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"Purposeful Problems"
by Pastor Bob Coy June 20, 2007
But it happened, when Ahab died, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. So King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. Then he went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?" And he said, "I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."(2 Kings 3:5 NKJV)
Sometimes the trials of life seem absolutely unbearable. Our troubles can add up until we're brought to our breaking point. This is what we see happening in the life of Jehoram. Two tragic tidal waves had come crashing down on him. The first was that his father, Ahab, had just been killed in battle, leaving Jehoram to occupy the throne. This would have been a heavy enough burden to bear, but then the second wave hits him in the form of a rebellion. The nation of Moab, which had submitted to his father, was now ready to rebel against him. Imagine the effect this mortal mixture of grief and insecurity must have produced.
But just as the world seemed to close in around him, Jehoram broke down and begged Jehoshaphat for help. This was a desperate step, but it was in the right direction. The Bible describes Jehoshaphat as a man who was constantly doing what was right in the Lord's eyes (1 Kings 22:43). Jehoram was the polar opposite. He is described as one who did evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 3:2). Ordinarily, Jehoram probably wouldn't have had anything to do with Jehoshaphat, but through his trials, he was driven to pursue a relationship with this righteous man.
Sometimes our trials are designed to direct us. God wants to connect a Jehoram with a Jehoshaphat because He knows that Jehorams need a godly presence in their lives. Their problems are the means God uses to connect them to someone who will be a witness in their lives. We need to remember this when people, especially non-believers, come to us for help.
This devotional delivered by: Harvest Christian Fellowship, NYC
