Helsinki Vineyard

You will find an interesting little story in 2 Kings 4:38-41 - a story about poison that got into the common stew pot, probably due to eagerness and enthusiasm. Fortunately the poison tasted like poison and the situation was soon remedied.

Why is it being mentioned here? It is mentioned here because the Holy Spirit seemed to bring that story as fuel for prayer this week - not to pray against food poisoning as such, but to pray for people who have been hurt in churches, sometimes deliberately and often just through human frailty. Saints aren't always that saintly, just in case you haven't noticed yet. So I believe God wants to heal our stew! He wants to heal those especially who were affected by the poison and have withdrawn from fellowship to protect themselves.

Only we are not very clever when it comes to protecting ourselves. Isolation leaves us open to many kinds of attack and totally bereft of the presence of the Head that surely goes with the Body. So let us pray for that special 'flour' that the story mentions to permeate the stew and to heal both from old scarred wounds and fresh cuts that in this world we do receive even in church (surely the wolves come where the sheep are!). And let us pray for our pastors to have eyes to recognise potentially poisonous wild gourds that someone may be wanting to throw into the pot. Jesus, heal your Bride.