the transcendent grace and peace of the Holy Spirit of God.

Some of our friends said we were in shock and it would hit us the next day. When it didn’t, they said it would be the next week or month. Well, it has now been over 11 years and it still hasn’t hit us. Yes I boast, but not in our faith, but in God’s faithfulness. We actually experienced what I call “peace that doesn’t make sense.” We should have been in shock. We should have panicked or collapsed or had any other normal reaction. But we did not. We had peace. Thank you Jesus! The Apostle Paul said it another way:

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

Last year, my good friend Doug Walton, shared a gem from the Hebrew text of this verse:

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3

One would be right to assume that “peace” here is the Hebrew word “shalom”. What I did not know before Doug shared, was that the word “perfect” is also “shalom” in the Hebrew text. The concept of perfect peace is really shalom-shalom, or shalom squared! So the perfect peace (that doesn’t make sense in the human circumstance) is really a double shalom from our loving Heavenly Father, right at the time we need it most. Hallelujah!

When we face tragedy, reversal, uncertainty or anything unexpected, we stand at that choice again of two roads as mentioned in the introduction of this book. Do we choose LIFE in Jesus or self-will? Do we stick with Him or deny Him in blasphemous rebellion? Joshua said it best for all generations:

And if it seems evil unto you to serve Yehovah, choose for yourselves this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Yehovah. Joshua 24:15

So then, we will walk by faith, live by faith and stand in faith. It takes courage to stand in faith in the face of insurmountable odds. Yet, as someone said: “You and God are not a majority, you have a monopoly.” Paul reminded the Romans that if God was for them, no one could stand against them. I do not diversify my Heavenly hope; my total trust is invested in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel. All my eggs are in one basket. (This post is an excerpt from my newest book, Generation LIFE, available soon.)

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists      (READ MORE)