You know John 3:16, but have you ever looked at 2 Kings 3:16?
This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches.
The armies of Judah and Israel were stranded in the desert. They had expected to be defeating the Moabites, and instead they were dying of thirst. Elisha told them to start digging ditches. We can only imagine what the soldiers thought. Laying aside their swords and shields, they took up their shovels. Though parched with thirst, they obeyed the seemingly senseless command. The next morning they woke up to find the trenches brimming with fresh, glistening water—enough for all their needs. Moreover, the Moabites on the distant mountaintops saw the sun reflecting on the waters and thought it was blood. Assuming the armies of Judah and Israel had annihilated each other, the Moabites waltzed in to collect the plunder only to be attacked and defeated.
There’s a wonderful lesson in this passage about whatever we’re doing for the Lord. On a human level, our work for Him often seems hard; and sometimes it seems pointless. We work hard and we bear the heat of the day and the burden of the work. We labor while it is day. But then, unseen by human eyes, the Lord fills our efforts with living water, brings the blessing, and claims the victory. Our job is to keep digging trenches to our world, trusting God to supply the miracles in HIs timing!
(For my complete sermon from this text, visit www.donelson.org, and select the sermon tab.)