What can we learn about faith from the Shunammite woman's response in this verse? The Setting: A Mother’s Crisis - Elisha often stayed with a hospitable couple in Shunem. God rewarded their kindness with a son (2 Kings 4:8-17). - Years later the child collapses in the field, dies on his mother’s lap, and she lays him on Elisha’s bed before riding to Mount Carmel for help (4:18-25). - Gehazi is sent to meet her: “Please run now to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well? Is your husband well? Is your child well?’ And she answered, ‘Everything is well.’” (2 Kings 4:26) Her Unshaken Confession - She has just experienced the worst blow a parent can imagine, yet chooses the words, “Everything is well.” - She refuses to give the tragedy final say. Her focus is on the Lord who gave the child in the first place (4:16). - She guards her speech, speaking faith rather than fear (compare Proverbs 18:21). Lessons on Faith from Her Words • Faith looks past visible circumstances – Hebrews 11:1: “the assurance of what we hope for… the certainty of what we do not see.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” • Faith speaks life – Her confession lines up with God’s ability, not with the grave reality before her. – Proverbs 18:21 underscores the power of the tongue to align with either life or death. • Faith protects hope from doubt’s intrusion – She shares details only with Elisha (4:27-28), refusing to rehearse the loss to others. – Romans 4:20-21 shows Abraham doing the same: “fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had promised.” • Faith moves—doing what it can while trusting God for what it can’t – She saddles the donkey, instructs the servant “Do not slow down for me unless I tell you” (4:24). – James 2:17 reminds that genuine faith is accompanied by action. Echoes of This Faith Elsewhere in Scripture - Jairus’s household: Jesus tells him, “Do not fear; only believe” before raising his daughter (Mark 5:36-42). - The woman with the issue of blood kept declaring, “If only I touch His cloak, I will be healed” (Mark 5:28). - David, after losing everything at Ziklag, “strengthened himself in the LORD” before recovery followed (1 Samuel 30:6-19). Walking It Out Today - Guard the confession of your mouth, especially when emotions scream the opposite. - Run first to the Lord and His Word rather than broadcasting defeat. - Keep moving in obedience—pray, serve, give, worship—while trusting God to handle the impossible piece. - Let every crisis drive you closer to the Source, convinced with the Shunammite woman that, in the Lord’s hands, “Everything is well.” |
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