The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad, and the land is unproductive.”
2 Kings 2:19 NIV
Elisha, the man who had just been endowed with anointing, was at that time in the city of Jericho. The people of the city came to narrate the long-time ordeal they had been battling with, hoping for a solution. The water in the city was bad and the land was unproductive. It does not seem as if they casually talked about this painful experience.
Imagine how they were probably wailing and lamenting as they approach the man of God. “If you look around in the city, you would be amazed at the level of quietness that’s in every neighbourhood. You may think the land is at peace, as there’s no unnecessary noise. You might be wondering how parents are able to perfectly caution their children such that there is no roaming around. Everything may seem well and good in your eyes, but don’t be deceived. There’s fire on the mountain. It may seem we have plenty of springs of clean water flowing throughout the land, but they are useless.”
“The problem is that the water in the land is bad. The reason everywhere seems quiet as grave is because there is no energy for any activity. This is because the water is not good for anything. Even after boiling, we still cannot use it for cooking. So, we are all gentle because we are hungry and thirsty. We cannot even plant anything because the bad water has affected the productivity of the land. There is barrenness in the land. The women are experiencing miscarriage because there is no capacity for fruitfulness. So, the absence of children noise is because every home in the land is barren. Please help us, the water is bad.”
Such is the reality of many lives today, but not all are willing and ready to acknowledge their spiritual poverty. They may appear to be full of water. In fact, the water may be clear as crystals. But they are only as good for the eyes to behold but not for the mouth to taste. They are full of empty and meaningless activities. When you see them praying in ‘tongues’, you may want to ask God for such utterance. But they are only empty words, void of grace and potency.
This is not just to make an elaborate description of what an empty Christian life may look like. Rather, it is for us as Christians to reconsider our standing in Christ Jesus. It is for us to reflect on our relationship with the Saviour, Jesus Christ. No man may have an adequate evaluation of your life as you would. Therefore, be truthful to yourself, so that you can pray the right prayer.
Have you been experiencing a decline in your faith? Or you’re already emptied of power and grace? Do you appear to be living right on the outside – when you are among the people, but in the secret of your room, you are something else? Is it an addiction that has been pulling you down over and again? Even though you’ve made up your mind several times and prayed never to go back, somehow, your dog has returned to its vomit? Why do you need to cover up when you know that the water that appears clean is not good for consumption?
Will you not cry to God for help as the people of Jericho did? Bring Him to the source of the bad water so that He might bring you a lasting healing.
