famine Archives – Sonshine's Journal

2Kings 6&7: What do you believe about God? Is He the God of the impossible? Can God work even when we are cynical and scoff?

True story: In a time of severe famine, the people of Samaria had lost all hope. They were like the “walking dead.” In addition, the Arameans surrounded their city. Inside the city, people were even willing to eat a donkey’s head and their children. 🙁 In the midst of this, a man of God had a word of encouragement for them; the famine would end the very next day. And how did the king respond? “May God judge me severely if Elisha [the prophet of God] still has his head by the end of the day!” [2Kings 6:31] Like many, the cynical king said that the prophecy was like pie in the sky. Not only can’t it happen, but it won’t happen.

Many, like the king and his right-hand man, doubted the work of God. How about you? Do NOT forget the counsel of James: “the one who doubts is like the wave of the sea; he will not receive anything from the Lord.” [James 1:6-7]

Where are you? Are you saying, “God can’t do anything about my situation?”

God has a word for you this day. Life may seem to be desperate. You may feel like you are at the end of your rope, and there is nowhere to turn. You have exhausted all options. It is now or never. God has a word for you this day:

Trust in Me! I am the God of the impossible. [Luke 1]

2Kings 7 to 10 There are two kinds of people in this world; they either believe what is recorded in the Bible or they don’t believe. You can’t mix in those people who say they believe some of it. Those are still unbelievers. They have one thing in common; they see the evidence but cling to their unbelief. They are those who Paul names as the “excusers.” They look for excuses to not believe even when the evidence is before them. God has no mercy on those and at death, they will join the Luke 16 rich man in torments. It saddens me, how about you?

So what does have to do with today’s reading? The story begins and ends with a man who scoffed at Elisha’s prophecy of the salvation of a city. Lepers find the coats and armor and horses of the enemy left behind; go to the city to report it but the king surmises a ploy. He sends horses and men to check it out and the city is saved. In the end, the scoffer was trampled and died just as Elisha said he would because of his unbelief.

Is there any hope? Yes! God gives us a ray of sunshine in the Shunammite woman who obeyed Elisha, leaving her home to reside in Philistine territory during the famine. After the famine, she returns home to claim her land. In the palace Elisha’s servant, Gehazi just happened to be in the presence of the king and verified her story. The king returned her land and the profit of it during the years she was gone.

Both stories reveal the principle of belief vs unbelief and the rewards or consequences of each. Where do you fit in? 2kings 7 to 10 unbelief

Tag: famine

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