So, looking back over the past few articles’ studies of 2 Kings 2:19-3:27 and 2 Kings 6:1-23, where God worked miracles through the prophet Elisha, how do we respond to those accounts? Sure, they are interesting accounts of things that happened in the past, but if we don’t learn from what happened in them, we’re missing out.
First, let’s be bold to ask God for help with both big and little things.
- If the water is making you sick, talk with God about it.
- If people are making fun of you, talk with God about it.
- If you feel like God has left you out in the desert, talk with Him about it.
- If you broke – or lost – something you borrowed from a friend, talk with God about it.
- If you feel like you’re surrounded by enemies of the truth, talk with God about it.
When we do tell God what is on our minds and our hearts, though, let’s allow Him to decide what the best response is. He has given us a lot of direction in the Bible about how we should act (even when we are suffering or being persecuted), so that’s a good start. However, God may very well choose something we never expected to address a situation that we’re in. When He does, that’s because He knows the best answer.
Let’s consider why we want God to act, and what good purpose His intervention would serve. Taking care of His people has value, and that can be one reason that we ask for God’s help, but so is bringing people to God and glorifying Him, as well as validating the truth spoken by those through whom God is speaking or working.
Then, be ready to act as God directs, even if it’s not how you would try to solve the problem. Whether He asks you to pour salt into a spring, let Him deal with those who insult you, play some harp music, throw a stick into the water, or lead people who want to harm you into the very home of their enemies, don’t rule out God’s direction just because it doesn’t match what you think will work.
Also, while we wait and obey, let’s look for God’s action, even if it’s not what we expect. It might require pausing and counting our blessings, to discover what He has done for us that we didn’t notice the first time.
And, in all things – even if God takes us through a path of trials or hurting – let us give God the credit, the glory, and the thanks for what He does in our lives.
Having said that, a human philosopher (including amateur philosophers like me) might wonder why God didn’t just prevent bad things from happening in the first place.
- He could have prevented the waters at Jericho from ever going bad.
- He could have kept kids from insulting Elisha.
- He could have had water waiting for the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom when they came to attack Moab.
- He could have kept an axe head attached to its handle.
- He could have convinced the Arameans not to fight with Israel in the first place.
For an answer to this, though, I suggest that we consider another miracle in the Bible. In the gospel of John, chapter 9, Jesus saw a man who had been blind since birth. Thinking that bad things were a direct punishment for sin, His disciples asked Jesus a question.
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
John 9:1-2 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.9.1-2.NIV
I think that Jesus’ reply helps us understand why we should ask God for help.
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
John 9:3-5 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.9.3-5.NIV
There is value for God to show His nature and His power while also blessing His people. This man’s blindness may have been woven into other parts of God’s plan, but at this point, it allowed God to work for good in his situation. So, the next time you need help from God, don’t give up or think that He has abandoned you. Don’t try to just fix the problem on your own or search the Internet for advice.
Instead, tell God how you feel and ask Him for help. Countless believers through the ages – including those in recently-studied passages from 2 Kings – have been blessed because they showed their faith in God’s ability to help by asking Him for that help. And, many of them have been surprised at how God answered their prayers in an unexpected way!
From Sunday School lesson prepared for June 8, 2025
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 1 & 2 Kings, by Jesse C. Long, Jr. © 2002 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 