2 Kings 13:1-9
Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel

Pastor Dave taught that this week’s passage displays the collision of three attributes of God. He is sovereign: He gave Israel continually into the hand of the king of Syria (v3). He is merciful: He listened to King Jehoahaz, even though he sought God’s favor not God Himself, and gave Israel a deliverer (vv4-5). He holds man responsible: His anger burned because of His people’s idolatry (vv3,6-7).

Dave camped on the Lord’s sovereignty and gave this excellent definition: “God’s sovereignty means that He holds supreme, absolute, and unrestricted authority and power over all creation, governing everything from the creation of the world to the smallest details of human lives, ensuring His will is always accomplished.” Dave illustrated the definition with the story of the ten plagues that preceded the exodus, but you could pick out any story in the Bible and identify God’s sovereignty in it. It’s harder to acknowledge God’s sovereignty in events in the lives of people we know, in a diagnosis of a rare and aggressive cancer or the sudden death of a husband, for instance. But if God was sovereign in Bible times, He is sovereign now; He doesn’t change. Take time today to meditate on God’s sovereignty and then bow before Him and praise Him, even through tears.

God is sovereign … yet He holds man responsible. God holds man responsible … yet He is merciful. It is hard for our finite human minds to harmonize these divine attributes; they seem contradictory to us. Lord, grant me the humility to accept the tension and admit that I am not qualified to sort it out. I acknowledge that You are God and I am not! Grow my faith in You so that I can trust what I cannot see.

Calvary Family

I think we all enjoy baby dedications, especially when the baby is active and vocal! The vow we, the congregation, make is important to remember regularly, long after the moment on the platform is over. We covenant before God to love, care for, and support the child’s parents as they train him or her up in the Lord. That support certainly includes prayer. Lift up the parents of Calvary’s babies, children, and youth as they do perhaps the most important kingdom work there is.

Fall FunFest is a week from Saturday, and the big need now is volunteer servants. We can have a parking lot full of portable lights, inflatables, game booths, and buckets and buckets of candy, but FunFest can’t happen without workers. As of Sunday, many jobs remain unfilled. Take a look at the signup sheet here for a brief description of what each job involves and which 2-hour shifts are available. Then talk to the Lord about how He wants you to help.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

* This is an abbreviated version of our weekly prayer blog. For the full version, including congregation prayer requests, subscribe .