LESSONS FROM ELISHA: DO NOT DESPISE SMALL BEGINNINGS

Key Text: “Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.” 2 Kings 3:16

When the armies of Israel, Judah and Edom found themselves in a dry wilderness with no water, the situation looked completely hopeless. There was no visible river, no rain cloud and no obvious source of water. Yet God told them to “make this valley full of ditches.” Imagine being thirsty, tired and surrounded by soldiers, and the instruction you receive is, “Start digging.” Sometimes God’s answer does not look like the miracle you expected because He may ask you to prepare a container for what He is about to provide.

The interesting part is that the ditches did not produce the water. God did. Their responsibility was preparation; God’s responsibility was provision. This is a principle we often miss. We pray for opportunities but do not develop our skills. We ask God for increase but do not organize our finances. We ask for people to come into our ministry but have no structure to receive them. We pray for a harvest while our “barn” is still full of clutter. Faith does not mean sitting down and waiting for God to do everything. Sometimes faith looks like digging an empty ditch before there is any evidence that water is coming.

Do not laugh at your little beginning simply because it looks little today. The first sermon may be preached to five people. The first business may operate from one small room. The first savings may look almost embarrassing. The first step toward healing a relationship may be one sincere conversation. But small preparation can create room for significant increase. The size of the ditch does not determine the power of the water. Your job is to prepare faithfully, even when you cannot yet see what God is preparing to pour into it.

Prayers and Confession
Father, give me wisdom to recognize the preparations You are asking me to make. Deliver me from laziness, procrastination and the temptation to despise small beginnings. Help me to faithfully prepare the ground for what You desire to bring into my life.
I will not despise my small beginnings. I will prepare, build, learn and remain faithful. I trust God to fill what I faithfully prepare, and I will not allow the absence of immediate evidence to stop my obedience.

Reflection
What “ditch” do you need to start digging today? What practical preparation have you been postponing while praying for God to bring the result?

Further Reading: 2 Kings 3:9-20; Zechariah 4:10; Ecclesiastes 11:6; Proverbs 21:5; Luke 16:10