A Simple Matter
By Elin Henderson
“And this is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.…”
II Kings 3:18 (NKJV)
I love God’s version of a “simple matter”! In II Kings 3, Israel is up against two big problems. Problem number one: They are dealing with a Moab rebellion. King Jehoram musters up as many soldiers as he can and treks off through the wilderness to deal with this uprising. Along the way, he and his soldiers run into problem number two: They run out of water. Not so good when you are traveling to battle with thousands of men and their livestock.
Ultimately, the king asks for Elisha to come and inquire of the Lord. Elisha’s inquiry leads to God’s instructions to “make this valley full of ditches…You will not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water…And this is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD.” Filling ditches with water for an entire army and their livestock WITHOUT using rain is God’s version of “simple.”
To take it even further, Elisha tacks on to the end, “…He will ALSO deliver the Moabites into your hand.” It’s almost as though this was a side note, like a little icing on the cake of simplicity. Which was more difficult for God: making water out of nothing for this entire army or defeating their enemies? Neither! To Him, both these fell into the category of “Simple Matters.” He provided the water they needed and used it as a mirage to scare off their enemies! Wow!
So, why, when we face a struggle or difficulty do we fall to pieces, get overwhelmed, and throw up our hands in defeat? To the Lord, the earthly struggles we face are “Simple Matters” easily dealt with. For the Master Ruler of the Universe, simplicity takes on a new form and we get to benefit from it! Present needs are met and future battles are dealt with by His might!
May we start to see each trial and battle we come up against through the eyes of our God and realize that, for Him, these are but “Simple Matters.” Our part is “Simple Faith,” the simple “evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) like the rain and wind that the Israelites didn’t see fill the ditches with water. And then, beyond that, a whole army simply giving up and running way from a mirage!
Simple matters meet simple faith and result in something amazing!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Do you have something right now in your life that seems overwhelming and impossible? How do you think God sees it? Can you commit it to Him knowing His best plan for you is a simple matter for Him…and a matter of simple faith for you?
FURTHER READING:
Matthew 19:26; Hebrews 10:38; Hebrews 11:1
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to ten-year-old Callie and eight-year-old Elias.
