A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of November 2-6, 2020
Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.’ ”
So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”
And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”
Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die.”
And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses—the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!” Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact—their tents, their horses, and their donkeys—and they fled for their lives. And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.
Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, “We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound—only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact.” And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king’s household inside.
So the king arose in the night and said to his servants, “Let me now tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.’ ”
And one of his servants answered and said, “Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or indeed, I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see.” Therefore they took two chariots with horses; and the king sent them in the direction of the Syrian army, saying, “Go and see.” And they went after them to the Jordan; and indeed all the road was full of garments and weapons which the Syrians had thrown away in their haste. So the messengers returned and told the king. Then the people went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.
Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him. So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, “Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria.”
Then that officer had answered the man of God, and said, “Now look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?”
And he had said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate, and he died.
2 Kings 7
MIRACLE: “Preternatural occurrence that is viewed as the expression of Divine Will. Its awe and wonder lie in the fact that the cause is hidden.”
MONDAY
How do we tap into the hidden source of the miracle? There is a walk to take to get to the point of the release of your miracle. Understand this: we serve a God who is a provider of all things to all people. He is the source of all supply. There is ample provision for all things that we need in God, however, we still need to know how to get these things from glory into the natural realm. It takes faith, you say. Yes, but faith without works is dead faith. How do we make the faith for our miracle active, vibrant and alive?
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: Isaiah 40:29-31 ~ He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
November 2: 2 Kings 15, Titus 1, Hosea 8, Psalms 123-125
November 3: 2 Kings 16, Titus 2, Hosea 9, Psalms 126-128
November 4: 2 Kings 17, Titus 3, Hosea 10, Psalms 129-131
November 5: 2 Kings 18, Philemon 1, Hosea 11, Psalms 132-134
November 6: 2 Kings 19, Hebrews 1, Hosea 12, Psalms 135-136
November 7: 2 Kings 20, Hebrews 2, Hosea 13, Psalms 137-138
November 8: 2 Kings 21, Hebrews 3, Hosea 14, Psalms 139
TUESDAY
There is a sequence of events that will lead us to the “Miracle Mile,” or that place in God where we receive the answer to the problem that we face. We may need a miracle in our health, family relationships, finances, ministry, or we might need someone in authority to show us favor. Whatever we need, the “miracle mile” is a walk any of us may need to take from time to time. We need to understand how to get on that road and stay there until we receive our miracle.
The first step in obtaining your miracle is to seek instruction from God. Though the steps to every miracle may be similar, it is too important to not have God’s total control.
WEDNESDAY
God’s instruction will almost always come through one of His servants. Make sure that that servant has the faith for miracles and does not speak against them. Allow God to lead you to that vessel who will have the correct instructions for you. Recognize that you have nothing to lose and much to gain if you go after your miracle, much like the three lepers. If you stay faithful to the instructions of God, you will be led step by step along the miracle mile.
THURSDAY
It is hard to know when the lepers got on the road to their miracle, but it is evident that they were in the right place at the right time to receive it. In fact, they were the first to dare to believe and step out of the box of complacency. They were facing the same death that everybody else who was in the city at that time faced. Because they were acquainted with the threat of death on a daily basis, perhaps they were more willing to confront it and overcome it.
There comes a time when we all need to call time on the works of darkness. There is a season when the Christ in us says, “Enough! I’ve waited long enough, I’ve watched others prosper long enough, I’ve been unhappy long enough, and it’s time to walk on the Miracle Mile.” Will you step on with me?
FRIDAY
When the fear of not getting the miracle is extinguished by stepping on the Miracle Mile, then the faith for the rest of the walk comes.
Did you hear that?
You must step out in faith and take the first step before the faith for step two comes.
Imagine how foreboding the gate of the city looked to the lepers while they sat on the outside of the door. What does the other side hold for them? They made up their minds it was worth the risk, because they were dead either way.
When you need a miracle, there is a desperation in you that feels like death. You know you must pursue the miracle because you must have it to live on some level. God sees this and He will not disappoint you, just as He did not disappoint the lepers. He wants you to walk a mile with Him, a Miracle Mile.
Once you take that walk with Jesus, you will never be the same again.