Mini Sermon 3: Storms in the Garden

The Shock We See

Welcome back to the Garden. I’m Minister Adrianne Watson your Bible study teacher. This is the first of four mini session for this series Tackle the Surprises that Show up.

I’m so glad you’re here for this week’s lesson as we continue exploring how gardening teaches us about spiritual growth. If you missed the full livestream session, I suggest that you go back and watch it anytime on the website as it will give you the big picture behind these shorter teachings.”

Just so you know, I’ll be teaching from the Christian Standard Bible but feel free to use your translation of choice to follow along.

“Lord, thank You for this time. Help us to face the surprises and storms in the garden.

In Jesus name, Amen.”

I don’t know if you’ve ever walked outside expecting a normal day, only to be met with a surprise that knocked the wind out of you. I remember one time stepping out to check on my garden after a hail storm. The night before, everything looked perfect. The tomatoes were growing strong, the herbs were thriving, my flowers were blooming.

But that next morning, the hail storm had rolled in while we were sleeping. When I went outside, all I could see was bent branches bent, the soil washed out of the beds and onto the ground, torn leaves, my cucumber trellis battered, and one plant that was uprooted altogether.

It shocked me. Because I went to bed thinking that everything was fine, and I woke up to damage that I didn’t expect.

And if we’re honest, that’s exactly how life feels sometimes. Storms roll in without warning. Surprises show up before we’re ready for them. Trouble surrounds us in ways we didn’t see coming.

In 2023 my husband went to working thinking everything was fine only to be laid off by lunchtime. And to make matters worse, it took him 16 months before he was able to find employment again.

One year later, my employer called us into a meeting where they disclosed that they decided to eliminate our entire team’s positions. That meant, my husband and I would be unemployed at the same time.

That’s where we find the Prophet Elisha’s servant in 2 Kings 6. He wakes up thinking it’s just another morning, quiet, yet predictable. Instead, he steps outside and sees an entire army surrounding the city.

A storm hit overnight. A surprise showed up. And he had no warning.

Today we’re going to talk about how to tackle the surprises that show up by looking at The Shock We See.

2 Kings 6:8–17 “When the king of Aram was waging war against Israel, he conferred with his servants, “My camp will be at such and such a place.” But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.” Consequently, the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had told him about. The man of God repeatedly warned the king, so the king would be on his guard. The king of Aram was enraged because of this matter, and he called his servants and demanded of them, “Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel?” One of his servants said, “No one, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your bedroom.” So the king said, “Go and see where he is, so I can send men to capture him.” When he was told, “Elisha is in Dothan,” he sent horses, chariots, and a massive army there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

To understand the shock that the Prophet Elisha’s servant felt, we need to understand the world that he lived in first.

Aram, which is modern day Syria, specialized in nighttime raids and sporadic ambushes. Verses 8-12 tells us that the King of Aram kept planning surprise attacks against Israel. But the Prophet Elisha kept revealing their plans. This was ancient spiritual intelligence because God was revealing the enemy’s strategy.

Therefore, the King of Aram decides that he’s going to take Elisha out so that he could attack Israel. He sends a special forces unit, or in todays terms, mercenaries, with horses, chariots, and soldiers to surrond the city of Dothan at night.

This wasn’t your garden variety scare tactic. This was a planned assassination attempt.

Now the city of Dothan sat in a valley between hills. If an army surrounded it, there was no way of escape. The servant stepped outside and saw no escape routes, no plan, and was extremely afraid.

This is why he cries out in verse 15, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”

The servant was blindsided, a storm had hit his life literally overnight, just like storms hit our lives.

When surprises show up, they can trigger things like fear, confusion, and even panic. Bu the shock is not the end of the story. It was just the beginning of what God wanted to reveal.

1: SURPRISES REVEAL OUR LIMITATIONS

2 Kings 6:15 “When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?””

The servant wakes up and sees the army and immediately he goes ito panic.

Why? Because the situation was bigger than him.

Surprises often remind us that we are not in control, our strength has limits, and our understanding has gaps.

Just like a gardener who thinks the garden is thriving, until a storm exposes the weak roots or the fragile stems, we discover limitations we didn’t know where there.

But the good news is that our limitations don’t disqualify us from God’s help. Our limitations prepare us for His help.

2: SURPRISES EXPOSE OUR FEARS

2 Kings 6:15 “When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?””

The servant’s first words were “what do we do?”

Fear always fills the space where faith has not grown yet. Before God can teach us, He often has to reveal our anxious assumptions, our quick reactions, our hidden insecurities, our instinct to panic first and pray later.

Fear is the natural response to the shock we see. But fear, thankfully, doesn’t get the final say.

It’s like seeing your garden the morning after a storm, and your first instinct may be to say, “everything is ruined.” But often, the garden is stronger than it looks.

And that leads to the most important truth about surprises.

3. SURPRISES INVITE GOD’S PERSPECTIVE

2 Kings 6:16 “Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.””

Elisha responds with a calmness that seems almost inappropriate.

How can he say “Don’t be afraid.” Elisha wasn’t looking at the shock, he was looking at God.

Surprises can either shrink your faith or stretch your faith. Elisha saw what God was doing, even when his servant did not.

In the garden, storms reveal a few things that we miss. They also reveal what’s still standing, what’s still rooted, and what was strong enough to survive.

Surprises don’t just expose the bad. they invite us to look again, to see differently, and to seek God’s perspective.

In conclusion.

The servant woke up to a storm in his gardes, that resulted in fear, danger, and uncertainty surrounding him. But what surprised him did not surprise God.

And the same is true for you and me.

You may have woken up to a rare diagnosis, a financial burden, a strained marriage or relationship, a job crisis, a disappointment, or a storm that hit you while you were sleeping.

But God is still present. God is still working. God is still surrounding you.

The shock that you see IS real, but thankfully, it’s not the whole story.

Let us pray,

Father, thank You that surprises in our lives never surprise You. When storms hit us unexpectedly, when fear rises, when we feel surrounded, please remind us that You are with us. Help us see beyond the shock, beyond the fear, and beyond our limitations. Give us courage to trust You and eyes to recognize Your presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I always like to end each lesson with a practical gardening tip that relates to our study.

PRACTICAL GARDENING TIP

Water your garden deeply after a storm. Even though the soil looks soaked on the surface, storms often cause runoff and erosion, leaving roots thirsty.

After a life-storm, take time to refill spiritually through prayer, reading the Scripture, rest, and community. The surface of your life may look fine, but your roots may need replenishing.