"Why are you coming to me?” Elisha asked the king of Israel. “Go to the pagan prophets of your father and mother!” But King Joram of Israel said, “No! For it was the Lord who called us three kings here—only to be defeated by the king of Moab!” 2 Kings 3:13
If you are like me, you do not like to ask for help. You like to handle situations independently rather than turn to others when things get difficult. This line of thinking is not healthy. It leaves us isolated, believing we must face our challenges and difficulties alone. God made it clear in Scripture that we are not alone. We can turn to Him for help. When we do, we grow closer to Him. You see, our desperate situations help us realize our need for Him, and when we turn to Him for help, we grow in our relationship with Him and know Him on a deeper level.
God used the desperate situation that King Joram, the King of Israel at the time, was facing to bring him closer to Himself in 2 Kings 3, a chapter that we have been studying together this week. He, two other kings, and their armies were on their way to confront the King of Moab when their water ran out, leaving them weak and vulnerable. After a moment of panic, King Joram sent for Elisha, God’s prophet, to come and tell them what God would have them do. Elisha’s response was fascinating. He said, “Why are you coming to me?... Go to the pagan prophets of your father and mother!” (verse 13). In saying this, Elisha was trying to prove a point: King Joram did not come to God often, and because of that, the request for Elisha to come with a message from God was strange. Yet, despite Elisha’s comment, Joram pressed him to speak on behalf of God to him. God was using this situation to remind Joram to turn to Him.
God uses our desperate situations to grow our relationship with Him. James said it this way in James 4:8, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” When we turn to God, He comes close to us. This promise is true in any situation, including our desperate situations. Just like little children run to their parents when they need help, we can run to God in desperate times. May we always come close to God, hanging on to the promise that He comes close to us when we step out in faith.
Whatever your desperate situation is right now, are you moving closer to God, or are you choosing to move further away from Him? Answer this question honestly. If your answer is “yes,” think about how your relationship has grown as you have walked through this desperate situation. If not, what is holding you back from turning to Him? After reflection, take a step today to turn to Him throughout whatever situation you are facing.
James 4:1-10 (NLT)
"What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. 6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor."
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