If you missed last week’s Famine Part 1, click this link to catch up…https://melissalongval.wordpress.com/2015/04/22/famine-part-1/

After my sister in law and I finished lunch, we headed back to her home to dig deeper into the word of God. Christine had a passage of scripture that she wanted to share with me, because she believed that it would bring hope to this hopeless girl.

Second Kings chapters six and seven are heavy. It’s loaded with more history and symbolism than I could ever explain to you, but the point was not a history lesson or some high theological discourse. It was simply the Lord speaking to my tired and scared heart.

In 2 Kings 6, we learn that the King of Aram has laid siege to Samaria, causing a long-lasting devastating famine where worthless food became exorbitantly expensive. During this famine, two women decided to make a deal, but when the deal went bad the offended woman brought the matter to the king… “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’  So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.”

What the…!!! Did I read this right???

Hold onto that horrible scenario…moving to chapter 7, we learn that four very unlikely men, with the help of the Lord, saved Samaria. Four lepers, decided to check out the enemy camp in order to hopefully survive. Going to the enemy was their only chance for survival.

As they approached the Aramean camp, “…the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, ‘Look, the king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!’  So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their horses and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.” (2 Kings 7:6-7)

So these four lepers came upon a vast treasure. They quickly realized that to keep it for themselves would bring calamity upon them, so they brought the good news back to Samaria and the famine ended.

Wow!!! I told you it was a doozy of a story. God certainly uses real people, huh?

As Christine and I prayed, the weight and fear began to lift. I realized that the Lord was speaking to me through His word…through this bizarre, horror filled passage, to whisper to my deepest hidden fears, “I am with you and see you, sweet daughter. Take heart, you are doing the right thing.”

Tears fell…along with boogers…you know that kind of crying. Nothing delicate or dainty going on there. Wracking sobs of revelation and elation!

At that time, in Christine’s living room, I didn’t have the full message of how this strange passage of scripture fit into my situation, but over the next few days, the Lord continued to reveal much wisdom to me.

I realized that if I had put Emeria into the high school, instead of homeschooling as the Lord instructed, I would have been like the mother who ate her child. Not because the high school was that bad, but because it would have been disobedience on my part. I would have been sacrificing my child for convenience and comfort at great cost!

Did it make worldly sense to put her in school and for me to go back to work? Yes. Would it make life easier as more money came in? Yes. Was it the best plan for my family? No! Walking in faith requires great trust. Believing God at His word regardless of how I feel. Declaring that I will choose to trust in my Lord in spite of the circumstance that surround and besiege me.

And the lepers…oh, those poor sick men. How did they figure into my situation? They brought good news! Through their story, I knew the Lord was telling me that good things were coming and that my famine would be coming to an end! Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!!!(Psalm 34:8) What an indescribable gift to be seen by God. To know that right in my darkest moments, the Lord entered in and bestowed hope and increased faith!

In time, the famine did end.

We saw increase in business for my husband, attitude change in my daughter, and renewed hope in this tired momma. As hard as that time in my life was, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The wisdom and faith I gained are priceless treasures that now keep me steady as new hardships arise. Tasting the goodness and excellence of God in my dark hour fueled my walk today.

Sweet friends, I encourage to dig deep into His word. He is speaking and has words for you!

May today be a day of good news! (2 Kings7:9)

 

I would love to hear how the Lord is bringing or has brought you through a famine phase of your life. Please comment below to share your story!

 

Learn more about Walking in Faith at http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/