The backdrop to this story, in chapter six, is that the city of Samaria was under siege and a terrible famine had resulted. When the king of Israel hears a horrendous account of cannibalism by the desperate people, his response is to blame the prophet Elisha for the situation. In hard times, it's easy to fall into the trap of looking for someone to blame, instead of pushing in and listening to God's perspective.
As chapter seven begins, Elisha is speaking to an officer, a messenger sent by the king and, to the man's surprise, Elisha prophesies an end to the famine and an economic turnaround. Maybe the king's employee could have believed the prophecy if Elisha hadn't used the words, "By this time tomorrow..." That timeframe just confirmed its impossibility for the messenger: even if the siege were to end right that minute, there couldn't possibly be that much food again by the next day - and certainly not at the prices that Elisha quoted.
So convinced is the man that this can't happen, that he even adds, "That couldn't happen, even if the Lord opens the windows of heaven." That's the power of unbelief; it causes us to place limits on what God can do.
What usually happens is that the things we refuse to believe do happen but we don't see them. They happen in other places, where people have more faith and don't allow unbelief to cloud their picture of God. In this case, however, the prophet tells the officer, "You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won't be able to eat any of the food."
If you remember the end of the story (vs 16 - 20) God miraculously routs the enemy army and the people go rushing out of the city to plunder the camp and bring back all the food that suddenly becomes available. This officer happened to be on duty at the city gate and he was trampled to death in the rush. He knew that the miracle of provision was happening, but he was never able to enjoy the blessing of it.
In a less dramatic way, that's what also happens in our own situations of unbelief: the miracles happen, but they happen for other people. That prayer is answered, but we don't get the blessing of it; that vehicle is provided, but it was for someone else; that person is healed and we wonder why it didn't happen for us.
Unbelief doesn't only stop amazing things from happening (like when Jesus was unable to perform any miracles in his own region - see Matt 13: 58) it can also prevent us from enjoying the blessing of them when they do happen.
It's important to mention that doubt and unbelief are not the same thing. Doubt is when we would like to believe something, but we're finding it hard, perhaps because our mind or our past experience tells us that it isn't possible. Unbelief, on the other hand, is when we stubbornly refuse to believe something, even if it's something that God has told us in the Bible. Doubt is a natural response for finite human beings, and we can talk to God honestly about our doubts. Unbelief, however, is a sin, and the Bible tells us that we need to repent of it. It was unbelief that prevented the people of God from entering the Promised Land, and left them wandering in the wilderness for forty years.
If you're struggling with doubts, take them to the Lord and ask Him to strengthen your faith. This was the response of that father of a demonised boy in Mark 9: 24. He was battling doubt (the Greek word is apistia which means weakness of faith) and so he said to Jesus, " I believe. Help me not fall into unbelief."
What is God asking you to believe for this week?
