Living by Faith: In Evil Days and Good Days, for Myself and for OthersSample

A Rock and a Hard Place

In 2nd Kings 7:1-12, Israel, in particular, Samaria is in distress.They are in the middle of a severe famine. Mothers were eating their children and a donkey’s head and bird poop were on the menu. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think those were staple foods back then nor a delicacy. It was spiraling out of control. And then, a king laid siege on the whole city. Talk about being "caught between a rock and a hard place". 

As they begin to shout to the Lord, the Lord answers. He begins to work in an unexpected way. I want to show you three unexpected things:

1.    Unexpected time: when God said, about this time tomorrow this will be over, the king's officer had a hard time believing it. And he is right. Even if they miraculously find the means to purchase food they can’t because they are under siege. Or if God were to send rain right then and there they would need a year to sow and harvest. But God turned the whole situation around in an unexpected time. 24 hours.

2.    Unexpected source: When the four lepers decided to go down to the enemy’s camp God caused their footsteps to sound like that of chariots and horses and a great army and had the enemy flee leaving plunder and food behind. Overnight food was being sold for the very price that God had said it would be. Who would have thought their provision would’ve come from the enemy’s camp? Talk about an unexpected source!

3.    Unexpected people: Back in the day in Israel, lepers were considered unclean and were cast out of society. They were "the untouchables". But it is them that God used to chase the enemy and break the siege. It was them that heralded the news to the city that the enemy had fled and plunder was left behind. God used the most unexpected people as access to his provision. 

As we speak, Samaria's story might resemble our own, but I would like to propose that God is about to move. And when He does, He does so in an unexpected time, through unexpected sources and people!

 

Life Application 

Take your limitation off of what God can do.

 

Prayer

Lord, I believe! Ephesians 3:20