2 Kings 8:4 The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, and had said, “Tell me about all the great things Elisha has done.”

Sometimes the Old Testament narrative leaves questions about chronology. It seems possible or even probable that later editing put some things out of sequence. My impression from this story is that it would have happened after the death of Elisha, but Elisha appears again immediately following this. We also have the question of Gehazi and his leprosy. (2 Kings 5:27) It seems unlikely that he would have been talking to the king like this had he been thought to be contagious. All of that aside, it is significant that the simple fact that he had been associated with Elisha was sufficient to get Gehazi an audience with the king, at the king’s pleasure. We deal with the consequences of our actions, but blessings also linger, sometimes to a surprising degree. Gehazi benefited from his service to Elisha longer and in ways that I’m sure he hadn’t imagined when he started that service. He made mistakes and suffered for them, but that didn’t mean God was through with him. Peter is, of course, the outstanding example of that in the New Testament. The devil tries to tell us that once we’ve stumbled we’re done for, when nothing could be further from the truth. Often it is those who are painfully aware of their own human weaknesses who are humble enough to be used mightily by God.

I’ve made my share of mistakes, and the devil has certainly been true to his lying nature toward me about them. It has been as I have believed and accepted God’s forgiveness and cleansing that I have been liberated from besetting sins. (2 Peter 1:9) As a pastor I have yet to deal with any perfect people! We indeed stray from God’s perfect plan for us, but like a GPS that recalculates after we miss a turn, God always has the best possible plan for us from where we are right now. That plan will always involve blessing and serving others and drawing closer to God. I need not only to teach that but also to remember it in my own life, and rejoice. God has told me personally to rest, relax, and rejoice. The biggest thing standing in the way of that is me! As my assistant pastor preached this past Sunday, joy is a choice. I need to choose peace and joy through choosing obedience, and vice versa. God can always use me, and I need to look forward to it.

Father, life is filled with frustrations of various sorts, but You warned us about that. (John 16:33) Help me indeed rejoice in Christ Jesus my Lord, whatever my immediate circumstances look like. Help me always seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness (Matthew 6:33) so that I will be available for however You want to use me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!