“Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom” (2Kings 6:11-12).

 A download is a transfer of information from one system to another, and many people think that downloading started with the age of computers. While the phrase may have been invented in correlation with computers, God has been performing downloads on his people for as long as we have been in relationship with him.

In the passage above, the King of Israel is about to come under attack by Israel’s enemy, Syria, and God warns the king through telling the prophet Elisha about the plans of the Syrian King.

Elisha had no way of knowing this information other than through God telling him. God did a download. 

Two things are important to note about Elisha as we read this passage: first, he cultivated an ongoing relationship with God, and second, his heart toward people was good.

As we nurture an ongoing awareness of God’s presence in our daily lives, he begins to speak to us in moments when we least expect it. When God downloads information concerning others, it is almost always to help them, whether that be through a word of warning (like here), a word of encouragement, or simply through prayer. 

Often God puts people on our hearts without including any specifics. He simply wants us to pray for them.

In the case above, a battle was thwarted and thousands of lives were delivered – not just the King of Israel’s life, but the lives of countless Israeli and Syrian soldiers as well.

What’s important to remember is that God’s intention toward people is always good. And in order to be the landing spot for a download, ours must be also. 

As we cultivate an ongoing relationship with God through seeking Him daily, He will open our eyes afresh to the spiritual world going around us even as He molds us into people who can receive downloads. He does the latter by teaching us to hear His voice, and by softening our hearts toward others. The more our intention toward others becomes akin to God’s own, the more He can trust us with sensitive information that has the power to rescue, deliver, set-free and save.

Did you know that God wants to speak to you in ways you never imagined? Take time today and ask God to help you cultivate a heart toward others that is compassionate and merciful so that you, like Elisha, can become a suitable landing spot for one of God’s downloads.