The God of the Ax Head

One of the most well-known miracles of the Old Testament is God parting the Red Sea to allow the Israelites an escape from centuries of slavery and to take a needed step toward the promises made generations previously.

Perhaps one of the lesser known miracles is an ax head floating to the surface after it’s dropped in a body of water. In the book of 2 Kings, there is a disciple of Elisha who loses an ax head in the water while cutting wood. He is distressed because this ax head was borrowed, and God performs a miracle through Elisha to retrieve the ax head.

Copyright: MFriesen Photography

The same God who parted the Red Sea to save an entire people - His people - also caused an ax head to float.

This has been on my mind and on my heart a lot, and it brings me so much hope and comfort from the closeness of our God.

Yes, He is big and does big things with nations and generations in mind. He parted the Red Sea not just to save the fleeing Isrealites - though that was definitely part of it - but also to fulfill His plan and promise to Abraham and his descendants, which ultimately fulfilled His plan of redemption for all mankind.

This is absolutely a macro-sized miracle for the grand scheme of things. I mean, you don’t get more “Big Picture” than that, right?

 

I believe He is the God of such things: nations and generations and setting things in motion that will take time, possibly lifetimes, to come to fullness.

I pray to the God who parted the Red Sea, believing He can still save our nation, bring us to His grace and power and authority. He can part the proverbial Red Sea of lies and deceit, selfishness and pride, greed and hate to make a way to free those held captive by sin and shame.

But, I also pray to the God who raised the ax head.

The miracle that was not part of the larger plan of salvation, but one that was personal to Elisha’s disciple. Having to replace an ax head would not have burdened the whole nation, but it would have burdened that man, and God, through His generosity and care, lifted that man’s burden.

I love this because our God is big enough for nations and generations yet personal enough for the individual. He is so intimately involved with His people, His kids. He cares about our lives, our cares, our hurts, our burdens.

I love that I pray to a God who parted the Red Sea yet also raised the ax head.