excerpt from "Looking Toward the East"
Elisha has arrived at the last days of his life. He had a notable life, to say the least. His one unending purpose was to serve God… and come hell or high water he served God! He did everything he could, within the framework of his own capacity and being, to give this God, who had given him life and a challenge, all that he possibly could, to make the world a better world and a better place in which to live.
For the most part, now, he had been on the shelf for a little while. Age had taken over. He did not had the capacity to go on in the same light he had before. There comes down to him, a king of Israel and he asks him certain questions. The king says “We are about to go to be engaged in war. I would like some advice. I would like to know how to handle this situation.”
It would be as though President Obama went to visit with Mr. Bush or Mr. Clinton or those that had served before him, in order that he might benefit by the wisdom of those who had gone through the struggles and trials of what was taking place.
The young king said to Elisha, “What do you advise?” and Elisha said to him, words that we ought not to forget, he said “It isn’t easy anytime, in the struggles of life. War brings a nation to its knees. It brings a nation to its testing time. It brings a nation to every area of its strength, and the zenith of its deep concern, but unless the leaders of the nation and those who are in leadership positions during this part of history, are committed to the way of God, you cannot find things going as they should – no matter what you do.” Elisha said “I’m going to give you what seems like a strange bit of advice. You have a bow and you have arrows. Take the bow and arrows. You get this interlay as the king says “I’ve taken these sir and now I have them…and then Elisha says “Open the window eastward” The man says the window is open eastward. Now the prophet orders “shoot” and the king shoots the bow and arrow three times. Now this would indicate just exactly what it is supposed to indicate – that you will overcome the enemy. But the prophet of God was critical of the king because he said “You should have shot five or six times.” Meaning, you should have shot so many times that the enemy could never rise again to defeat you. Elisha goes on to explain that by shooting only three times the King would only defeat the opposing army three times in battle. He said “This ought to be sufficient but your victory ought to be complete – it ought to be total.” And for this he criticized the man.
As free people we can choose to turn our backs on the windows that show us heartache or wrong decisions or chaos but there are consequences for not dealing with those challenges. If we face each bad view with courage and the knowledge that we are not alone as long as we believe in God the scene we see in front of us will change. Now with this in mind, which direction do you face your chair. Where do you spend your time? Which window (theoretically) do you gaze from the most?
Out of which window is your attitude toward life framed? Out of the south and its easement or the north and its foreboding; here the prophet is saying “look east” “Open the window eastward.” It is a hopeful dawn… there is the challenge of a new day.
I know it is impossible to eternally and continually look out the east – to be hopeful in each and every situation because there are times in every life when illness comes or a loved one is hurt. There are times when addiction pulls down the shade or the view out even the east window seems black. You can’t always be sitting and looking comfortably in one direction. You’ve got to take every human taste of life and face the hardships and problems. But as free agents, we have the right to choose the window frame out of which we look. And as I get to know most of you, I know that we are all sitting looking out all four windows of life – not all at the same time but some of us spend more time in one direction than another… and that explains why our attitude is as it is.
This is the secret of a lot of life. I don’t mean to gloss it over but the ability to look out the east window even when you’re striking out, even when the seams are pulling apart, even when the window seems to shatter is really the best way to live. We have to face the things we don’t like about our lives but we have to view them through the window of hope. I’ll never forget the story of a little girl faced with surgery. When her pastor came to visit she asked him to say the 23rd Psalm with her since that is what she had memorized in Sunday School that year. After they had finished saying it together she asked her Pastor if she could recite it on her own and of course the reply was “Yes, go ahead.” As she took the Pastor’s hand she said “The Lord is my shepherd, that’s all I want.” She was a child teaching another to look out the east window.
She trusted God and in Jesus Christ. Christ never came to condemn. When those around him took one attitude he took another. This is what down deep, in the name of God I am trying to say to you today. Jesus Christ pulls out the chair for us take a seat, relax, and look out the east window. So each day, no matter if it is morning or evening or the middle of the night try to open the window eastward. I know it is worth it.
Pastor Lorah Houser Jankord 
June 27, 2010
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