And Elisha said, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you.” 2 Kings 3:14
You know those suites you see at professional football and basketball games where celebrities sit? I’ve always wondered what it would be like to watch the game from one of those. I’ve simply never had access though. Whenever I’ve gone to a game, my ticket has always directed me to sit in the regular seats, which is where I belong, because I just don’t have the resources to sit in a suite. A couple of years ago however, a buddy reached out, indicating that he was friends with the owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had given him access to the owner’s suite for a game. Suddenly I too had access because I knew the right guy. Arriving at the arena, I passed through several checkpoints, which I never would have made it through on my own. Because I knew the right guy though, I was ushered through to the owner’s suite where I watched the game in comfort and style that I’d never known. . . All because I knew the right guy.
You’ve got to know the right guy. This is the lesson of today’s passage, in which the King Jehoram of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah asked the prophet Elisha to reveal God’s will for their upcoming military campaign. King Jehoram didn’t follow God and Elisha would have dismissed him, if not for the King Jehoshaphat. Because Jehoshaphat followed God though, and because the Jehoram was with him, Elisha extended grace to Jehoram as well. I’m helping you because Jehoshaphat is with you. Without him, you’d be on your own.
If I desire the life God intends for me, I must know the right guy. It’s Christmas today, which of course, is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This is the day that God sent his son as the guy who would eventually sacrifice himself so that we could be restored to a right relationship with the father. God has a blessed new life which he desires for me, but to get there, I must know and follow Christ. I’ve known the misery of the life of following me and I’ve experienced the disaster of not walking with Christ. That is definitely not the life I want. I want the new life. So, daily, not just on Christmas, I must invest time in my relationship with Jesus, reading his words and trying to follow him. If I want the life God intends, then I must know his son. It’s all about who you know. . .
Merry Christmas!