To get a full understanding of this week’s blog, please read 2 Kings 4:8-37 below:
Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son
Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”
And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’”
She answered, “I dwell among my own people.”
So he said, “What then is to be done for her?”
And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.”
So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.”
And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!”
But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.
And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. And he said to his father, “My head, my head!”
So he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.”
So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.”
And she said, “It is well.” Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” And so she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’”
And she answered, “It is well.” Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”
So she said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?”
Then he said to Gehazi, “Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child.”
And the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.”
When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.
2 Kings 4:8-37
What lessons can we learn from the Shunammite woman?
- What we say matters
The Shunammite woman had every reason to say it is not well, because the miracle son whom God had given her had died all of a sudden. When her husband asked her why she was travelling to go and see the Prophet she could have responded and said ‘don’t you know our son has died?’ Instead she had faith in God and confessed ‘It is well’.
When the Prophet sent his servant to ask her whether all was well with her and her family she could have stopped him and said ‘no it is not well, my son has died’. But she did not do any of that. She did not speak negativity to people who could not help her, instead she confessed ‘It is well’.
There is a temptation in all of us that when things are not going our way we tell everyone who asks that ‘no things are not alright’, ‘it is hard’, ‘it is difficult’, ‘nothing is going right’, ‘this Christian life is hard’ etc. However let us learn this great lesson from the Shunammite woman and confess over our health ‘it is well’, over finances ‘it is well’, over our family ‘it is well’, over our ministry ‘it is well’.
- We should only say what we want to see happen
We also learn from this Shunammite woman that she only said what she wanted to see happen, she never once confessed that her son was dead, because she knew that the same God who gave her the son is able to raise him from the dead.
Likewise the woman with the issue of blood, she kept saying ‘If I can only but touch His garments’ (Matthew 9:21). Again she said what she wanted to see, and of course she got what she confessed; when she touched Jesus’ garment her fountain of blood dried up straight away and she was made whole that self-same hour.
I want to encourage you and encourage myself, that no matter how bad the situation is, let us have faith in God and declare ‘it is well’. Even when your health is looking uncertain, say ‘it is well’. Even when your finances are not in shape declare ‘it is well’. Even when your marriage seems to be on the rocks say ‘it is well’. Even when the spiritual attacks are rising declare ‘it is well’.
- What you say is what you get
The Bible tells us in the book of Job that ‘you shall decree a thing and it shall be established unto you’ (Job 22:28)
You decree a thing with your mouth therefore let us model the Shunammite woman and only say the things that we want to come to pass.
- Only pour out your heart to someone who can actually help you; God
In this story we learn that it is only when she met the man of God that she poured out her heart, because she knew that it was only God that could give her a miracle and bring her son back to life. Likewise we should only pour out our heart to God because He is the only one who can help us. If we want to pour out our heart we should only speak with people who have faith in God who will pray with us and believe that God is able to help us, and not with negative people.
- Ask others ‘what can I do for you?
Elisha asked the woman ‘what can I do for you’? It is very important to ask what we can do for each other because we have been placed on this earth to serve one another.
- It is important to be kind
The kindness of the woman is what opened up the man of God’s heart to ask how he could help her. If you are rich, do not be stingy with your wealth, try your best to help others in any way you can and it will open supernatural doors for you to receive what you did not even expect, which for the Shunammite woman was a son.
- A leader doesn’t know everything
Though Elisha was a man of God he did not know how he could be of service to this kind Shunammite woman. It was Gehazi his servant who could see that the woman did not have a son. As leaders we must therefore learn to work with people we are leading and do not think we know everything.
My encouragement to you this week is ‘It is well, Jesus is coming back’.
Daily Confessions
Because what we say matters, I have some daily confessions that I declare over my life, family, ministry, business and colleagues. If you would like a copy tailor made for you, please write to me, and I will send you a copy.
My email address is info@blessingcoaching.com. You can also get more information through my website: www.blessingcoaching.com
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