28 Days of Gratitude: Day 7
“When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? Why is this man asking me to heal someone with leprosy? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.” (2 Kings 5:7)
This is the panicked complaint and meltdown of Jehoram (also Joram), king of Israel. The poor guy thought Benhadad II, king of Aram, was trying to bait him into a war. But Jehoram didn’t know that God was about to do something amazing.
To summarize, in 2 Kings 5, we learn that Naaman, a Syrian army commander who served Benhadad II, had leprosy. God used a little Israeli girl that had been captured by Naaman to rave about Elisha, the Israelite prophet, who could cure Naaman of his disease.
Unsurprisingly, Naaman was totally interested in getting this cure, and he spoke to King Benhadad II. The king sent an introduction letter to King Jehoram along with gifts, and he requested that Naaman be cured. Obviously, Israel’s king had no power to heal Naaman, and he didn’t have a close relationship with Elisha, so he assumed the worst.
REACTING TO CHALLENGES
When you are challenged to do something that you don’t have the power to do, do you get emotionally disturbed? Does your mind run away with you like Jehoram’s did? Do you think negative thoughts, complain, and begin dreaming up worst-case-scenarios? Do you often assume that you have to carry weight on your shoulders and then stress over that assumption?
Verse 8 tells us, when Elisha heard that the king of Israel was dismayed and complaining, he responded, “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”
Long story short, God used Elisha to cure Naaman of his disease, and through the supernatural encounter, Naaman believed in Yahweh, the only true and living God. The work of the Lord was done, and this was the plan all along. There was never any negative intent on the part of the Syrian king, and no one was asking Jehoram to be God in the first place.
No one’s asking you or me to be God either, but do you ever forget that? Do you sometimes feel like you’re expected to solve all these problems on your own? Even though you know in your heart and your spirit that God is in control, do you experience fleshly moments of overwhelm that make you buckle under the pressure?
What do you think would happen if, when you were challenged to do something that went above and beyond your ability, you began thanking God for His wonderful, preexisting plan? What if you flipped things and started automatically assuming that, if the demand goes beyond your ability, God has to have a divine strategy? You would be a lot less stressed, wouldn’t you?
THANK GOD IN ADVANCE
The next time you’re in a high-pressure situation, and you know there is no way you can do it on your own, thank God in advance for making a way. Just trust Him, and rest in His faithfulness.
Be like the Apostle Paul in Acts 16. God gave him a vision to go to Macedonia to help people. Paul didn’t have a place to stay or anything, but he and his ministry colleague Silas went anyway. When they got there, God orchestrated a meeting with a woman named Lydia. She was a wealthy businesswoman, but she didn’t know Christ. God used Paul’s ministry to share the gospel and save her soul, and in turn, she opened up her home to the men of God. The trip was a setup to meet the spiritual needs of Lydia—and others in that region—and meet the practical needs of Paul and Silas so they could advance God’s Kingdom.
It’s always encouraging to see how God brings plans together, but do you get discouraged and complain when you don’t see that plan?
HE’S A GOOD SHEPHERD
Before you let the pressures, responsibilities, challenges, and uncertainties of life get the best of you, take time to remind yourself that, you don’t have to do it. You serve a Good Shepherd (John 10:11). That’s what Jesus called Himself, and He loves you so much, He laid His life down for you.
A woman named Sybil shared a praise report with this ministry. She told me she lost her job a year ago. After the drastic income increase, she didn’t have enough money to meet her expenses. She cried out to God, and she honestly felt like she would be ruined and lose everything. She couldn’t even pay her utility bills. The day before her lights and gas were scheduled to be shut off, a check in the mail came. Her old job sent her an unexpected bonus check. It covered her expenses and then some!
That’s how the Good Shepherd works. He takes care of you. He makes provision for your natural and spiritual needs. He leads and guides you, and He protects you from harm. As Scripture asks us, if the Lord cares for the birds of the air, aren’t you much more valuable than they are (Matthew 6:26)?
Don’t have a panic attack like Jehoram, and don’t complain. Rather, show your gratitude to the Good Shepherd. Know that He has a plan. Follow His lead, and trust that He’s taking you somewhere good. Finally, don’t wait until you get to that good destination; praise Him on the way.
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT
In your journal today, write down:
A time when God met a need.
A time when you assumed you had to fix a problem, but God did it for you.
A person God used to bless you.
One way God has blessed you today.
A time when God proved that He saw your needs and heard your prayers.
Now, let’s pray.
God , sometimes I get worked up when I don’t see a way. Negative thoughts try to invade my mind and cause me to complain when I should be thanking You. Please help me to remember I am not alone, you are the Good Shepherd who takes care of my needs, and You have a plan already in the works, although I cannot see it. For this, I thank You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
What Is the 28 Days of Gratitude Series Based On?
This gratitude series is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT, which says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
In my time spent with the Lord, He dealt with me about how we have a tendency to focus on our issues, problems, challenges, and difficulties, but we are not necessarily intentional about focusing on His goodness. Failing to meditate on His works forces us into a cycle of complaining and blinds us to the amazing ways He reveals Himself on a daily basis. In all circumstances, let us be more grateful.
What do I need to participate?
To participate in this series, you will need a notebook and a journal, because it requires writing some things down. In whatever journal you choose—and it doesn’t need to be anything fancy—daily, you will write down the Scripture of the day.
The featured verse will highlight a complaint from the Bible to help you see that, throughout history, others have struggled just as you do. Yet, God desires that we be grateful. In your journal, I would ask that you write the verse you see featured on the Daily Cup blog each morning, then jot down 5 things for which you are grateful.
5 is the number of grace, so you will be focusing on the grace of God and how His mercy has been evident in your life, even during rough times. At the end of each post, 5 suggested thing to write about are listed.