Digging Ditches

Ever felt like you are in the middle of a never-ending march through the desert? No matter what you do, things seem so difficult and you just can’t seem to catch a glimpse of God? Maybe it’s being unfulfilled at work, or problems in marriage, or issues with your kids, or feeling so alone and misunderstood in this big world, or lost on what is next for you in life, or… and, whatever it is that has brought you to that point, no matter how much you try you just can’t shake the “dryness of soul” you are experiencing? I can surely relate, if not for the same reason as you, for sure in the experience.

In 2Kings 3, we find King Jehoram, King Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom, with their combined armies, marching for 7 days through the hot desert without water, and only the provisions they could carry, to go to battle with Moab. Ponder this scene and situation for a moment – they had marched for seven days through the dry, hot, desert with no water and by then must have been parched, wiped out with no strength, feeling judged and abandoned by God, and surely had reached the end of themselves and were running on the last of whatever energy reserves they had. By the way, the fact that they were still walking by then was an “unrecognized” miracle in and of itself!  The thought that they still had a battle to fight against the king of Moab and his army must have been overwhelming to them. I would think for most, victory had fled from their minds as a potential outcome, with simple survival being paramount on their minds. Can you identify with their predicament at all? I know I have been there. Then it gets even harder as they seek and hear from the Lord – He instructs them to dig ditches in the desert and they must have been like,  “Huh??? DId I hear you right, God? You are aware of all we’ve just endured, right?”  Yet, as we would read, God was at work in their midst, just as He is always working in our lives even when we can’t feel, see, or hear Him, and calling us to seek Him, listen to Him, obey Him, and trust Him to deliver us from our desert.

We would be shocked if we took stock of how many times we find situations like this one in the Bible, where people have reached the end of themselves and have almost given up all hope, and each time the “remedy” always seems to be the same, just as we see in this passage of scripture. In the midst of the story, we find keys to surviving, learning, growing, and glorifying God through the times of our desert journeys. Consider these simple instructions we can take from this story when we find ourselves in the deserts of life:

• Seek and inquire of the Lord (vs. 11)
• Set your heart right before Him  (vs. 15)
• Listen to His “Word”  (vs. 15-18)
• Obey His Word and instructions, and do what you can do (implied in vs. 20)
• Wait on Him to do what only He can do (vs. 20)

In the midst of our desert trek, if we can slow down and go back to the basics we will always find God is faithful to meet us and minister to us in ways we cannot even imagine. A warning is needed at this point, though – what God may ask of you may seem unreasonable, just like digging ditches in the desert after marching through it for seven days without water. It may make no worldly sense, as if all reason has been abandoned, yet when we take a closer look and read all the way through this story, or the others like it, we find that some of God’s greatest miracles and choicest blessings await those who are willing to obediently follow His commands and instructions, regardless of whether they make sense in the midst of circumstances that don’t make sense.

I know, I know… it’s much easier to say or write about than to live it out at times. If we are being honest, in the midst of one of these “desert instructional moments” it’s hard to remember God is really in-tune with where you find yourself and is present with you, isn’t it? That is why it is of paramount importance when you find yourself in the thick of it to come back to the lessons learned here in this passage – to fix my heart upon God, seek Him, set our heart right before Him acknowledging He is worthy of our worship regardless of circumstance, listen to His Word, obediently follow Him, and trust Him to show up as only He can in His timing. We may find ourselves fully spent, only to have Him ask us to dig some ditches while needing a miracle. Yet, if we would do what we can do – like simply dig a ditch – He will not fail to refresh us at the perfect time, and allowed us to experience miracles and blessings we could have never imagined… a move of Him in our life that we would have never experienced or placed value on without enduring the hardship of the desert.

So, keep marching and keep digging, my friends… fix your heart on Him, follow Him, and trust Him to show up. Persistently keep seeking, listening, obeying, and waiting on Him, even though it can be hard. Being totally transparent, I don’t always feel like it and there are times I wonder if He is working in the midst of where I find myself. There are plenty of days when it takes every last bit of strength physically, emotionally, and spiritually to make it through one more moment, to take one more step. Yet, I can sit here today and say God has never failed me, ever, and always meets me faithfully, most often in ways I could have never imagined! He has given me far more blessings than I deserve, and I have experienced His miracles in the midst of my journey of faith, even the desert times, all through the simple steps we learn from this story. I promise you, if He hasn’t failed me, He surely will not fail you!

Until next time… keep doing what you can do, fully trusting that as you God will do what only He can!