“And the king said, ‘All this misery is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?’”
“Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. ‘Why should we sit here waiting to die?’ they asked each other.”
2 Kings 6:33; 7:3 NLT
The characters in this story were all waiting during a difficult famine, but their responses to the waiting were entirely different. The king of Israel was angry at God and blamed His prophet for the famine. Instead of seeking God’s instructions from Elisha, King Joram sought to kill him.
On the other hand, the four lepers realized they could either die of starvation where they sat or die by the sword in the enemy camp; so they chose to take a risk and surrender. Their choice actually put an end to the famine for they discovered the enemy had fled, leaving enough food to feed the entire city.
Whatever kind of waiting crisis we find ourselves in, our God always has a plan to supply our needs. However, if we blame God instead of trusting God, that anger will keep us from seeing His answer close by. God’s miracle provision for the starving Israelites was right outside the city, but it was not discovered until four lepers took a risk to surrender.
Surrender is always a risk—do I trust myself, or do I trust God? I already know why I should wait—because God’s answer is closer than I think. So, perhaps the bigger question is, how should I wait?
I can take matters into my own hands,
or I can take the risk and surrender to HIS Hands!
