II Kings 4:16 (ESV) And he said, “At this season, about this
time next year, you shall embrace a son.”
And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.”
Has God ever given you a promise that you hesitated
receiving because you felt you were being set up for a disappointment? Let’s take a look at a non-descript woman,
referred to only as a “Shunammite woman,” and see what it looks like when God
gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
We don’t know her name, her age, or her body type; yet as we
read about the wealthy Shunammite woman in II Kings, we get a first-hand look
into her heart and into her incredible faith.
She lived at a time when Elisha, the prophet, walked the
earth. Elisha was a mighty man of God
who had been given a double portion of his predecessor, Elijah’s, spirit.
Whenever Elisha passed through Shunen, the town where the
Shunammite woman lived, she and her husband, recognizing him as a holy man of
God, would invite him over for dinner. One
day she asked her husband to make a room on the roof with a bed, table, chair
and lamp so that whenever Elisha passed through town he would have a place to
stay.
Elisha was so touched by her generosity that one day he
asked her what he, in turn, could do for her.
Because she was wealthy, there was little she desired that money
couldn’t buy – except a child.
Elisha said to her, “At this season, about this time next
year, you shall embrace a son.” And she
said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.” (IIKings
4:16) The Message Bible translates her
response as, “Don’t play games with me, teasing me with such fantasies.” In other words, don’t set me up for a
disappointment because you have just touched on the one thing that is so out of
reach that I dare not let myself hope or dream about it.
The Shunammite woman gave birth to a son about a year later,
just as Elisha had spoken. However, one
day as he was out with his dad in the fields, his head began to hurt, so he was
taken to his mother. She held him on her
lap until noon, at which time he died in her arms. Carrying him up to Elisha’s room, she laid
him on the bed.
Then the Shunammite woman did something out of the
ordinary. Something that she was unaware
would land her, nameless nonetheless, in the Holy Bible, in the book of Kings
one day.
She didn’t fall in a heap on the floor and curse God for
giving her the desire of her heart and then taking it away. She didn’t call her close friends to comfort
her. For that matter, she didn’t even
call her husband in from the fields to comfort her.
She determined that the only person she could go to for help
was the holy man of God, who had told her that her dream would be given to her
in the first place. So, she had a
servant saddle up a donkey and said to him, “Urge the animal on; do not slacken
the pace for me unless I tell you.” And with the determination of a woman not
willing to believe or accept what her eyes perceived to be truth, she took off
in search of Elisha.
Elisha saw her coming from a distance and sent his servant
to ask her if everything was all right.
She did not wish to share her news with the servant. She went straight to Elisha. She dropped to her knees and held onto his
feet. When Elisha’s servant tried to push
her away, the man of God stopped him.
Once she shared her news with Elisha, he immediately sent his servant to
her house to lay his staff on the child’s face.
But that wasn’t an acceptable solution for the Shunammite woman.
She said to Elisha, “As the
Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” (IIKings 4:30) So Elisha arose and followed her to the
house. The servant was not able to bring
the boy back to life, so Elisha arrived and prayed to the Lord.
In the end, the Shunammite’s son’s life was restored to
him. Elisha said to her, “Pick up your
son.” She came and fell at his feet,
bowing to the ground. Then she picked up
her son and went out.” (IIKings 4:36&37)
There are times when we receive a promise from God, yet in
the process of the promise being fulfilled, we are faced instead with a dream that
appears to be dead. At those times, we
must decide how we will respond to our situation. We have options. Will we curl in the fetal position and give
up? Will we call our friends to comfort
us? Or, will we run as fast as we can to
the feet of Jesus, trusting Him regardless the outcome of our situation, refusing
to let go?
In the middle of a dream, that by all appearances has died, He
is waiting for us.
Stay the Course...
Sheila Cote'
Today’s Prayer: “Father,
today I am running to You, the only source of true life. I will not slacken my pace, for only You know
the deep desires and the deep sorrows of my heart. I cannot run to another for answers. Truth is given to me when I bow to the ground
in Your presence and hold onto Your feet with all of my strength. I will not turn back in my pursuit of
You. I will persevere in spite of what
my eyes see; even when my situation appears to be impossible. You give life to the dead and call things
that are not as though they were. I know
that You work in all things for my good.
Even in the pain of disappointments and in the darkest of canyons, I
will hold onto You. Please hold me
tightly, Father, so my grip does not loosen, and I won’t fall away from
You. Thank You for the promises You have
spoken to my heart. I love You. In Jesus name I pray, amen.”
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