Beautiful But Barren

“This town is located in beautiful natural surroundings, as you can see. But the water is bad, and the land is unproductive.” 2 Kings 2:19.

WE are continuing on the prophetic. And it is time to break everything that has caused barrenness in your life. Barrenness is infertility, unfruitfulness and unproductiveness, while beauty is attractiveness, gorgeousness, well arranged, etc. So, when you see a thing beautiful and yet not productive, then there is definitely a clear case of disagreement.

And this is what some of us are going through in life. Your physical look, education, location, age, connection and even background are not in agreement with your current level and position in life. You know very well that this is not where you are supposed to be, considering the grace and endowments in your life, but you cannot say exactly what has gone wrong. It’s like something is pulling you back and you don’t know what to do to break out of the invisible barriers. You helplessly and angrily watch people with less qualification overtake you.

Maybe, it is a family or medical condition that you cannot fully explain the cause. Some live close to the blessing, but unfortunately languish in penury, pain and sorrow. Yet, some do everything that is expected of them, but have their dreams aborted at the point of breakthrough. You experience unidentifiable forces resisting all your efforts to advance into your destiny. You cannot live the life that God wants from you. If you are going through any of these, I would like to tell you that you have come to the point of your deliverance. Let everything that has held your life in bondage be broken today in the mighty name of Jesus!

This was exactly what the people of Jericho were going through. Their city is well situated. It was close to the richly endowed River Jordan. It had streams running through it, and well secured because of its topography. But the land was barren and the water from the streams was bad, causing death, infertility and miscarriages. Terrible! What was the problem? The city was labouring under a heavy curse. Now, you remember what Joshua did after destroying the place during his time? He said that the curse of the LORD would be upon the city; that anybody that would try to rebuild it would lay the foundation with the cost of his firstborn and set up the gates with the life of his youngest child.

Now, hundreds of years after, during the ungodly reign of Ahab, in disobedience, a man from Bethel called Hiel rebuilt the city. When he laid the foundation his first son, Abiram, died. And when he had finished and set up the gates, his youngest son, Segub, died.  Presumably, his other children had died in between. So, Jericho has been labouring under this terrible curse until this particular encounter with Prophet Elisha.

The prophet was just fresh from receiving the anointing from the ‘Prophet of Fire’ Elijah, when the elders of the city, with tears, ran to him seeking for help, “We have a problem, my lord…,” They told him all they were going through. And prophetically, the man of God ordered them to bring a new bowl with salt. He went to the spring that supplied water to the town and threw the salt saying, “This is what the LORD says: I have made this water wholesome. It will no longer cause death or infertility.” And immediately the water and land were healed from that day. Praise God!

Rev. Agbo is the author of the book Power of Midnight Prayer. Tel: 08037113283. E-mail: gabrielagbo@yahoo.com