‘Shunem, where there was a great woman.’ 2 Kings 4:8 KJV
The Bible refers to this woman as ‘a great woman’. That’s because she had a ‘great’ strategy for her life! She prepared a bedroom in her house for Elisha the prophet to use when he passed through town. As a result she got her heart’s desire: a baby boy. And later when her son died suddenly, God used Elisha to raise him from the dead. Notice three things in this woman’s story:
(1) She made room for God.
(2) Her dream came to pass.
(3) When her dream died, God brought it back to life (2 Kings 4:36–37). When her son died, the neighbours probably told her, ‘It’s over. Go ahead and bury him.’ But she refused to accept the opinions of unbelieving people or discuss her situation with those who were unqualified to help.
Be careful who you open up to in a crisis! Make sure they know God, and that their words line up with His. This woman believed that if God started it, He could finish it. If He made it, He could fix it. The Bible tells us Elisha stretched out his body on top of the dead boy, and he got warm. But this boy needed more than warmth—he needed life. So Elisha stretched out on top of him again, and he became fully alive. There’s a lesson here for you. No matter how bad things look, stay on top of the situation by believing God. Walk the floor and pray all night if you have to, but keep standing on His Word. Your dream may not yet be fully alive, but it’s getting warm. Things are improving… God is moving… the answer’s on the way!
SoulFood: Gen 24:1–25:18, John 12:20–36, Ps 14, Prov 31:22–24
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024
