One of the great acts of selfish pride that humans employ, is the choice we make to blame God when the world around us falls apart. Israel’s enemies set up a seige on the city. No one in and no one out. The food supply dwindled and the people began to starve. The king was greiving the state of affairs, when a lady told him a particularly horrendous story of cannibalism. It sent the king over the edge. He immediately demanded the head of God’s prophet–Elisha. So, one of the king’s men set out to kill and take the head of Elisha.
Not only did Elisha have nothing to do with the seige, He also was the kingdom’s only hope for salvation from the seige. Still, the king blamed God and wanted to hit God where it hurt. Fortunately, God was neither surprized nor unprepared. He warned Elisha, and Elisha was able to hold off the would be assassin.
The reality was that Israel had decided that they could do things just fine without God. So, God allowed them to have their way. Sadly, that independence put Israel into a mess, and people’s lives were lost and ruined. Had the nation followed the Lord, and humbly allowed Him to lead, they would have enjoyed peace, protection and provision. Instead, they were out of provision, without protection and in no way prepared to face the world in front of them.
We are faced with the similar choice. Our world is in a mess, and our nation is under seige by a virus. It is turning the world upside down. We can either try to solve our issues on our own and blame God; or, we can humble ourselves, seek Him and pray for His protection and provision. Let’s not act as the foolish king and seek to teach God a lesson. Instead, let’s simply trust and follow the Lord through the crisis. Solomon said it best, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. Acknowedge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
God Bless You
And the king asked her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29 So we boiled my son and ate him. And on the next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him.’ But she has hidden her son.” 30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body— 31 and he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”
32 Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Now the king had dispatched a man from his presence, but before the messenger arrived Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent to take off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?” 33 And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him and said, “This trouble is from the Lord! Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”
Walking With God 