How is your faith?

2 Kings 3: 16-18

And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 He said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Make this valley full of pools.’ 17 For thus says the Lord, ‘You will not see wind, nor will you see rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, that you may drink, both you and your livestock, and your cattle.’ 18 This is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord, and He will give the Moabites into your hand.

Photo by Doyle Childers

This verse has continued to stay with me as it has such a revelation to my soul. You read through it and if not focused upon you can miss the meaning that I believe God is trying to impress upon our spirit.

Within 2 Kings 3, Jehoram king of Israel, Jehoshaphat king of Judah and the king of Edom are going to war against the Moabites. As they are heading to Moab, they are unable to find water to replenish the strength of the men and health of the livestock. Instantly, Jehoram begins to give in to negative thoughts, or as can be related in the Bible the fiery darts of the devil (Ephesians 6:16). He begins to exclaim the Lord has brought the three kings together that the Moabites may destroy them and take the plunder. I find this an interesting perspective because it sounds like something we may do. When we get into hard times our first thoughts may be to give into fear or defeat and even our words may begin to relate to what we see or is occurring around us rather than focus upon our Lord and His greatness. For some reason, our flesh, our carnal minds tend to automatically go to the negative of a situation and it takes effort and dedication on our part to stay focused upon God’s Word and His Truth.

Let’s think about our health. What is the first thing we think about when a doctor gives us unexpected news about the health of our body or a loved one? Do we automatically think “Praise God, this is going to be a great testimony!”? Not typically, our response is usually the most negative thing we can think up. But I want to ask why. Why do we automatically think negative when we have experienced so many miracles and blessings in our lives? Sometimes I feel like we are very similar to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. Even though they saw and experienced God’s presence and His miraculous works, when they came to the Red Sea, or experienced any other obstacle along their journey while exiting Egypt, their first response was negative and self-destructive. In turn, God had the Israelites remain in the desert for 40 years and only a few of the generation that had experienced firsthand so many miracles got to see the promise land.

That is what I believe the message is for today. What is our “pool” from verse 16 above that states, “Make the valley full of pools”. When you think about it, it seems very simple after the fact. Hindsight in any situation is 20/20, but have we thought about how we would have related in this situation? As we know, when tough times come upon us, our first tendency is to retreat to negative thoughts and allow fearful expressions run rampant. That is not God’s will nor His desire for our lives. His will is that when the tough times come, lean into Him and His truth and begin speaking life and not death. When times are difficult and you do not see a way, praise God and lift Him up. When the doctor pronounces a bad diagnosis, rebuke that curse and claim victory and healing under the Blood of Jesus Christ!

As we relate God’s will back to the verse from 2 Kings, the three kings were instructed through Elisha to dig pools and wait for God to act. I believe God has a sense of humor and as you read the Bible you can catch a glimpse and see the true nature of our loving, forgiving and caring Father. Look at verse 18, God lovingly reminds us, “This is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord,”. As God reminded Abraham in Genesis 18:14, “Is anything to difficult for the Lord?”, or Job in Job 42:2, “I know that You can do all things and that no plan of Yours can be thwarted.”. Nothing is impossible or to difficult for our God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and His will for our victory over daily situations remains constant throughout time.

The revelation for our message today is the pools that were instructed to be dug within the verse. In this instance they were instructed to dig pools and they would be filled with water. Again, as we look at this in hindsight it is easy to believe and our thoughts could even be, what an easy request from the Lord. However, to capture the full nature of the moment, we need to go back to 2 Kings 3 and verse 8 where Jehoram and Jehoshaphat decided to travel through the “Desert of Edom”. They are in the desert, not near a stream or brook or in an area that receives rain on a regular basis, they are in the desert. So when God asks them to dig pools, in the natural, in the human perspective it does not make sense nor does it look practical. This reminds me of Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20:11 when God had previously provided water for His people when there seems like there is not a way.

In closing, the point of today’s message is if called, are you digging your pool? In tough times, or in times that seem desperate, do you lean into God and obey what He asks? Luke 11:28 states, “He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”” Which takes us to the heart of the message; no matter what you see, hear or feel, are you committed to God’s word and responding in faith and not fear? If instructed, in faith do you dig a pool when it appears in the natural to be of no value?

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and in that hope we find resilience, peace and strength. Faith is grounded in hope and our hope is the anchor for our soul. As you walk out your days, I encourage you to be Christ centered. Live a life so focused on our Lord and Savior that in all you do and no matter what you experience, your words, actions and obedience lines up with the will of God Almighty.

Be blessed and may your days be filled with peace, your heart with joy and your words with life!

Shalom!!