Why Wait??? (2 Kings 6:1-7:2, focus on 6:33 and Proverbs 17:24)
"Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?" (Deut. 6:33). This was a question asked by a king who had been receiving guidance and instruction from the Lord (via Elisha) but was presently facing a long and difficult famine in the land. It was so bad that people were killing their children to eat as food. That kind of suffering is unimaginable. The king had suffered as did the people of Israel. He was weak physically, he was leaning on the arm of one of his officer's, and the very nature of his question reveals he was weak spiritually and in his faith. Rather then seek help and wisdom from the man (Elisha) who had guided and helped him in the past (through the power of God) he sought him out to destroy and blame. The king's circumstances overwhelmed him and he was not able to see hope or his God beyond the difficulties of this world so he questioned why he should bother waiting for God at all. Little did the king know that the LORD had already planned to provide in a way that non of them could have imagined. Hope lay just beyond his sight.
I know there are some out there struggling, suffering, feeling hopeless, depressed, hurting, unsure, feeling lost, afraid, lonely, anxious, angry and a host of other feelings. Sometimes our difficulties cause our eyes to wander away from the truth, the power, the faithfulness, the hope that is to be found in the LORD. I want to encourage you to not loose hope. To keep your eyes, your heart, your hope fixed on the LORD and the wisdom of all his promises. When the Israelite's had suffered in captivity in Babylon God sent them this message to encourage them "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity." Jeremiah 29:11-14. These words were spoken to encourage the people 70 years before their freedom would actually occur. The words that are the most encouraging, or should be, are not "I have plans to prosper and not harm...." No we should be encouraged to know that when we call on the LORD, pray to him, seek him, he will hear us and he will be found by us. We won't have to go through the difficulties alone. We can and will find hope in the midst of struggle when we keep our eyes and hope fixed on the LORD, when we choose to wait on him.
I love the Proverb in today's reading: "A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth." Keep focused on the wise eternal promises and hope found in God, seek them and they will always be found. Don't let your eyes wander and focus on the difficulties of this world because there is no hope to be found there.
If you are not facing a difficulty or struggle in life right now then I encourage you to pray for those who are. Be an encourager, a beacon of hope for others. Hold a hand, cry with others, lend a shoulder, and be a reminder to others of the love and grace that God has for them. Help remind them why they should wait on the Lord, remind them of the hope to be found in Him. Help them in their journey to seek the LORD with all their heart so that he will be found and their hope restored.
Be encouraged in the LORD and don't give up, hope lay's just beyond your sight!
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