Take Calculated Risks

If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.” – 2Kgs. 7:4 NIV

Take Calculated Risks_18012021

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The siege laid by the King of Aram had resulted in severe famine in Israel such that two women had resulted to taking turns to eat one another’s child to mitigate the situation. The awareness of the King of Israel about the extent of the effect of this famine on his people made him seek Prophet Elisha with the threat to kill him, probably for stopping him from killing the army of Aram when he had the opportunity to do so and more importantly for not playing his role effectively as the prophet of God in their midst – 2Kgs. 6:8-33.  Prophet Elisha reacted positively by  proclaiming through the spirit of God that within a twenty-four hour period, the situation will be reversed. Not only will the famine disappear, but there will surplus to replace the famine – 2Kgs. 7:1. One of the king’s officials however felt other wise saying that even if the Almighty God was to open the gates of heaven, such miraculous turn around was not going to happen, at least not within that short space of time. Prophet Elisha responded to the unbelief and heresy of this official saying that the official will witness the event but will not benefit from it – 2Kgs. 7:2.

 

Everything eventually happened as pronounced by the Prophet, as in a miraculous manner, surplus did occur and the official did witness it but was trampled upon by the people and so did not benefit from it – 2Kgs. 7:17-20.

 

It is however worthy of note that the miracle started from the most unusual source and in a most unexpected manner. Four lepers who had made the city gate their spot, probably for the purpose of begging had not been exempted from the effect of the famine in Samaria. It had gotten to a desperate point  that they decided to take the decision which is the foundation scripture for today’s devotion. In that scripture, they weighed all their options both of which had the possibility of leading to death and opted to take a risk. They had a choice to remain safe in their country but face imminent death due to hunger or go into the midst of the enemy where there is assurance of food but face being killed by the enemy. They chose the latter and that step saved not only them, but the entire kingdom of Israel.

 

The Bible records that the Almighty God had created imaginary fear that scared the Arameans and they had to flee for their lives leaving all their food provision. The lepers arrived the camp of the Arameans and instead of been met with death, they met an empty camp with surplus food provision. They had so much available and had to send information to their people about the food provision that was now available. Although the king initially doubted the information but eventually got all his people to cross over to the side of the Arameans and help themselves to as much food as they could take – 2Kgs. 7:8-16. The Word of God as declared by His messenger had come to pass as surplus food did become available to the people.

 

Christians expecting a miraculous intervention need to realize that what they are expecting is the unusual and so should not expect to think or act in a usual manner to have such miracles. There is no doubt that the one who is expecting the miraculous intervention of the Almighty God will be doing so after all human options would have been exhausted and all natural abilities would have proven unsuccessful. It would therefore mean that such an individual should not be expecting any solution that appears normal or usual as all such solutions would have been tried unsuccessfully thus leaving solutions that can be classed as unnatural or supernatural.

 

Most supernatural solutions besides not making normal sense can sometimes present like worsening a situation as they mostly require the willingness to lose something in order to achieve it. The picture initially will present like a loss but it turns round somewhere along the line to become a gain. Just when the lepers were willing to lose their lives, they gained it. Same situation applies for every expectation of a miracle. The servants of Elisha had just lost a borrowed axe in the river and approached Elisha for an intervention. All Elisha had to do was to have them lose a piece of wood which sank so that the axe could float – 2Kgs. 6:1-7. Jesus Christ needed to feed five thousand people and all it required was that a boy had to lose his packed lunch of five loaves of bread and two fishes for that miracle to happen – Jn. 6:5-13. The greatest of the miracles of all time is the miracle that occurs when we plant and harvest. The farmer loses few seeds to the ground which actually decompose and the ground in turn gives multiples in return – Jn. 12:24. Hannah’s miracle son came only when she promised to give him to God as a priest forever in His house (1Sam. 1:11) and she got five other children in replacement – 1Sam. 2:21. When all seems lost and that miracle is desired, find something to give that will be relevant to the situation but will be equally significant to you. Present it with all your heart and you can be sure that your miracle will show up immediately. The Psalmist must have understood this when he said that those who sow with tears will reap in joy – Psa. 126:5.

 

In those desperate times when the miraculous intervention of the Almighty God is required, find something relevant to lose and you will definitely gain your miracle. To the unbeliever it will be called a risk as there will be no human explanation that can justify the action but the Christian awaiting God’s miraculous intervention must be ready to operate outside human reasoning and act on God’s inspiration. God’s ways will always seem abnormal but that is why it is God’s ways. Make a choice to go along that path and you will realise that it is a risk worth taking. May God allow our gifts to release our miracle in Jesus name. Amen.

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