And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you.” 2 Kings 3:14
Elisha’s life or testimony can be summed up in a single verse: “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand.” He knows that the Lord of Hosts lives, and He stands before Him. His entire being, including his ways, thoughts, and lifestyle, stood before God. He is in this posture of standing before the Lord of Hosts. We don’t for how many years he stood in front of or before the Lord of Hosts. In this verse, it appears that Elisha was speaking to both kings while in his heart he was standing before the Lord of Hosts.
It could be that he was doing his daily tasks or works in his regular life, but his interior posture was that he was standing before God. He was always gazing at the Lord internally when doing any work or activity in the external world. He might have stood before the Lord continuously for several years or his entire life. Even in sleep, he might have stood before God. He did not turn his attention away from God internally. If only, we could stand continuously before the Lord of Hosts, how much our lives would change. What a difference it would make if we could constantly stand before the Lord of Hosts. Lord of Hosts is the Lord among a multitude of Hosts of angels, elders, and so on. Already there are a multitude of Hosts before or around God, and Elisha stood alongside these hosts.
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Elisha made a safe dwelling near the Lord and His multitude of Hosts. His steps, ways, and decisions are guided by the Lord and His Hosts. In battle, Elisha had the support of the Lord’s army. Standing before the Lord of Hosts brings many privileges such as safety, counsel, and guidance, but we must try to continually stand before the Lord of Hosts. We must remember that when we stand before God, our lives are clearly visible and watched more closely by God. Every word, thought, and motive is monitored and scrutinized by God’s standards. God’s standards and principles will rub and infiltrate into our life. Standing before God is a place of immediate correction. If a wrong motive or word is found, it is instantly corrected. Standing before God causes us to have the right mindset and get rightly aligned with God.
When we are standing before God, we will be very careful with our life, such as how we speak and work. We will not waste time. We will always be under the reality that the Lord is watching us. We will live within God’s boundary, where we will position ourselves to see God at all times. Our personal discipline reflects our walk with God. After God’s touch, everyone in the Bible lived a disciplined life. A person who stands before God becomes a disciplined person. He takes his walk with God seriously and is very careful in his ways, motives, and interactions with God and others. His way of life becomes transparent and clear. When Elisha says he stands before the Lord of Hosts, he indicates his ways, thoughts, life, and everything stands before God and are constantly audited or monitored by God.
When we learn to stand before God, God constantly refines, corrects, monitors, and audits our lives. Today, there are many people who know God, yet there are relatively few who stand before Him. People who stand before God, their walk with God is so unique and distinct from others. Standing before God requires an unwavering devotion and dedication with a lifelong commitment. It is a lifelong commitment in which we must stand before God every second, every minute, every day, year, and so on till Eternity. If we could only learn to stand before God, how much our lives would change and how many people would be blessed? Standing before God is a rare honor, so ask God to grant you the opportunity to do so.
There is a shortage of people who stand before God. If every Christian stood before God and lived their life before God, the entire world would be saved by now. Try standing before God for one day with the help of the Holy Spirit to see how much clearer, transparent, truthful, and well-organized your life would be, and how much greater perspective of God you would bring in every situation. That is very clearly seen in Elisha’s life. His decisions, wisdom, and prophecies (from God) were so filled with heavenly wisdom and power. Strive and aspire to constantly stand before God. Don’t settle for fleeting pleasures.
