DCLM Daily Manna 5 April 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Surplus Declared
TOPIC: Surplus Declared (DCLM Daily Manna 5 April 2024)
KEY VERSE: “Then Elisha said, 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).
TEXT: 2 Kings 7:1-11 (KJV)
1 Then Elisha said, 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 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.
5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.
6 For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.
7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.
8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.
9 Then they said one to 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.
10 So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.
11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s house within.
MESSAGE:
Billionaire Warren Buffett earned the nickname, Oracle of Omaha, because of his legendary investment ability to reap huge profits from the stock market. His record achievement makes investors to routinely seek him for guidance and prediction on future market events. Warren does not owe his success in the investment space to some clairvoyant powers; rather, it is a result of practised accuracy at predicting market movements. Prophetic declarations operate on a much more elevated plane.
Prophet Elisha’s prediction of plenty in Israel, for example, was totally contrary to the run of events. The nation was so impoverished that unspeakable cannibalism was rife in the land. So, when Elisha gave a prophecy of food surplus coming within 24 hours, it sounded so far-fetched that a king’s deputy openly scoffed at the possibility. Sadly, he paid for his dissension with his life. A strange but divinely-orchestrated turn of events caused the siege to be lifted the following day. God made the Syrian army responsible for the siege to hear frightening sounds of a seeming approach by a more formidable force. They fled in haste, leaving all their stuff behind. Their stock of food was huge enough to reverse the famine. What a great God!
Hunger and famine are ravaging many countries of the world. Runaway inflation combined with global economic downturn is driving families and whole governments into desperation. Cross-border wars are triggering ever-rising number of refugees and internally displaced persons. Amidst all these, is there any hope of a reprieve?
God can reverse the present ugly situation; He can bring plenty again. But Genuine repentance from sin must take place at individual and national levels.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Human schemes do not effectively relieve human misery; only God does, in answer to prayer.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Psalms 31-35
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
