Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”
2 Kings 7:2 (ESV)
In the midst of the siege when the famine was at its worst and there was no longer any hope, the word of the Lord comes from Elisha to announce the dramatic end of the siege and the famine. The end would not be a slow economic and social recovery, but would be see the people of the city returning to a sense of normalcy with the availability and price of food returning to the pre-siege levels in a single day. It’s an amazing announcement and should be a cause for joyful and celebratory hope as they wait for the morning to arrive. Yet, the response of the captain to this prophetic word is one of doubt filled with despair. It wasn’t that the captain doubted that it would happen (which he did), he questioned the ability of the Lord himself to make it happen. His doubt brought into question the power and authority of the Lord to not only fulfill his word but to even make a pronouncement like this. He had lost all hope and faith in the Lord. In the middle of his great despair, he lost sight of the Lord God Almighty and believed only in the strength and wisdom of men.
This is often the path I follow when I am travelling the road of despair and adversity. In the middle of my struggle with adversity and temptation, there is a famine and a drought in my spiritual life. The powers of this world seem so large and imposing at times and they move me to cowardice and despair. They cause me to doubt and to question the goodness of God in all things. The struggle with a lack of money, influence, and position tends to draw my attention away from the Lord and cause me to ask questions similar to the captain in this story. Questions where I begin to reveal the doubt and lack of faith in my heart.
Even now as I sit here and contemplate the meaning of this question from the captain to me in my life, I realize that my heart is doing the exact same thing. There is seemingly always an area of famine in my life. Areas where the Lord has decided to withhold his blessings. Areas that are meant to capture my attention and draw me forward to Jesus. Yet, often my first reaction is one of anger and despair. I often wonder why this “always happens to me.” Or “why is it that the Lord continues to bring famine in this one particular area? It causes me such grief and despair, why would he continue to put me through this?” I look outward and see so many others living without a struggle in this area and it causes me to look inward and wonder what in the world is wrong with me. I find too much of this captain in my heart.
What’s the answer? Faith and trust in the goodness of God. In the time of famine, my heart should compel me to prayer. Prayer for relief. Prayer for refuge. Prayer to see the hand of God move in my life. Prayer to lead me to my good Father who loves me. Instead of driving me away in fear and shame, I should be humbled. I should turn from my self-centered, self-righteous ways and simply trust in the steadfast loving kindness of my Savior. Letting the famine be the pathway to humble faith and obedience. For when I meet with Christ in prayer, he will ease my worries and remove my despair. He will bring peace to my heart even while I am still in the famine. He will teach me to love and be loved at all times. I need a heart filled with hopefully expectation as I wait patiently upon my loving Father.