Have you received a promise from God, but it seems that promise is dead? Or you wonder if the promise was ever really from God anyway? Or do you desire the circumstances surrounding you to change, but it appears there’s no hope?
What are you saying about it?
Let’s examine how a Shunammite woman dealt with a promised received that in all appearances seem to be taken from her.
In Second Kings 4, we read about the Shunammite woman and her husband who lived in Shunem. The prophet Elisha passed through this place on a regular basis. So this couple made a special guest room on the second story of their house for whenever Elisha came to town.
Elisha discussed with his servant what they could do in return for the kindness this couple showed them. Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, informed Elisha that they had no son.
So Elisha called for the woman to come to her and 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!” (2 Kings 4:16 NKJV)
For this woman, this promise from the man of God seemed too good to be true. She longed for a child, but she’d been barren for so long it seemed unrealistic to expect that dream to come to pass.
Oh how some of us have been dreaming dreams and been given desires on our hearts that we long to see fulfilled. If feels as though we’ve been pregnant with them too long and we’re overdue.
“But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her” (2 Kings 4:17).
See the promise came to pass in the appointed time. She had a son and he grew. One day when the son was old enough to be out in the field with his father, he complained about a headache. The father had a servant take the boy to his mother. She held him until noon, when the boy died.
By all accounts, it appeared her promise from God was being yanked right away from her! But she mustered up some inner strength, and quietly “laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out.” (2 Kings 4:21)
She asked her husband to give her a servant to prepare a donkey for her so she may run to see the man of God.
When her husband asked her why, she said, “It is well.”
That’s it. She did not share with her husband that their son was lying in the prophet’s room dead. She kept her mouth shut! Never said a negative word about the situation.
She set out with her servant to see the man of God. And when Elisha saw her approaching from afar, he sent his servant to meet her. When the Elisha’s servant asked her what’s wrong, he got the same response.
She said, “It is well.”
But when she met with Elisha, he saw her soul was in distress. Even though the Shunammite woman was aching on the inside, she never allowed the negative words of distress to cross her lips.
She held onto to every ounce of strength inside her that she was given a promise and she wasn’t giving up on it, even though the promise was lying on a bed—dead.
She spoke words of distress only to the prophet, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?” (2 Kings 4:28)
It is important to note here that when in distress over an unfulfilled promise, a desire, or a promise that seems to have died to only speak to God about it. And then she verbally committed that she would not leave from the man of God.
Therefore, Elisha went with her to her house. He saw the child lying dead on his bed. He shut the door and prayed to the Lord. After a time of prayer, the child sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes.
The Lord resurrected the promise He gave to the woman!
So you see my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we need run to the word of the Lord when our desires are unfulfilled or our promises from God seem to have died.
While seeking the Lord, speak only good things about the arduous situation.
Cling to God’s Word! Through His word, desires are fulfilled and dead promises are resurrected.
