In 2 Kings 3, the chapter starts out with the transfer of Israel's power from one king to another, his son. Their neighbors, the Moabites, saw this as the perfect time to attack Israel, a time of change. The enemy is always on the move in a time of transition. When we step into something new, it is so easy to get discouraged and feel like we are making a huge mistake. When this is pressed into our thinking, it causes destruction and hinders our growth. We can loose confidence and end up never stepping out into faith or our vision for our futures again. Some tend to get confused and think that this dout is brought on by God saying, "Thats not the direction I have for you." The way to filter what God is saying and what the devil is lying to you is simple. The enemy will always place negative thoughts into you. "Who do you think you are? You could never accomplish this." God will always correct with love. It is His nature. He will give you a new direction. He never leaves us empty handed.
So the Moabites rebel against Israel. Jehoram, the new king, now has a choice. His armies can hold up in the city and try to fight it alone, or go out and "nip it in the butt". Something stirs in Jehoram and he sends word to his allies Jordan and Edom. We have allies! This is a huge purpose of the church body. We often want to hold up our little problems and try to solve them ourselves putting so much stress and weight on our world it eventually defeats us. But when we realize that we are fighting for the same causes and we band together. Ps. Jeff Crabtree has given a perfect picture of this. Ephesians 6 talks about the armor of God and verse 11 says, "Put on the armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." The word stand here in the greek translation is actually plural. We stand together, and when we have this armor on and we come together, we for an unstoppable force.
Now we have the three nations together and they end up in the wilderness on there way to Moab. Often times there is a desert between us and our goals. Sure we are committed at the beginning, but the test is if we are committed if it takes a long time to get to the goal. We can get bored with the time of trial and desert and turn back saying we will deal with it later but then end up never going after the vision again.
Stuck in the desert, they were running out of food and water. They were getting weaker by the day with no nourishment and it seemed hopeless that they would even be able to stand by the time they reached moab, non the less defeat them. With all their own strength gone, they call on Elisha for a word from God. Elisha asks the king of Israel why he came to his God instead of the idols his father worshiped. He replies in verse 13 "No! for it was the Lord who called us three here..."
We all have a call, a vision, a passion burning in us that God gives us directly. Doesn't it make sense that when we feel stuck with no forward progression, when we plateau in this calling to talk to the creator and the one who imparted it directly? Sounds simple enough, yet how often does it turn into our personal mission instead of God's calling? We begin to try to work out all the problems on our own since we see it as our issue to fix. As if we know better. It is so refreshing to read that verse and see a king who was far from a man after God's own heart, realize that he wasn't going to make it on his own. That without God who stirred in him to step out in faith into this battle, he would not be able to fight the battle set before him.
So God gives Elisha the word that rain is falling far off that will produce a water source right through their camp in the desert, giving them the strength to defeat the enemy. There is always provision if we ask and strength and support in our allies. We aren't made to figure everything out, just to walk by faith. There is already victory waiting for us.
