Pastor Ellen Bilsborough
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due. When it is in the power of your hand to do so. Proverbs 3:27
This verse perfectly describes my absolute favorite woman in the bible who prepared a room for Elisha. She is known as the Shunammite woman. The story starts with Elisha going to Shunem where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. Every time he passed by he would turn into her home to eat some food. She said to her husband, “this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Let us make a small upper room and let us put a bed, a table, a chair and a lampstand. So that every time he comes he can rest.” I love this so much. God used a notable woman. She had money and she was persuasive. This woman had influence and wealth and used it for the Glory of God. God wants to trust us with abundance and when we receive all that He has for us, are we going to use it for HIs glory or hoard it for ourselves?
Because of her generosity and faithfulness, God blessed her through Elisha that she would be given the desire of her heart and have a son within a year. You can read the entire story in 2 Kings 4. This little boy is one day with his father and the reapers and he gets sick and grabs his head in pain. He sat on the Shunammite woman's knees until noon and then died. What do you do when you’ve done everything God asked you to do and you have been faithful in everything and then find that the greatest desire of your heart has just died right in front of you? At one time or another we will face dark days, unexpected trials and unexpected trouble.
I love this part of the story for she doesn’t send out her servant to Elisha instead she lays her son on Elisha’s bed. This is key. Then she said to her husband, I’m riding out to meet the Man of God. She doesn’t tell her husband their son is dead. He asks her why are you riding out to meet the Man of God today for it’s not the Sabbath? It's like saying why are you going to church today, it's not Sunday? She says “It is Well '' Then she saddles the donkey herself ordering her servant to take the lead and go as fast as you can. My kind of woman. When we really want something we will move heaven and earth to get it. When she meets Elisha’s servant, he asks her, are you well, is your husband well, is your child well? Instead of negativity coming out of her mouth, a sob story of woe is me, she does the exact opposite and declares “It Is Well”. When she met Elisha she then fell at his feet and held tightly to him. He arrives at the house and the little boy is made whole and given to the mother.
How would we react if we were faced with such a situation? None of us know what each day will bring. I hope you can agree with me today, that whatever may come our way we can say like the Shunammite woman. It is Well.
This verse perfectly describes my absolute favorite woman in the bible who prepared a room for Elisha. She is known as the Shunammite woman. The story starts with Elisha going to Shunem where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. Every time he passed by he would turn into her home to eat some food. She said to her husband, “this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Let us make a small upper room and let us put a bed, a table, a chair and a lampstand. So that every time he comes he can rest.” I love this so much. God used a notable woman. She had money and she was persuasive. This woman had influence and wealth and used it for the Glory of God. God wants to trust us with abundance and when we receive all that He has for us, are we going to use it for HIs glory or hoard it for ourselves?
Because of her generosity and faithfulness, God blessed her through Elisha that she would be given the desire of her heart and have a son within a year. You can read the entire story in 2 Kings 4. This little boy is one day with his father and the reapers and he gets sick and grabs his head in pain. He sat on the Shunammite woman's knees until noon and then died. What do you do when you’ve done everything God asked you to do and you have been faithful in everything and then find that the greatest desire of your heart has just died right in front of you? At one time or another we will face dark days, unexpected trials and unexpected trouble.
I love this part of the story for she doesn’t send out her servant to Elisha instead she lays her son on Elisha’s bed. This is key. Then she said to her husband, I’m riding out to meet the Man of God. She doesn’t tell her husband their son is dead. He asks her why are you riding out to meet the Man of God today for it’s not the Sabbath? It's like saying why are you going to church today, it's not Sunday? She says “It is Well '' Then she saddles the donkey herself ordering her servant to take the lead and go as fast as you can. My kind of woman. When we really want something we will move heaven and earth to get it. When she meets Elisha’s servant, he asks her, are you well, is your husband well, is your child well? Instead of negativity coming out of her mouth, a sob story of woe is me, she does the exact opposite and declares “It Is Well”. When she met Elisha she then fell at his feet and held tightly to him. He arrives at the house and the little boy is made whole and given to the mother.
How would we react if we were faced with such a situation? None of us know what each day will bring. I hope you can agree with me today, that whatever may come our way we can say like the Shunammite woman. It is Well.
Posted in Easter Devotional