“Then the officer, the king's right-hand man, said to the man of God, 'The Lord is the One who makes windows in the sky. Will this thing happen?' And Elisha answered, 'You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.' (2 Kings 7:2*)
Have you ever resigned so much to a negative situation that you cannot believe there are potential good outcomes? What is the feeling like? Helplessness, fear, despair, reluctance to do anything? And has it ever happened to you that at such a moment a positive turn ensues, completely astonishing you? We call this a miracle, don't we? What is a miracle actually? Something impossible in our eyes, which happens in practice. What is the feeling after the miracle – gratitude, joy, but also a light or not-so-light feeling of guilt? The guilt that we did not believe before we saw or that we defined how far and how God's power can act. Maybe our guilt is not in that. Is it possible that God holds us accountable because we actually do not believe that He is.
In 2 Kings 7, the siege of the city of Samaria by the Assyrians is described. In the city, the people were so hungry that cannibalism emerged. Everyone was hungry and desperate, the king himself was so disheartened that after hearing about a mother who had eaten her own child out of hunger, he said, 'Behold, what calamity has befallen me from the Lord! What else can I expect from Him?' (2 Kings 6:33b*) In helplessness, anger, and despair, seeking a scapegoat, the king sends a messenger to kill Elisha, the man of God in the city. He is so angry at God and Elisha that he does not even await for the messenger but follows after him and reaches the man of God: 'Elisha said, 'Hear the word from the Lord! This is what the Lord says: Tomorrow at this time, at the gates of Samaria, a measure of fine flour will sell for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel.' Then the officer, the king's right-hand man, said to the man of God, 'The Lord is the One who makes windows in the sky. Will this thing happen?' And Elisha answered, 'You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat.' (2 Kings 7:1-2*)
The same day, four leprous Israelites decide to go and surrender to the Assyrian army, as they have nothing else to lose. Upon reaching the camp, they find it empty because God frightened the Assyrians supernaturally. He made them hear a great noise and think they were attacked by allies of the Israelites. Ultimately, the prophecy spoken by Elisha came true the next day; at the gates of Samaria, indeed barley and flour were sold cheaply, but something else occurred as well. The king’s officer was trampled by the hungry crowd who, in joy, rushed to seize the enemy camp. In other words, the officer witnessed the miracle but did not taste it.
What conclusions can we draw from this story:
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- No impossible turns for God.
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- No temporal or economic limitations for God.
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- We have no right to doubt His Word.
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- The penalty for disbelief is to live without experiencing God's miracles personally in our lives.
God is good, faithful, strong, just, powerful, and unlimited in His actions and plans. When we think there is only one way out and it cannot be changed, we must think about whom we believe in – ourselves and our logic, knowledge, analysis or the God of Abraham, Joseph, Elijah, Elisha. Our doubts are not about what He does but about His essence. God very clearly reveals Himself and His nature through the Holy Scriptures and through our personal experiences with Him. If we see in the Scriptures that He can do anything, who are we to predict the future and deny turnarounds?
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21*)
Challenge for the week: Take some time this week to remember instances in your life when you had 'written off' a situation or person, and God intervened, leaving you amazed and astonished. If you haven’t yet had such a moment in your life, can you believe that you will see it happen this week?
*Scripture quotes are according to the text of the Bible, the new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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