God is able to take care of every problem you bring to Him. Whatever you are facing may be big to you, but nothing is impossible for Him!

Most people have no trouble going to God when there is nowhere else to turn and they need a miracle. However, when times are good, it can be easy to make decisions on our own without giving God a thought.

There are many Bible examples of what happens when someone leaves God out of the picture. Here’s one that demonstrates the value of seeking God, listening to His voice and choosing His way – in the good times and the bad.

A Big Mess
Three kings had banded together to mount a surprise attack on the Moabites. Their strategy was to lead their combined armies through the desert and attack Moab where an attack would be least expected.
2 Kings 3:9-10 tells us: “So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them. And the king of Israel said, ‘Alas! For the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.’”

The path they chose may have made sense from a military perspective, but what they didn’t consider was that the desert was 80 miles across. It led them away from water and into trouble. Soon, the animals were dying and human lives were threatened.

What a mess! The only thing that could save them was a miracle. Jehoshaphat, the godly king of Judah, recognized this and urged the other kings to seek God’s direction from the prophet, Elisha.

“Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, ‘What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.’ But the king of Israel said to him, ‘No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab’” (2 Kings 3:13).

Elisha was not impressed with Jehoram, the king of Israel. He was the son of the ungodly king, Ahab, and while he had put away his father’s god, Baal, he had not embraced God. Basically, what Elisha said to him was: “In the good times, you weren’t seeking God, but now that times are bad, you’re crying out to Him?”

Clearly, this dilemma was not simply the result of poor planning. After all, Elisha had been with the armies throughout the entire journey. If someone had thought to inquire of God, they would not have been in this situation. When things were going well, they never cared to ask, “God, what should we do and how should we do it?”

However, once it became obvious that their plan was not working, Jehoram was quick to blame God instead of taking responsibility for not consulting Him.

A Big Miracle
Nevertheless, Elisha delivered God’s word to them. “Thus says the Lord: Make this valley full of ditches. For thus says the Lord: you shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink. And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand” (2 Kings 3:16-18).

Giving them water in the desert without making it rain does not seem like a simple matter to us, but it is to God. So the armies did as God said. They dug ditches even though it seemed impossible that water could come to them. They didn’t just dig a ditch, they filled the whole valley with ditches.

2 Kings 3:20 tells us: “Now it happened in the morning, when the grain offering was offered, that suddenly water came by way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.” God miraculously filled every ditch they dug. Not only did He give them life-sustaining water, but, if you read the rest of the chapter, you will see that God also gave them a stunning victory!

Choose Wisely
Any choice that leads away from the source of life is not a good one. It can be as easy for us to make decisions based on human reasoning as it was for the kings. But those choices pull us away from the Lord, and Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

In Deuteronomy 8, God talks about blessing us, and then He says these words: “When your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 8:14). You see, when you are blessed, and everything is going fine, the danger is that you will think you are the one making it happen, and you will forget about God.

Many people blame God when things go wrong, but we need to recognize that it is usually our own decisions that get us into trouble. It happens because we leave Him out and make the wrong choices.

Do not forget God in the good times. There isn’t a day when you don’t need the presence and power of God in your life. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Stay connected to Him at all times.
Aren’t you glad for God’s mercy and that you can turn back to Him at any time?

Listen to what He says: “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20, NIV).

Choose life. Don’t blame God. Run to Him!

Dig Ditches
You may not have a prophet to consult, but you do have the Bible. It is God’s Word, and Hebrews 4:12 tells us it is active and alive; powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is full of victory, grace and truth, but it won’t do you any good if it just sits on the shelf. It needs to be down deep on the inside of you.

God wants you to prepare your life with ditches that He can fill. He can make it rain in such a way that every area of your life is touched. But you have to dig the ditches.

Noah dug a ditch by building a boat on dry ground when it had never rained before (Genesis 6-8).
The widow of Zarephath dug a ditch when she made a little cake for the prophet (1 Kings 17).
Rahab dug a ditch when she received the spies into her home (Joshua 2).
Moses dug by yielding his rod to God (Exodus 4).

Each of them did the natural things God showed them to do, and He responded by doing what only He can do!

In Luke 5, the disciples had fished all night and hadn’t caught anything. Jesus came along and told them to throw the net in on the other side of the boat. When they expressed their faith by throwing the net in on the other side, symbolically, they were digging a ditch. What did God do? He filled it so full of fish that it broke!

It’s time for us to dig some ditches expecting God to move! As you seek Him and step out in faith as He instructs you, you are preparing places to be filled with His blessings. You can dig some ditches by reading the Bible and praying every day. You dig ditches when you worship God and tithe, and by being faithfully involved in your local church. Anytime you seek God and respond to what He says, you dig a ditch.

You might not see clouds or hear any thunder, but when you dig ditches, even in your desert place, God is faithful to rain down blessing, healing, deliverance, guidance, provision, peace…whatever it is that you need.

(All scriptures are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated.)