Through the Power of the Holy Ghost

Romans 5:13
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

True hope is supernatural. It is beyond the power of man. The power of the Holy Spirit working in the life of a Christian is what causes hope to abound in our hearts.
God never intended us to "try" and "work up" emotions like love and hope. He wants to be our Spring of Living Water. He wants to be our Source. Every good thing comes from our Heavenly Father. Attempting to "make it happen" may succeed for a brief time, but it will end in failure.
How can I let the Holy Spirit be my Source of hope, joy, and love today?

It Is Well, Even When It Isn't

2 Kings 4:26
"Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well."
When our confidence and trust is in God, nothing can shake us. When we have a deep faith that is rooted in a deep relationship with Him, knowing intimately Who He is, no crisis can touch that faith.
This woman had just lost her only child, a child who had been a miracle, and no doubt a daily reminder of God's power despite her lack of faith. She would not doubt this time, not like she had before.
Her ability to say "it is well" did not come from some effort on her part to stay positive. It did not come from knowledge that her son would, without a doubt, be revived. Rather it came from an unshakable faith in a God she knew.
Do I have faith like that? Is my trust in God based in my intimate relationship with Him as my Heavenly Father?

God's Thoughts

Psalm 139:17
"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!"

"God's omniscience, which might have justly watched over us to do us hurt, has been employed for us, and has watched over us to do us good....
[God's thoughts] are deep in themselves, such as cannot possibly be fathomed and comprehended. Providence has had a vast reach in its dispensations concerning us, and has brought things about for our good quite beyond our contrivance and foresight.
They are dear to us; we must think of them with a great deal of reverence, and yet with pleasure and thankfulness. Our thoughts concerning God must be delightful to us, above any other thoughts....
We cannot conceive how many God's kind counsels have been concerning us, how many good turns He has done us, and what variety of mercies we have received from Him....We cannot conceive the multitude of God's compassions, which are all new every morning." ~Matthew Henry

No Helper For Israel

2 Kings 14:26-27
"For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel. And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash."

Man's mind is only limited by how far he is willing to look up. A man with a heavenly perspective does not fear, does not let the things of earth discourage him. In man's eyes, from man's perspective, Israel was done for. There was no one who could help or save them. It was the end.
However, the Lord remains on His throne. Nothing can move Him, nothing surprises Him. He saw Israel's plight before the foundation of the world. Who would honestly think He was unprepared to help? Jeroboam was the vessel God used to accomplish His purpose.
Often, there are situations where I may fear the unknown. When life presents a problem with no way out, it is easy to be disheartened. But when I look around and see no helper, when all hope is lost, it is past time to turn my eyes up. God is waiting for your cry.
What in my life has me overwhelmed? How can I view God as my deliverer and helper in this situation?

The Bones of Elisha

2 Kings 13:21

"And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet."

Elisha did some incredible miracles during his lifetime. The pot of oil, the Shumanite's son, Naaman's healing, and others. Yet his impact, the power of his intimate walk with God still had residual effects even after his death. Before Elijah left the earth, Elisha made a request - a double portion of the spirit of power that Elijah had known. His request was granted.

First of all, from this we see that all of us leave something behind us when we die. Perhaps nothing so miraculous as this, yet our legacies will have impact on generations to come. 

Second, we see that God honors bold tenacity when it comes to seeking Him. Elisha could have asked for "just enough" of God's Spirit. But instead he wanted more. He needed more. He was not satisfied with what others had experienced.
When I am gone, will my absence affect those around me? As I live now, am I allowing myself to be satisfied with "just enough" of God, just what others have? Or am I tenaciously pressing toward Him, desiring more?

Smite Five or Six Times

2 Kings 13:18-19

"And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice."

How much of our life is limited by the effort we do not expend? There is much we do not know from this passage, however, what we do know is that the king gave up at what Elisha considered the half-way point. This resulted in Judah's enemy not being totally consumed.

Perhaps we see the same thing in our Christian walk. Perhaps a lingering "pet sin" remains in our life despite repeated efforts. Perhaps the problem is not the sin, but us only "striking thrice". God's power in our lives may only be limited by our belief.

How can I "smite five or six times" today? How can I expend more effort than required to pursue my God?

Repetition

2 Kings 13:1-13
Some passages of the books of Kings seem to be mere repetition of the same events with different names. Israel fell into terrible, predictable patterns. And they rarely got out of that rut because they never fully got rid of all their sin. A "little sin" was always allowed to linger. But just like a little cancer, sin never remains alone for long.