The highlight of this undesirable situation was when the king of Israel was accosted by a woman while he was passing upon the wall. She was seeking help from the king, but little did she know that the king himself needed help just like anyone else. This woman would later open a can of worms upon being further quizzed by the king. Things have gotten so bad that she and her companion had resorted to killing their sons; her own son was the first to be boiled, but when it was time for the second woman to fulfil her own end of the bargain, she played smart in a very mischievous way.
This undesirable turn of events was going to change the narrative permanently; the king felt he had had enough, so he vowed to eliminate Elisha—the reason for the upheaval in the first instance. Elisha, in turn, will not hesitate to pronounce a prophecy that will change the status quo, but there was a lord who found Elisha's prophecy very laughable and too good-to-be-true. Without wasting time, like a sword of Damocles, Elisha swung a supplementary prophecy that would eventually spell the untimely end of this ill-fated lord.
Interestingly, at the outskirts of the city were some four lepers who might have been forgotten and were obviously not counted as part of society anymore; however, God had other plans about using them as the channels through which Elisha's prophecy will be fulfilled. Most times when this story is being considered, the spotlight is usually on Elijah, which is of course not far-fetched, but the real fulcrum of this story is underpinned by these four lepers.
Out of the three risks that presented themselves, they decided to take the most implausible one; although risky, falling back to their own people would have been a much safer option. Also, sitting it out and keeping their fingers crossed will not be a bad one either, but like a bolt out of the blue, they chose the riskiest option, which bore no thread of safety, let alone a safety net. It was for them a high-risk, high-rreward scenario; they had the guts and got the reward—an incredible haul!
The similitude of the vicissitudes recorded in this story and the one facing Nigeria today is uncanny. Our situation is just like a mirrored reality of the one in Samaria; there is a case of gruesome inflation that has eaten so deep into the pockets of every Nigerian, no matter the social class. Although relative, we are all travailing together in pain, waiting for a saviour to come from somewhere that seems to be nowhere. Our hopes are getting dashed by the day, and just like the King to the woman, our leaders response to our cry for help is, "Whence shall I help you, out of the Central Bank or out of the NNPCL?
Now it has become clear to us that if the Lord does not rise to help us, we are in a delirious soup because everyone you have been turning to for help some times back is now in a dire state of need. The middle class has become totally blurred, and now it is either you are rich or poor; there is no middle ground. This pathetic state of famine requires a word of prophecy; in fact, it is long overdue, but where can we get the Elisha to issue that bulletproof and war-headed prophecy? Look no further because the word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart; it is called the word of faith. You might say this isn't the place to start one of those positive confession classes yet; as cliche as it sounds, it is what you confess that you possess; that will be the case till tomorrow.
Enough of us sabotaging genuine prophecies from true oracles of God and brandishing the unpleasant ones which the Lord has not commanded. It is time to stand upon your watch and do your priestly duties and prophesy restoration to your Jerusalem [Nigeria]. The word of God is a sure vehicle of deliverance and salvation if put to good use; therefore, it is time to stop dwelling on the soothsayings and formulations of men and dwell on the word of God, and wait for that word to change the undesirable situation.
Similarly, it is expedient for us to know that the solution to a problem, most times, is not generated exogenously; rather, it usually comes from within, just like how God used Moses, Gideon, Samson, and these four lepers to save their country. God is equally looking for willing and open vessels who will be available for his use even when they themselves are partakers of the same suffering. God is obviously not looking for the perfect and qualified; he is rather looking for those who are vulnerable and pliable enough to follow him into making unconventional and unreasonable decisions, which will definitely usher in the most anticipated change.
Frankly speaking, God was in the story of the four lepers because, humanly speaking, where they were headed was indeed a dead end, but God turned it around into the exact solution to the lingering crises, and what about Gideon, whom God told to reduce the population of his army to just three hundred foot soldiers, which eventually pulverised an entire army of about a hundred and thirty-five thousand warriors? You can't tell me otherwise; God's handwriting was over it all; He really cooked!
Another valuable lesson here is that the strength of God is not in the numbers or majority; he is convenient working with the exceptional minority who are ready to listen and be led by him.
It is also worthy of note that the four lepers, upon discovering the goldmine, didn't hoard this miracle, but just like the shepherds who got the biggest breaking news ever when Jesus was born, they decided to proclaim it far and wide and eventually brought joy, hope, and restoration to a nation that was on the brink of extinction.
This is the season of glad tidings; any opportunity you come across that can serve the greater good must not be hoarded. This starts from the small or inconsequential matters; when you are faithful in a few, you earn the right to be trusted over the greater things. Right there in your sphere of influence, you have been earmarked as an impact maker; you are a light—a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden—and a salt; therefore, keep on sweetening your world and don't stop shining!
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