Life is an unpredictable journey, full of joy, happiness, heartache, uncertainties, and mysteries. Life is an interesting ride,  just like disney rides, it has valleys and peaks. Valleys sometimes come when you least expect them, and they may last longer than you wish; but just as you are about to lose hope because of the length of that valley ride, you reach the peak that make you forget you were ever in the valley.

One of my favorite inspiration writer, Helen Keller, said this, “The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.”

Few weeks ago, I found myself walking in my first women Bible study with my friend Helen and I didn’t know what to expect. I was so amazed when I found the room filled with 500 or so women ready to hear what the Lord has for them. That day we did a Priscilla Shirer Bible study that really changed the way I see faith and live it. Priscilla entitled her Bible study A place of Faith and one of our text was 2 Kings 13:14-18

First of all, what is faith? Wholly trusting? Reckless abandon to the One you trust, right? Hebrews 11:1 has the best definition of faith, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”; this means it wouldn’t  be “faith” if you only believed in things that can only be seen.

For faith to be effective and strong in your life, there is one thing that you must keep doing until you breathe your last: keep your gaze upon heaven, in other words, keep your eyes on Jesus. Why? because Hebrews 12:2 testifies that Jesus is the founder and the perfecter of our faith.

Jesus is the foundation of our faith, and He is also the reason of our faith.

In 2 Kings 13:14-18, we see an interaction between Joash king of Israel and Elisha. Elisha was an amazing man of God, he performed the same miracles as Jesus, by his word he multiplied a widower’s household oil into abundance (2 Kings 4: 2-6), he raised a Shunammite’s son from death (2 Kings 4:32-35), and he healed a man with leprosy (2 Kings 5:10-14); so with Elisha’s reputation with God, it makes perfect sense that Joash would go to him after learning that Elisha was about to die (2 Kings 13:14).

“And he, Elisha, said, “Take the arrows”, and he, Joash, took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.” 2 Kings 13:18-19

Interesting conversation between Elisha and the king, isn’t it? Joash the king went to Elisha because he wanted victory over Syria in the future and what he was told was not what he expected. Every prayer you present to God will require something from you. It may be to simply trust, it may be to use what you already have in your hands, or it may be to simply wait. Every time we pray, He answers, “Just believe, I am willing to heal you” (Matthew 8:7-13); other times He whispers “Wait, I will return to you” (Genesis 18:14).

Every time you pray, stay long enough to hear what the Lord is asking of you! 

Back to our story of Joash and Elisha, as we were studying the passage of 2 Kings 13:14-19, Priscilla asked, “why didn’t the king shoot all the arrows he had”?

Why do we halfheartedly search for the Lord?

She continued, “the king shot half of the arrows because he had a plan for himself in case the plan of Elisha of shooting arrows did not work”. We need to understand that half faith produces half the results we were looking for and half the blessing we asked for. If you are a follower of Christ, are you following His will or yours? The answer is never black and white; isn’t it supposed to be?

If we really took a hard look at ourselves we would say that we are really ready and willing to follow God’s plan for our lives, but here is where the problem comes from, which was the mistake of king Joash and this is the mistake I have been making for years without knowing that it’s unbelief. 

We follow God with a plan B, and this my friend is unbelief. This is half devotion.

If I am following God with a plan B in case what He wants me to do doesn’t work out, am I not doubting Him? Doubting that He can pull off whatever He promises to do?

Consider the story of Abraham and Sarah. God promised Abraham to make him into a great nation (Genesis 12:2) and to make his offspring as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5), and even though Abraham believed, Sarah had a plan B in case God didn’t keep His promise. That’s why in Genesis 16: 2-4 we see Sarah telling Abraham to sleep with their servant Hagar instead of faithfully waiting on God to accomplish what He said He will accomplish. God calls for a wholehearted worship. God calls for a wholehearted devotion.

God wants us to have complete faith in Him. And many of us will say: oh yeah, of course, I have complete faith in Him. This may come as a surprise to you but if you have a plan B of what you want to do in case what God wants you to do doesn’t work out, you don’t have complete faith in Him. Shamefully, during that Priscilla Shirer Bible study I realized I didn’t have total faith in God when it comes to my life because you see, I had a plan B for my life in case what I know God wants me to do doesn’t work out. James 1:6 says “… ask in faith with no doubting for the one who doubts is like a wave of sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all His ways”.

Can I be honest about the reason I had a plan B? Probably the same reason Sarah had a plan B. I didn’t believe I would successfully and faithfully walk on the path He is calling me to walk on; Sarah didn’t believe she could get pregnant as well, right? Because after all if she had took God at His word, she would not have told Abraham to sleep with Hagar.

Yes, I still believe I can’t successfully walk on the path He is calling me to walk on but here is where my mindset has changed: His plan is not my own to accomplish, but solely His to make it happen. I just have to have faith in Him, and then His power will become mine, which will ultimately make His plan definitely come to pass through me. 

Faith boils down to this: put all your eggs in One basket, and that One basket is Jesus. Put all your effort, money and energy in His plan for your life. No more plan B in case His plan doesn’t work out. Because having a plan B may keep you from receiving all that God has prepared for those who love Him. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever want to miss out on God’s best for me.

I have no more plan B, for I am trusting God with His plan.

Would you join me?