2 Kings 7:3-5 - Now
there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one
another, "Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the
famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also.
Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep
us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die." And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of
the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to
their surprise no one was there.
There were these four lepers ….that found themselves
outcasts in a great time of famine. The city could not feed itself…let alone
send even crumbs from their table to these beggars. So they sat at the city
gate….desperate to figure out a way to have maybe one more day of life.
They decided to turn themselves in to the Syrian army….maybe
they would feed them and keep them alive as a slave. So they left the gate at twilight….not
knowing that God had sent the sound of a great army to scare the Syrians right
out of their own camp. They left
everything they had brought with them…food…silver…clothes…right there in their
tents.
The lepers wasted no time filling their stomachs….and
plundering what they could carry and hide. But then they remembered the city gate
they used to sit at…and the people inside that were starving just like them. So
they returned with their good news…and after the king checked out their story…to
make sure it was not a trick….Elisha’s prophesy that barley and flour would be
sold very cheaply in the next 24 hours came true.
My spirit immediately began to think of all the times I sit
and do nothing…fearful. My fear might be brought about by ignorance…or doubt…or
selfishness. It could be simple laziness or even the heaviness of some situation
beyond my control…but that fear keeps my feet still….only allowing my mind to
continue to over analyze the situation.
It is those moments when I let my feet carry me to the place of my fear…that
I find the rich blessing God has prepared for me.
Oh how I need to remember this story…of those 4 desperate
men…who decided to stop sitting at the city gate…just waiting to die…and move
into the fear…..so I can receive more of God’s blessings for my life. And then I need to share the blessings with
others around me….for their actions did not just save themselves…but the
decision to return to the city…and share the good news…saved a whole city that
day.
It was the disciple James who wrote later that our faith
must always be accompanied by the action of our feet. His words in James 2:20…. “But do you want to
know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” ….were spoken because he saw Jesus model them for
him daily. Jesus constantly moved his
feet toward his mission in life….and the many people he healed along the way to
his death on that cross…show us what true humility looks like in action.
Father…I thank you for reminding me that my faith in you
requires action. Help me to hear your
words of direction so my feet are always moving toward the purpose you have for
my life. Help me to conquer the fear that satan places in my heart….so my feet
do not stay in one place…but rather move quickly to do your work. And God…help me to remember that the
blessings you shower down on me are not mine alone…but are meant to be shared with
others. Give my eyes clear visions of
where I am to go…and who I am to minister to with all that you have given me to
share. Amen.
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