Monday, July 11, 2011

CHARIOTS OF FIRE

CHARIOTS OF FIRE

(Inspired by 2 Kings 6:8-17)

Mighty king of Aram
At war with the armies of God,
Confers with his officers
Sending troops with a kingly nod.

But Elisha, chosen prophet
Warns the Israelite king,
And the armies of mighty Aram
Show up and find nothing.

This happens over and over again
The mighty king is mad,
He wonders who the traitor is
That's making his war go bad!

He calls his officers once again
And demands to know the man,
Who's talking to the Israelite king
Whose treason is ruining his plan.

They say, “It's not us, it's Elisha
He knows your secret whims,
Don't accuse us of wrongdoing
The real enemy is him.”

So the mighty king of Aram
Issues this urgent command,
“Go and find where Elisha is
I will take him from his land.”

The report comes back to Aram
Dothan is where you must go,
And the troops surround the city
Waiting their power to show.

Elisha's servant wakes one morn
And has himself a scare,
There are soldiers, and horses, a multitude
And chariots everywhere.

“Oh Elisha,” he cries with fear
“What will we ever do?
There are so many, they are so strong
And we are just we two.”

“Don't be afraid,” Elisha says
“For there are more on our side.”
And he bows his head and asks the Lord
“Open my friend's eyes wide!”

When the servant looks up, he sees anew
Their fate is no longer dire,
The hillsides are full of angels and horses
And mighty chariots of fire.

Sometimes when we're alone and afraid
We fail to see what's real,
That God is always on our side
In ways we can't always feel.

So trust the eyes that see in faith
Beyond the veil of this life,
And know that God's resources
Are there in every strife.

The circumstances that daunt our hearts
And seem so terribly dire,
Are really just chances for God to win…
…with His glorious chariots of fire.

© Sharon Kirby
April 15, 2006


(ANNOUNCEMENT: In honor of my anniversary, I am giving my husband a special gift. I will be absent from Blog Land for a few days so we can spend some time together, just he and I, and no distractions! It's hard to let go of my daily blog commitment (obsession??) – but, some things are just more important! Please join me again for "Fan the Flame Friday" – and as always, GOD BLESS!)


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

13 comments:

  1. This comment will be short and sweet (kinda like you)

    I LOVE this!! My heart started kind of racing as I read through it. By the time I got to the end, I felt like standing up to cheer.

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  2. Ditto Debbie! Great recount of this inspirational story - God help us to see beyond the natural to the heavenly strings you're working unto victory - and all good things and beauty! Have plenty of that on your respite with hubby!
    Joy!
    Kathy

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  3. This is one of my most favorite scriptures...it has such power and I am reminded again, open my eyes Lord so I can see your army that is behind me and the small army in front. Thanks for reminding me of this power scripture.
    Happy Anniversary! I am visiting slowly while still unpacking.

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  4. Absolutely awesome Sharon! Gave me chills. GIRL... you can write!!!! :)

    Happy Anniversary, don't even turn your computer on... just enjoy these days.

    xo

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  5. HAVE A GREAT MINI BLOG VACATION - did it my self and come back feeling great!

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  7. WOW! Sharon... a Biblical poem/prose of a victorious triumph of Chariots with Fire and there's plenty of fire in the gifted woman that writes like this! Awesome job!

    I too, stood or wanted to stand ...and cheer upon the end like Debbie!

    A blessed and happy anniversary as you disconnect from us and connect to your spouse...with a special time of love and devotion. God bless you both and enrich your time together. Know we are rooting you on whether noticed or not, your heart is right and this attitude gives God glory!

    Love ya' girl,
    Peggy
    See ya'on the weekend, looking forward to it! Sorry about the delete..errors get to me so...

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  8. happy anniversary Sharon and hubby! wonderful gift to give the both of you!! I loved this poem, it would make a great children's book; I could see the illustrations!! Enjoy your time!!

    betty

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  9. Happy Anniversary! My wife and I will celebrate our 45th Anniversary August 26th. God bless you.

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  10. Great poem bursting into Chariots of Fire. Love it.
    Have a Happy Anniversary! You deserve a break!

    Blessings,
    Janis

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  11. Happy Anniversary! We will be here ready to read when you get back! Enjoy these free days!

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  12. Hi Sharon -

    Happy Anniversary!

    Thank you for this rhythmic piece. It sang to me. I enjoyed it indeed.

    It is good that you took a respite from blog land. Sometimes we need to do such...

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  13. Thank you, dear friends, for stopping by while I was gone. It was a much-needed break. "The Hub" and I had a great time together. And the Lord had some things to say to me, too, while I was just listening to Him (and not blogging about it - though I'll probably end up blogging about it!)

    I continue to ask God to open my eyes to the reality that I don't see. To stop looking at the scary armies around me, and look instead to the mighty chariots of fire!!

    GOD BLESS you all - I missed you!

    And J.T. - wow, congrats on your upcoming 45th! My best wishes to you and your wife!

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"So [I] have been greatly encouraged in the midst of [my] troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives [me] new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord. How [I] thank God for you!" (1 Thessalonians 3:7-9)

Thanks for your comments - it is such a joy to be sharing my journey with friends like YOU!

(NOTE: Anonymous comments will be removed. Thank you for understanding.)