Spurgeon: May PM
* 05/16/PM
"And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of
ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither
shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water,
that ye may drink, both ye and your cattle, and your beasts."
--2 Kings 3:16,2 Kings 3:17
The armies of the three kings were famishing for want of
water: God was about to send it, and in these words the prophet
announced the coming blessing. Here was a case of human
helplessness : not a drop of water could all the valiant men
procure from the skies or find in the wells of earth. Thus often
the people of the Lord are at their wits' end; they see the
vanity of the creature, and learn experimentally where their
help is to be found. Still the people were to make a believing
preparation for the divine blessing ; they were to dig the
trenches in which the precious liquid would be held. The church
must by her varied agencies, efforts, and prayers, make herself
ready to be blessed; she must make the pools, and the Lord will
fill them. This must be done in faith, in the full assurance
that the blessing is about to descend. By-and-by there was a
singular bestowal of the needed boon . Not as in Elijah's case
did the shower pour from the clouds, but in a silent and
mysterious manner the pools were filled. The Lord has His own
sovereign modes of action: He is not tied to manner and time as
we are, but doeth as He pleases among the sons of men. It is
ours thankfully to receive from Him, and not to dictate to Him.
We must also notice the remarkable abundance of the supply
--there was enough for the need of all. And so it is in the
gospel blessing; all the wants of the congregation and of the
entire church shall be met by the divine power in answer to
prayer; and above all this, victory shall be speedily given to
the armies of the Lord.
What am I doing for Jesus? What trenches am I digging? O
Lord, make me ready to receive the blessing which Thou art so
willing to bestow.