What do I do now? Where is God? Why hasn’t He done something? Every believer encounters these questions. But, God wants to lead us and direct us. He’s delighted to guide us into His good plan. In Christ, you know what to do!
I’ve Got This, God
In 2 Kings 3, we find a powerful story of how God’s direction delivers us from our own “good” ideas. Jehoram, King of Israel, found himself in a frustrating and dangerous situation when Moab rebelled against him. The King had the not-so-bad idea to call in two other kings to help him quash the rebellion.
But this wasn’t God’s idea.
Sure enough, Jehoram and the other kings took their men out to battle and ended up wandering around aimlessly for seven days until they realized they were running out of water. They had no direction, no God-given plan, and no way to provide for their men and animals.
Like these kings, sometimes we take the reins ourselves. We think, Thanks God, but I’ve got this. And it rarely ends well.
Invite God into Your Mess
King Jehoram reacted to his dilemma as you might expect. He blamed God! Not that he had sought God’s opinion of his plan to start with. When he found himself in over his head, he pointed his finger at God and accused him of leading all three kings out to die.
Fortunately, one of the kings came to his senses. “But Jehoshaphat said, ‘Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?'” (2 Kings 3:11). Jehoshaphat made the wise choice to invite God into the mess they’d made. He didn’t let condemnation or fear keep him from halting his plans and seeking God.
If you’re stuck in a rut because you’ve been following your own wisdom, you know what to do. Stop, take a breath, and invite God into your situation. Don’t worry about the mess you’ve made. Simply say “God, You know what to do. Show me your plan.”
The kings called for Elisha and begged him to seek the Lord on their behalf. Granted this should have been the kings’ first step, but God was faithful to meet them in the middle of their drama. He didn’t make them grovel or rub their noses in their foolishness, either.
Ever the savior, God gave them clear directions on how to move forward. Clear but bizarre directions.
You Know What to Do
Elisha shared God’s word with the three kings:
And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’ And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
— 2 Kings 3:16-18 (emphasis added)
Dig ditches. That was God’s word on the matter. These men and their armies were thirsty and exhausted, and God told them to dig. Digging takes hard work and makes a person even more thirsty! Ditches don’t bring water! Maybe digging wells would’ve made sense, but digging ditches made no sense at all.
And that was the point.
The Lord told them to do something simple and natural, something that would only work if God got involved. And He told them this odd act would bring them the water they desperately needed and deliver their enemies into their hand.
It would’ve been easy for Jehoram and the others to give up at this point. Nothing in the natural indicated that this plan would work. They could’ve shook their fists and cried, “We don’t know what to do!”
Often, we complain that we lack direction from God when the fact is He has told us what to do. We just don’t see how His plan will work. We can’t imagine a simple step—sometimes a strange or illogical step—leading us to victory.
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ…”
God doesn’t need our full comprehension for His plans to manifest. He needs our trust and confidence that His plans are for our good, even if they sound crazy.
Super + Natural
After the men dug those ditches, the Lord took hold of their natural act and applied His supernatural to the situation. The next morning the land miraculously filled with water. The armies had plenty to drink, but that’s not all. When the Moabites saw the morning sun reflecting on the water, they thought it was blood.
“And they said, ‘This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!’ So when they came to the camp of Israel, Israel rose up and attacked the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they entered their land, killing the Moabites.”
God used those ditches to bring both water and victory over the Moabites. He led the kings into a plan that was far better than anything they’d hoped to see. Despite their rough start and reliance on human wisdom, He delivered them.
Has God given you some odd directions? Have you questioned whether you’re even hearing Him because His word seems illogical? Follow the steps God lays out for you—even when they seem silly or insignificant—and watch Him add His super to your natural.
Your victory is “a simple matter in the sight of the Lord.” With one word, in one swift move, God can supply your needs and conquer your enemies. He can deliver you and promote you, rescue you and bless you. When the situation seems impossible, remember that through Him you know what to do!
Related Resource
The God Plan Growth Track
Even if you’ve been following your own “good” plan, you can step into The God Plan. God is delighted to lead you and guide you.
In our God Plan Growth Track, you will learn how to come into agreement with God’s plan for your life. When you get on board with His plan, your life will be better than you can imagine!
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