LEARNING DAILY

2 Kings 3:16, And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’” (NKJV).

The kings of Israel, Judah, and the king of Edom are going to battle against the king of Moab. They march a roundabout way that takes seven days to get where the battle is going to occur. However, they face a problem – there was no water for the armies and their animals. Pastor Jonathon Moore, lead pastor at NorthRock Church explained they needed a miracle! The kings went to the prophet Elisha to “inquire of the Lord for them” (verse 12).

Elisha called for a musician; verse 15 tells us, “When the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.” Pastor reminded the listeners that services begin with worship in music to set the atmosphere for the worship in the Word. Music is to prepare the hearts of the people to hear the spoken Word of God. It is to distract them from all the outside noise and disturbances.

Pastor Moore was clear – God still works miracles today. Read this passage and you will see that God told the kings what needed to be done to receive the miracle they needed. “God never runs out of what is needed in the lives of people today! He has more than enough for your need. He never loses control over any situation” (JM). His message was about what God told Elisha to tell the kings to do to receive the miracle they needed.

“Dig a ditch!” The armies were to get their shovels out and dig trenches throughout the land where they were. They had to “make room for their miracle. They had to prepare for the thing(s) God was going to do. They (we) might not understand the purpose or the why; God wanted them (us) to trust Him!” (JM). Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Walking with Him is about trust!

“God visits prepared places.” Joshua 3:5, “Then Joshua told the people, 'Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.'” Leading Israel into the Promised Land began with an inward cleansing for God to act; purifying themselves was an act of aligning themselves the will of God. When Elisha called for the musician, he was making room for God to act, to provide the answer the kings were seeking. Believers need to do that same thing; they need to prepare for God to do what He wants to do. Pastor Moore said this begins with “seeking God daily.” He said, “If we only give God one hour on a weekend, He is a hobby. Begin your day with prayer and reading His Word before anything else. Be with the Lord first and doing things for Him will come naturally. The purpose of prayer is to connect with God, doing what He wants.”

When Bible reading and study is added to prayer, one begins to draw closer to the Lord, learning to trust Him to provide what they need and to also deny their flesh. “Prayer and God’s word is a daily decision; something you have to want in your life” (JM).

I might add this is not a way to get what you want. It is drawing near to God to walk with Him in faith and trust, believing He cares for you and always does what is best.

The armies dug the ditches. They did not see the wind, nor the rain. But God filled the ditches with the water needed. He also delivered the Moabites into their hands.