Don’t Just Sit There!

2 Kings 7:3-10

Have you ever experienced a period in life when you didn’t know what to do? The easy way to respond to those periods is to do absolutely nothing and wait for time to unfold. However, doing nothing could possibly cause you to miss out on opportunities that await you if you were to press ahead. There are times when God places us in situations to develop our faith character. If you have ever been in a position where you didn’t know what to do then you will be able to identify with the four men in this bible story.

God uses adversity to stretch our faith. Israel was at war with the King of Syria. The King of Syria decided the best tactic of war was to starve Israel. The water was cut off to the Israeli camp and no food or commerce was allowed in the city. Eventually, a famine arose with catastrophic results. At the gate of the city lay four lepers that were forced out of the city because of their illness. Lepers could not have contact with those in society and when they encountered people they were required to announce themselves, “Unclean.” They were lying641 at the entrance of the gate sick, starving, separated and surrounded by the enemy when they decided to enter into a discussion with one another: “Why are we sitting here just waiting to die?” They began to weigh their options and discovered there were three options available.

Option #1: If they continued to sit at the gate they would surely die of hunger.

Option #2: If they went back into the city they would be rejected and still die of hunger.

Option #3: If they went to the enemies’ camp, they might receive pity and receive food. Even if the Syrians killed them, it was better to die quickly than to die slow from hunger.

What did they do? They decided not to sit and do nothing but they took a stance! They weighed their options. Death was the prospect for all three places; where they were at; where they came from; and where they thought about going. They became proactive, analytical and adventurous in their situation.

• They were proactive: “Why sit we here until we die?” They thought to themselves; “What sense does this make sitting here waiting to die? If we are going to die at least lets die trying to live. Let’s not wait until death overtakes us.”
• They were analytical: They began to analyze the situation. “If we say, we will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also.” ‘Let’s try to figure this thing out!”
• They were adventurous: “Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.”

Here is the outcome! They waited until sundown and headed to the enemies camp. As they approached the camp God gave them assistance and made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of a great army coming their way. The Syrians fled the camp and left all of their goods and food. The four men came into the empty city and were able to eat sumptuously then they said, “We just can’t keep it to ourselves!” They ran back into the city and shared the good news with the starving city of Samaria.

Here is the question. What do you do when life’s situations hems you in?

1. Be Proactive to the Promises: For the Christian we understand that God promised us that all things are working for our good (Romans 8:28). God never gave promises for us to never activate. God gives us the opportunity to partner with Him for our good. However, many are not standing on the promises; we are just sitting on the premises. We sometimes wait on God to move first when God is waiting on us. When the men initialized moving towards the enemies camp God gave them assistance.
2. Be Analytical In Your Adversity: These four lepers were in a situation but they gave some thought to what they were going to do next. Having faith does not mean to jump out without thinking but your thinking allows God to get involved in the process and inject His will and supply His wisdom. James 1:5 instructs the believer to ask for wisdom and God will liberally respond.
3. Be Adventurous in Your Attitude: Just know that while you are in your situation God is assessing your attitude. These four men had an attitude of being adventurous. They came to a conclusion that if they did nothing; nothing would come their way. The Christian must embrace the attitude of the Apostle Paul when he said, “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
4. Be Triumphant in Your Testimony: The story is a fixed facsimile of 4 men whom the masses had concluded a write-off. Yet, these men discovered there is life even after others have counted you out. They could have kept the good news of discovering the food in the empty enemies camp to themselves but instead they decided to share the good news to those who counted them out. The lesson is clear to rise above small mindedness. When God brings you out of a bad situation your response to others should be the same response that he has had toward you. GRACE! 1 Peter 4:10 – “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

Bust A Move!

Dr. Oscar T. Moses