23.I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.

24.My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.

5.Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.

If someone were to ask whether you were aware of God, you would no doubt exclaim, “Of course I am! I go to church, read my Bible, and pray all the time. I’m quite aware of God.” Now, let’s take it one crucial step further: Are you aware of God’s presence and activity in your daily life?

This second question makes it a bit more personal, doesn’t it? In my daily life? Right there, all the time? We would like to have that constant awareness of God’s presence, but it is difficult. When hardships and trials strike at us out of nowhere, we often feel bewildered and wonder why God has left us so alone.

During times of difficulty, we might pray even harder and longer. We plead for help, but see little result. We cry, “Help ME! Give ME strength!” Or perhaps, “I believe this” or “I can do that.” Do you notice the common factor there? The focus is all on me, me, me, I, I, I. Even during prayer, we may be aware only of ourselves, leaving the Lord out of the matter entirely.

At that point, we may find we’re not really talking to the Father at all; we are talking to ourselves. Perhaps we are focusing on the problem and actually wishing for the ability to handle it on our own. We can, in effect, become completely blind to how God may be working.

Second Kings 6:15-17 gives us a wonderful picture of what can happen when we remove our self-centered blinders and truly see God’s hand at work. Open your eyes. Like Elisha’s servant, you may be shocked to discover the help that God has already sent your way.