In the days of the divided kingdom, the northern tribes of Israel had turned far from the Lord. From the time Jeroboam led the ten tribes away, every king had led the people into deeper wickedness. Prophets such as Elijah and Elisha had called the nation back to God, yet the people persisted in sin. Now, in 2 Kings chapter 6, the Syrian king Benhadad laid siege to Samaria. The famine inside the city became so severe that an ass’s head sold for fourscore pieces of silver and a portion of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
As the king of Israel walked upon the wall, a woman cried out with an unspeakable account: two mothers had agreed to eat their sons to survive, yet one had hidden her child. The king tore his clothes in anguish, revealing sackcloth beneath, and in his distress he blamed the prophet Elisha. While Elisha sat with the elders, a messenger arrived with the king’s threat against his life. The messenger declared, “Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?” (2 Kings 6:33, KJV).
That question still echoes when nations falter, economies strain, or personal trials press hard. We sang “Because He Lives” earlier, and our hope rests not in the world improving but in the risen Christ. Scripture shows that the world will grow more difficult before the glorious end, yet we need never surrender hope. The following observations from this passage help us answer the messenger’s question rightly.
Never See God’s Hand Without Seeing His Heart
The messenger spoke truth when he said the calamity came from the Lord. The siege and famine were the consequences of persistent national sin. God is sovereign over nations and over every event in human history. Yet the messenger drew the wrong conclusion. He assumed that because God had allowed the judgement, there was no longer any reason to trust or wait upon Him.
Many today make the same mistake. They recognise God’s hand in difficult circumstances but fail to see His heart. God allows trials, whether personal or national, not because He is cruel but because He purposes good through them. A young man once shared with me how he was walking away from God. He had grown up under teaching that emphasised sovereignty so strongly that he never gained assurance of God’s personal love for him. He knew God was in control, yet he could not be sure God loved him. That produced deep anger. When we see only the hand and miss the heart, bitterness follows quickly.
Jesus died for all. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16, KJV). He “is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, KJV). Even when God brings judgement upon a nation, He still desires every individual within that nation to turn to Him and be saved. No matter how wicked a country becomes, God’s heart remains the same: He wants people rescued. We must therefore never look at His hand without also seeing His heart of love and redemptive purpose.
Let God’s Hand Lead You to His Heart
The very next chapter shows what happens when someone trusts both the hand and the heart of God. Elisha declared, “Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria” (2 Kings 7:1, KJV). In twenty-four hours the impossible would become reality. Food that had been scarce beyond imagination would be available at ordinary prices.
A lord who leaned on the king’s hand scoffed: “Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?” (2 Kings 7:2, KJV). Elisha answered that the man would see the fulfilment yet would not eat of it. The difference between the two men was perspective. Elisha knew that although judgement had come because of sin, God’s power and love could still intervene dramatically. The doubting officer saw only impossibility.
For the child of God, the sovereignty of God is never a source of frustration; it is a source of comfort. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, KJV). Nothing that touches your life or mine is without purpose. God can take the worst diagnosis and use it to bring someone to salvation. He can take the deepest betrayal and teach new depths of dependence upon Christ. He can turn ashes into something beautiful. Let every trial, every national difficulty, every personal disappointment drive you to ask, “Lord, what is Your heart seeking to accomplish through this?” When His hand leads you there, you will find fresh reason to hope.
Connect The Trials To His Heart
Outside the city gate sat four leprous men. They faced death whether they stayed where they were or entered the famine-stricken city. They reasoned together, “Why sit we here until we die?” (2 Kings 7:3, KJV). They decided to approach the Syrian camp. If the enemy killed them, they would die; if the enemy showed mercy, they would live. They chose action over passive despair.
When they reached the camp they discovered it deserted. The Syrians had fled, leaving behind abundant food, silver, gold, and clothing. God had already gone ahead of them. These men, who had every reason to expect only more suffering, instead found evidence of God’s goodness. They initially began to hoard the treasure, yet they soon realised they could not keep such good news to themselves.
God’s goodness is never absent from any situation because God Himself is never absent. “The LORD sitteth upon the flood” (Psalm 29:10, KJV). He remains sovereign over every storm, every epidemic, every war, and every personal valley. Even the great flood in Noah’s day, though a judgement upon extreme wickedness, was also an act of mercy that preserved a remnant and gave humanity a new beginning. No hardship lies outside His control. Every storm lasts only until it meets the hand of Jesus, who still speaks, “Peace, be still.” When we connect our trials to His heart, we stop interpreting life through the narrow lens of our present pain and begin to see His mercy and purpose at work.
Let His Heart Connect to Your Hand
After the lepers had eaten and hidden what they found, they said to one another, “We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household” (2 Kings 7:9, KJV). They moved from receiving blessing to sharing it. Their testimony eventually reached the city, the people went out and spoiled the Syrian camp, and the market prices dropped exactly as Elisha had prophesied. The doubting officer saw the fulfilment yet was trampled in the rush and never tasted the provision.
When God reveals His goodness, He intends for it to flow through us to others. In times when the world grows darker and people become more confused, the thirst for truth increases. After periods of national or global crisis, hearts often open in ways they had not before. We have seen this pattern historically and in our own recent past. Churches that hold firmly to the truth of Scripture and preach it without compromise continue to see younger generations drawn to the only message that satisfies. The further the culture moves from God, the brighter the light of the gospel shines for those who will receive it.
Let His heart of love move your hand and your voice. Share the good news that the same God who is sovereign over every crisis is also the God who provides, who forgives, and who saves all who call upon Him.
Conclusion
The messenger asked, “What should I wait for the LORD any longer?” The answer is that we have every reason to keep hoping in the Lord. He is sovereign over every event in our lives and in our nations, and He allows nothing without eternal purpose. At the same time He is loving, and His heart is always to draw people to Himself. He meets the needs of His children, watches over them as He watches over the sparrow, and gives each of us opportunities to testify of His goodness.
When we face personal pain, national decline, or global uncertainty, we need not respond like the messenger who blamed God or like the officer who doubted His power. Instead, we can see His hand and His heart together. We can let every trial lead us to His purposes and allow His love to move us to action. In a world that Scripture says will grow more difficult before the glorious appearing of our Lord, we remain more than conquerors through Him who loved us. May we be found faithful, seeing His heart in every circumstance and pointing others to the only hope that will never fail.
