2 Kings 13:19

New International Version (NIV)

The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.”

For Meditation

Elisha would have been sorry. He would never have had to tell an African again to take the arrows and strike the ground for victory over the enemy (2 Kings 13:18). They would have gathered all the arrows on the continent and kept on striking the ground until they were drained of all strength. Just go to some of the all night prayer meetings of some Ghanaian churches and verify this for yourself. The praying folks don’t only strike Satan with whips; they smash him with pestles and mortars. That was Elisha’s anger at Jehoash, king of Israel (19).

The king had gone to visit the dying prophet and lamented over the devastated condition of Israel’s army. It had been reduced by the Arameans to a few horsemen, chariots, and foot soldiers (7). Elisha told Jehoash to first shoot an arrow towards Aram, and then take the rest of the arrows and strike the ground to signify Israel’s victory over Aram (17). Judging from Elisha’s rebuke of Jehoash, I can imagine the king’s tepid attitude in striking the ground only three times.

1. Where was the anger against the Arameans?
2. Where was the passion for victory?
3. Where was the intense desire to defeat the enemy?
4. Why cry and not be ready to fight for your territory?
5. Why waste the provision of the Lord for your battles (2 Cor. 10:4-5; Eph. 6:10-18)?

Striking the floor was an expression of faith in God’s power over the Arameans, given to Israel through the prophet Elisha. It is like prayer. Faith must be passionately expressed. Elisha was angry at the king’s attitude of faith, because he didn’t see the passion and fire in the king’s eyes (19); and that’s how some of our prayer sessions are.

However, when strong faith touches an intense desire to be rid of the enemy’s terror and devastation of a person’s home, marriage, children, jobs and economy; anger and passion rise in their prayer to claim heaven’s victory.

That is warfare prayer – the kind that made the anguished Savior’s sweat become like drops of blood at Gethsemane (Lk. 22:44). It is the kind of corporate prayer, after which, “the place where they [believers] were meeting was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31). It is the expression of the heart’s desire – intense, earnest, and focused. Much as I condemn the silliness and deception of those Ghanaian congregations that bring whips to church to physically “whip” the devil in all night prayer sessions, I believe we must sometimes allow our emotions to speak in passionate, audible prayers to defeat the enemy and destroy his works (2 Kings 13:19l Lk.10:19).

The enemy doesn’t care about your nice attitude when he is busily destroying your home.

Shalom