"Fear God, Love God, Serve God": "We Need Some Ditches!"

"And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this

valley full of ditches. For this is what the LORD says: You

will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink."

(2 Kings 3:16-17)

"And it came to pass in the morning, when the grain offering

was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom,

and the country was filled with water."

(2 Kings 3:20)

"And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun

shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on

the other side as red as blood: And they said, This is blood: the kings are

surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the

spoil. And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and

smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward

smiting the Moabites, even in their country.

(2 Kings 3:22-24)

The King of Judah, Jehoshaphat; Jehoram, King of Israel; and the King of Edom came together to defeat the nation of Moab. The Prophet Elisha was called upon to give a word from God to these three kings ... a heathen, a heretic, and saved but erring 6th King of the house of David, Jehoshaphat. Elisha called in a minstrel to help him get into the worship frame of mind to receive a word from God, and he prayed and heard from the Lord; the order for these three desperate waiting kings was, "Make this valley full of ditches." Their problem was that they needed water, and the Lord always thinks a step further ... What about the "vessel needed" for the miracle? ... Ditches. The rest of this magnificent story was that they dug the ditches, the water came, the Moabites saw the water as blood and thought the kings were dead, so they headed to the camp of Israel to take the spoils, but Israel rose up and defeated them. Another miracle of God brought the victory!

Let's take a look at the word "ditch." It means "an open passage." Miracles always need an open passage, an unobstructed willing vessel, a place to flow and take up residence, a place to multiply like the containers gathered, per Jesus's orders, for turning the water into wine at the wedding feast; and the containers gathered by the widow woman, in 2 Kings 4, to multiply the oil.

What if our vessel is not big enough to contain the miracle? Huh? What if God wants us to enlarge in order to contain the coming blessing? What? As my awesome Pastor says, "God never gives us just enough for ourselves; it's always enough for ourselves and others." Maybe we are asking for a car payment, when God wants us to ask for a bus to do a church bus route. It's always about the bigger picture with God. Remember Hannah? She wanted a son, but God wanted a Prophet; when she vowed in prayer that if God gave her that son, she would give him back to Him, God gave her a Prophet, a son.

If we get the miracle we want, does it have an "open passage," a "ditch" that will allow the runoff into all the world? Do we have prepared vessels to carry the miracle beyond ourselves? Have we prepared our valley for the miracle? You say, "What does my needing to be healed have to do with the rest of the world?" Good question. When we're well, what will we do with it? What will the miracle enable us to do for the other inhabitants of planet earth? What can we, then, pour into another hungry vessel?

We're all in the same boat, if we're in this beautiful union called His mighty and glorious Church ... we're just all tributaries in this "go ye into all the world and be my witnesses" plan. The Lord is looking for places to pour out His miracles. Why? Miracles cause others to believe in Him; they are a witness of His truth, His existence, His power, and His love. Tithes are required, the ten percent is and always has been God's, but what about the "blessing and Miracle" that happens BEYOND the ten percent? That's where the windows are opened; that's where we see His handiwork; that's where Almighty God steps in and POURS OUT on "us!" He said, "Prove Me!" Give what you think you don't have; give over and above your tithes, give, and watch the "proof" flow in! Hallelujah!

We've been saved up to be sent out; we're filled with faith to let it fly; we're a candle building to a torch; we have a message begging to be a sermon; we're land dwellers with a passion to walk on water; we are filled with His power to electrify and empower the world; we have been submerged in the name of Jesus Christ to emerge as His eternal flame; we've been grafted in to sprout His promises; we are children of the King going about the King's business; we are angel bidders and we're devil chasers; we have come to the kingdom for such a time as this; we're a boy's lunch looking for multiplication; we're a desperate hand reaching for a garment's hem; we have an unction with no other option ... "We Need Some Ditches."