{"id":14315,"date":"2026-06-28T07:11:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T11:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&p=14315"},"modified":"2026-06-28T07:12:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T11:12:58","slug":"enthusiastic-expectant-persistent-faith","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/enthusiastic-expectant-persistent-faith","title":{"rendered":"ENTHUSIASTIC, EXPECTANT, PERSISTENT FAITH"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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“You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times” (2 Kings 13:19 ESV).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

2 Kings 13:14\u201319 is one of the more puzzling episodes in the life of Elisha. After telling King Jehoash to shoot an arrow eastward as a sign of victory over Syria, Elisha then instructs him: “Take the arrows.” And he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” But the king only strikes the ground three times. The king was being tested, not for military skill, but for spiritual expectancy. Elisha rebuked him, not because three was the wrong number, but because his actions revealed limited confidence in God’s promise. The king’s half-hearted response exposed a lack of spiritual expectancy and contentment with partial victory. God had promised triumph, yet Jehoash’s lukewarm obedience limited the extent to which he would experience that victory. This account reminds God’s people that His sovereign purposes never eliminate human responsibility. The Lord delights in faith that responds to His Word with enthusiasm, expectancy, and persistent confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We often resemble Jehoash more than we would like to admit. Rather than responding with wholehearted trust, we settle for partial obedience and expect only modest results. God does not ask us to manufacture greater faith or presume upon promises He has not made. He calls us to believe what He has spoken and to obey with confidence. As we meditate on His Word, pray according to His will, and faithfully follow His leading, we can trust Him for all He intends to accomplish. Let us refuse to give up or settle for less than wholehearted obedience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Father, forgive us for the times we have trusted You only halfway and obeyed You reluctantly. Fill our hearts with confidence in Your promises and give us perseverance to follow You completely. Help us to trust Your Word, obey without hesitation, and leave the results in Your hands. Make us people who honor You with enthusiastic, expectant, persistent faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times” (2 Kings 13:19 ESV). 2 Kings 13:14\u201319 is one of the more puzzling episodes in the life of Elisha. After telling King<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1279],"scripture-chapter":[1346],"oyb_day":[1706],"location":[],"class_list":["post-14315","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-2-kings","scripture-chapter-1346","oyb_day-june-28"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/14315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14315"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=14315"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=14315"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=14315"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=14315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}