Take your imagination with me for a moment, although some of the envisioning may be upsetting to our comfortable life style. (Let me transport you via your imagination to a story that reveals our truth for the day.) Take a deep breath and ... Look around you, you live in the midst of a walled community. Outside the wall is the enemy who is threatening to kill you if you come out. Inside the community, living has been reduced to an “anything goes” mentality to satisfy starvation. There are three choices on the menu … dead people body parts, pigeon dung, or baby bisque. (Yes, you heard me right … this moment in the life of this community is so desperate and hopeless they are eating their infant children … pretty disgusting!).
As hopeless as this community's situation was, there was a rumor in the King's palace that there would be a miraculous breakthrough in provisions the next day. However, this was quickly dismissed and squelched by the King's most trusted press secretary. The rumor stood though, because is was spoken by the prophet, the man of God in the community.
When the morning news came on ... at the break of day, the morning news team (comprised of four lepers), had done the unthinkable; they were broadcasting from outside the wall. As pitiful and as ragged as they appeared on the TV screen, they were doing their best to tell about a life changing and life giving event. It was a really tough situation for this news team because first of all they were up against horrendous unbelief created by the self serving media within the community, and secondly, because they were the outcasts...why should they begin to offer a rescue to those who wouldn't even so much as touch them, let alone believe what they say. The Leper News Headline … “The Enemy has fled and left amazing supplies behind! Come, See and be Saved!” Immediately the King's press secretary launched his spin on the situation... “Lepers! A trick of the enemy! Go, see, and die!
Wow! As it always is, there is a great contradiction in the midst of life giving situations. Faith always seems to be a risk because it is so hard to see beyond our immediate situation … whether it be pain and disappointment, or pleasure and self sufficiency. The common man is always swimming in the sea of voices, that creates a vacuum that sucks the treasures of truth into a tangled mess of dirt and debris.
“If God is good, and I am His, then why is this happening to me?” “God answers everyone else's prayers; I pray and God never (what that ungrateful word) answers mine.” Somehow we think we are special, privileged characters. not even being grateful for the truth that we are special, privileged characters. The problem is we, as rebellious children think we know what is best. We define the parameters of the answers that we will deem acceptable. We want the Father to do what we say, instead of waiting on his provision that will be tailored to draw us closer to Him. Children don't really want things, they want their Daddy!
One other important dimension to the story … the lepers had a choice to continue burying provisions for themselves or rescue the community. Although God's provision will initially save us, it is meant to be shared with others through us. This will be a critical element that opens up real life to us. When we can rise up from our own pain, and love others in spite of our self perception, we will truly find Him there empowering us. We all know how it feels to be a leper; but it is so refreshing when the leper can trump the press secretary and bring hope to a hopeless community. Rise up Lepers!
Oh by the way the story in II Kings 7 ends with the Press Secretary becoming the gatekeeper (imagine that?)…and he gets trampled to death as the community goes out of their walls, sees the provision that the lepers spoke of, and is saved. The lepers enjoy the stigma of becoming the unlikely heroes, while the “nay saying” press secretary “Goes, sees and dies” .
Where will your leprosy take you – to a death via doubt and self-pity; or to a new abundant life of giving.
Psalm 27:14 - “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
Psalm 37:34 – "Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.”
Prov. 20:22 – "Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.”
Rumor has it, Let God be true; and every opposing man a liar.
HLFA,
Jeff