Waiting Out

…“Why are we sitting here until we die?

(2 Kings 7:3, NKJV)

Any time we have clarity of a goal that we want to achieve, we experience heightened energy and motivation to move towards the goal.  The expectation held of the fulfillment of the goal becomes the fuel for our actions.  This is the power of hope, a hope to realize that which we have desired or set to do. Conversely, where there is no hope there is a sense of loss of purpose and lethargy is experienced.  It takes a greater effort to arise from a place of hopelessness or defeat to believe again.  Life often presents us with situations of ups and downs, and regardless of the situation we find ourselves in, having a ray of hope gives us the strength to move forward.  The word of God speaks  concerning this matter and we read that hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desires comes through, it is like a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).  The presence of hope is likened to life, the strength to move again.

Our reference verse contains words which were spoken by four lepers.  The land of Israel was at war with the Syrians and the people experienced shortage of food.  To the eyes of all, this was a time of defeat.  For the lepers, it was a time of their end.  They lived outside the city gates and the few rations of food they could have collected had dried out and so they got really hungry.  In this moment of fear and desperation, they asked themselves the question of what it would mean if they went to look for food in the Syrians camp.  To them, if they sat where they were, they would die of hunger.  On the other hand, going to the Syrians would mean that they get some food to eat from what was thrown away or they would be killed.  Either way, they looked at a strong possibility of death.  They chose to go to the Syrians camp as they were and the miracle happened.  God amplified the sound of their feet so that the Syrians heard like an army advancing towards them, and so the Syrian soldiers ran leaving all their supplies.  When the lepers arrived in the Syrian camp, there was no one to stop them, instead, there was plenty of food and provisions so that they ate their full.  They then went back to the gates of Samaria and informed the guards that the Syrians had left and there was food for all.  The lepers who had been despised before became the avenue of hope for the people.

Brethren, on reading this chapter of the bible, I am challenged by a number of lessons. There are times when our hearts hit rock bottom, leaving us with little hope.  This story of the lepers calls us not to fixated on one issue, but to think of a “what if”.  The lepers dared to think of a possibility of finding food and sure enough, dangerous as it was for them, they succeeded.   When we sit and wait for a solution, we might wait for a long time.  Could it be that all what we need to do is to take a step towards the direction of our goal even when it does not seem easy?  Someone once told me, that some doors do not just open, you need to push them to open.  Taking a step when it seems bleak is pushing a door to open, and who knows, it might just open.  Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened (Matthew 7:7).  Waiting without action will not change the situation, knock at the door.  Finally, remember that help could come from unlikely quarters.  No one would have expected that the lepers would ever help them, yet, they are the ones that God chose to use.  Beloved, when you know what is required, help others to get by too, serve them even when you are suffering.  The lepers did not wait to be healed, they helped others in spite of their own suffering.

Thoughts:

What are you focusing on?

When have you experienced unexpected help?

How have you supported others when you were still in need?