Elisha and the Resurrection Miracle

Let's pray together. Father. We thank you Lord for tonight and a chance to be in your word We thank you Lord for the opportunity you give us to study the Bible Lord you have given us the narrative of Elisha and Shown us Lord exactly how it is. You want us to respond to the miracles that this man was Able to do during his earthly ministry When our prayer Lord tonight is that you would continue to open our eyes that we might behold the beauty of your nature and character That we would follow your will we pray in Jesus name Amen, as I said during our prayer time God's providence is extremely perplexing Not just on a national level like we've experienced in the last 24 hours But especially on a personal level For every one of us Has times in our lives where we really begin to scratch our head as to what it is God seems to be doing and Our ways are never God's ways our thoughts are never God's thoughts as far as the heavens are from the earth are his ways and thoughts from ours The Bible tells us that William Cooper was a a unique individual Melancholy by nature.

He was a man who was easily depressed he was an 18th century poem and hymn writer and he assisted John Newton and He was a man who during his span of ministry wrote some 68 different hymns One of them was entitled God moves in mysterious Ways and it truly expresses the mindset of believers that the believers should have toward life and it's perplexing difficulties Listen to what he says He says God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform He plants his footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm deep in unfathomable minds of Never failing skill.

He treasures up his bright designs and works his sovereign will ye fearful Saints fresh courage take the clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and Shall break and blessings on your head Judge, not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace Behind a frowning Providence. He hides a smiling face His purposes will ripen fast Unfolding every hour the bud may have a bitter taste but sweet will be the flower blind unbelief is sure to err and Scan his work in vain God is his own interpreter and he Will make it plain He understood that God's Providence is beyond our understanding our comprehension The story before us in 2nd Kings chapter 4 is a story about God's perplexing Providence How God in a very unique way would take this barren woman who is married to an older man Who by nature was content with where she was in life?

Has accepted all that God has done in her life But she shows kindness and generosity to Elisha And Elisha wants to repay her. He wants to do some kind of act of kindness toward her But she's good She doesn't need anything. She doesn't want anything. She's Accepted life as is she's content with where she is And Elisha realizes that she's barren and says a year from now you will have a son and She he wipes away the stigma of her barrenness he's able to continue the legacy of her husband and his family and give them a child and God is doing a great work We're gonna pick up the narrative and it's somewhere between four and five years later and I'll explain to you how we know that and God is going to do something that is Incredibly perplexing He is going to take that child's life That child's gonna die and Yet the way this woman responds is a lesson for every single one of us to understand Because her character her spirituality her life is an example for every one of us When we scratch our heads as to why it is God does what he does amidst tragedy amidst loss amidst difficulty amidst pain her response Needs to be our response Because God in the tragedy Wanted to do something Greater than she could ever imagine Let me read to you the narrative it begins in verse 18 2nd Kings chapter 4 When the child was grown the day came that he went out to his father to the Reapers He said to his father my head my head He said to a servant carry him to his mother When he had taken him and brought him to his mother.

He sat her he sat on her lap until noon and then died she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and Shut the door behind him and went out Then she called to her husband and said Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys that I may run to the man of God and return He said why will you go to him today? It is neither a new moon nor Sabbath and she said it will be well Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant drive and go forward Do not slow down the pace for me unless I tell you So she went and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel When the man of God saw her at a distance He said to Gahazi his servant behold there is the Shunammite Please run now to meet her and say to her.

Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered It is well When she came to the man of God to the hill she caught hold of his feet and Gahazi Came near to push her away The man of God said let her alone For her soul is trouble within her and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me Then she said did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say do not deceive me? Then he said to Gahazi Gird up your loins Take my staff in your hand and go your way If you meet any man do not salute him and if anyone salutes you do not answer him and lay my staff on the lad's face the mother of the lad said as the Lord lives and as you yourself live I Will not leave you He arose and followed her Then Gahazi passed on before them and latest the staff on the lad's face, but there was no sound or response So he returned to meet him and told him the lad has not awakened When Elisha came into the house behold, the lad was dead and laid on his bed So he entered and shut the door behind him or behind them both and prayed to the Lord And he went up and lay on the child and put his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes And his hands on his hands And he stretched himself on him the flesh of the child became warm Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth And went up and stretched himself on him on him and the lad sneezed seven times and the lad opened his eyes He called Gahazi and said Call this Shunammite So he called her When she came into him, he said take up your son Then she went in and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground and she took up her son and went out Now in this story, there are so many facets We could spend weeks here.

We won't do that, but we could so we're gonna look at the moment of this trial then we're gonna look at the mother in the trial because she's the key figure and Then we're going to look at the miracle itself surrounding the trial Okay, and to understand the moment is significant Because it was a very significant moment.

It was a very severe Moment, it was a very surprising Moment But nonetheless, it was a key moment in the life of this family It was a time in which it was harvest time So there was great joy. The Bible tells us that the boy had grown up So we know he's older the question comes. How old is he? Well, he's old enough to go out into the fields at harvest time But he's still small enough to be carried back to his house and To be held in his mother's arms and For her to carry him up to Elisha's place and lay him on the bed so we can Gather from that that he's somewhere between the ages of three four or five years of age Old enough to walk into the fields old enough to be a part of the harvest but yet small enough to be carried And so it's at that moment during the harvest time a time of of great celebration according to Isaiah 9 3 that the time of harvest was a time of glee a time of joyous celebration because they were Preparing all that God had given to them and rejoiced over the fact that God had supplied Their needs it was a time of harvest So when they awoke that day and this boy went out to the field with his father and His mother waved goodbye They had no idea what was going to happen They could not begin to fathom the events of the day So there they are Sometime in the morning because she would hold the child until noon So it had to be sometime before noon where the son says to the father my head my head Something happened to the boy.

His head was aching. He was in pain. We have no idea what it was The father had no idea that the son was going to die So he said to his servant pick up the boy and Take him to the house. Take him to his mother He had no idea if he thought the boy was gonna die. He had went to his son He had no idea that that was gonna happen next. He just thought maybe he had a severe headache How did he how does he know what's going on with the son? He has no idea So at that at that moment that at that surprising moment at that severe moment because it was a severe trial he says Take the boy to his mother and so he does and that's why We noticed that the moment was a sudden moment because it happened In a moment in an instant Everything was fine And all of a sudden his head began to hurt You know trials come at times.

We least expect them If you know they're going to come you can sort of prepare for them but if you have no idea when they're going to arrive, especially things like sickness and death When you say goodbye to your family in the morning, you have no idea you assume they're gonna be back for dinner You send your children off to school You assume that they're gonna be back for dinner that someone's not going to bring a gun and someone's not going to shoot them Why they're at school? You assume that You assume that when you say goodbye to your husband that he's gonna drive off to work He'll drive back later that day not be killed in a car accident And so that's why the moment is so significant because they would say goodbye Go out into the field and all of a sudden there was a problem So they bring the boy back to his mother and She holds the boy Until noon And he dies She has no idea how why but he dies And it wasn't like it wasn't like this woman is getting Payback from God because she complained about having a kid.

I Mean she could have said, you know, I didn't want a kid Elisha. Why'd you give me a baby? I don't want a baby a barren and and my husband's up an age and he's gonna be like a grandfather to the kid Anyway, why give me a boy? I don't need one or she's complaining, you know, he's always crying He keeps me up at night You know She's always complaining about the fact that maybe he does this or maybe he's rebellious and she's always complaining about the gift God gives They've ever noticed that parents tend to complain about the gifts.

God gives them Your children are given the Lord but parents complain all the time about the gifts. Oh my baby is keeping me up all night Well, of course it is it's a baby it cries that's what they do Would you expect to happen, you know, or or or my kid does this or my kid? What do you expect? They're children, but they're still gifts from the Lord, right? And and and and blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. So so God gives gifts It's not like he's complaining about the gift. She received.

She's not upset about the gift that she received She's not mad because the kid is this way or that way she's Doing what she does as a mother And all of a sudden he dies how perplexing is that? Why would God give me a gift and take the gift away Why would God allow me to enjoy it for a brief moment for five maybe years maybe six years Not very long and then take the gift away snatch it right out from under me. Why would God do that? We ask those questions all the time, don't we? Sure, we do Why would God allow me to be married and then a year later my husband or wife died?

Why would God give me a child and then and then take the child Why would God give me the job and take the job? Why would God do what he does? So his providence becomes so perplexing to us that we don't understand but this woman somehow about this woman is is unique in this whole situation Because once you move from the moment, you got to go to the mother because she's essential figure now Remember, we don't know her name. She's the Shunammite. That's what Elisha calls her The Shunammite that's like saying the West Covenian.

Okay Okay, or or the Fontanian or the or the Californian? Okay, tell the Californian to come in here That's what Elijah calls her the Shunammite But she's a prominent figure in Elisha's ministry because she's gonna come on the scene again later on in the story of Elisha And yet we don't even know her name But she becomes a unique model For all of us last week. She was the model of hospitality This week. She's a model of spirituality And we'll see how that happens in her life because there are four things You need to see about this woman one is her stability Two is her spirituality Three is her steadfastness and four is her submission those four pillars Hold you together amidst life's most perplexing elements when it comes to the providence of God And it begins it begins with her stability You will note that when the child dies she takes him up to Elisha's room puts them on Elisha's bed and shuts the door She's not weeping profusely She's not screaming or a hollering My son is gone.

My son is gone She's she's very stable. She's she's very poised. She's she's very calm She's in control of her emotions. She's not out of control with her emotions She is very very stable She's not emotional She is very Very strong And so she doesn't go all haywire she doesn't wring your hands and think what what's going on what's what's gonna happen next She doesn't even prepare. Listen.

She doesn't even prepare for a funeral She doesn't even prepare for a funeral and The question comes why is that? He's dead What are you gonna do? But you see she's very poised she doesn't act Ignorantly she doesn't act emotionally She doesn't panic She doesn't act senselessly. In fact, she even saddles her own donkey Okay So this woman is is very very stable. She has a measured Response. In fact, she says twice it is well Really it's well, how can it be? Well, you just lost your child It's the word Shalom peace She says to her husband it will be well She says to Ghaizi How's your husband?

How are you? How's your child? It is well Really? What would you say? How would you respond? You'd probably be going crazy My life was falling apart. My kid is gone. The kid that Elisha gave me that through the power of the Lord is gone She's not like that very stable Very strong why because not only her stability but her spirituality is seen How is her spirituality seen remember Great peace have those who love thy law and nothing causes them to stumble Remember that Psalm 119 165 But listen carefully Psalm 112 for a moment Psalm 112 listen to what it says Praise the Lord how blessed is the man who fears the Lord who greatly delights in his commandments His descendants will be mighty on earth The generation of the upright will be blessed wealth and riches are in his house and his righteousness endures forever This is about the man of God who fears the Lord so you you can use this for the woman of God who fears the Lord Because listen to what it says it says Light arises in the darkness for the upright He is gracious and compassionate and righteous verse 5 Psalm 112.

Here it is. It is well with the man Who is gracious and? lens He will maintain his cause in judgment for he will never be shaken So the man fears the Lord and keeps the commandments of God is the man who is gracious the lens What did she do in our last narrative? She was very gracious and she would open her home to Elisha So that whenever he came by He could eat and She built a place above or her husband did built a place a motherhouse. So Elisha would have a place to stay She was very gracious. She was very kind Because in the depths of her soul, she feared the Lord.

These are the kind of people that will never be shaken So when the trial comes, she's not crumbling. She's not falling apart. She's not saying woe is me She's not wringing her hands. She's not crying profusely. I'm not saying you shouldn't cry when someone dies I'm not saying that because there is a proper emotion. We should cry over the loss of loved people Abraham cried over Sarah Christ cried at the at the grave of Lazarus So I'm not saying you shouldn't cry, but I want you to notice her stability Amidst the perplexing providence of God in her life and it happens because of her spirituality She was a woman who was unshakable She was a woman whose foundation was strong but because she wants to go where?

She wants to go to Elisha. Why because Elisha is the man of God Elisha is the man of Whom it was said the Spirit of the Lord is upon him Elisha is the man who was said by King Jehoshaphat the Word of the Lord is with this guy She knows that so, where is she going to go? She's going to the guy Who can give her the Word of the Lord because her strength is in the Word of the Lord She's not going some other place To find relief to find support to find hope to find help. She's going to the man Who communicates with God?

She's going to the man who can give her the Word of God Because she knows that the Word of God will sustain her this is a person who is spiritual This is a person who loves the Lord. This is a person who walks with God and That's why her spirituality Stands front and center in the whole story. The reason she was stable was because she was spiritual She was strong in the Lord on top of that You need to note Her Steadfastness This woman was steadfast listen amidst all kinds of obstacles Okay Steadfast amidst all kinds of obstacles obstacle number one the death of her son.

That was a pretty big obstacle, right? But she was steadfast in the whole process She was holding him he dies she takes him up she lays him on the bed she shuts the door She has to overcome the obstacle of the death of her son. So here comes the question Why does she lay him on Elisha's bed? Why doesn't she prepare for a funeral? Let me read to you a New Testament verse that says this says And what more shall I say for time will fail me if I tell of Gideon Barak Samson Samson Jephthah of David and Samuel the prophets who by faith conquered kingdoms performed acts of righteousness obtained promises shut the mouths of lions Quench the power of fire escape the edge of the sword from weakness were made strong became mighty in war Put foreign or armies to flight verse 35 women receive back their dead by Resurrection Hebrews 1135 There were only two women who received Their sons back through a resurrection in the Old Testament So who is the writer of Hebrews speaking of?

The widow at Zarephath whose son died and Elijah raised her from the dead and The woman from Shunam Who would Elisha raised from the dead? So don't think that the Shunammite Didn't know about the widow of Zarephath Don't think for one moment that she knows that Elisha now after five years. She knows probably his name Okay, she probably knows about the miracles of Elisha because she's experienced one and don't think for one moment that she doesn't know That he has a double portion of Elijah's blessing and Elijah was involved in raising the widow son of Zarephath from the dead That kind of news travels fast even in an age where technology was not in existence That kind of news the resurrection of somebody does travel pretty well So others will hear about that No doubt.

She knew about the resurrection of the widow son of Zarephath and what Elijah did so she's thinking Hey, you know what God gave me a son God can raise it from the dead. This is her faith at work This is a woman who's spiritual. She believes in the God who has resurrection power So does she has to prepare for a funeral? She puts him in Elisha's bed. That's what she does And so she overcomes the obstacle number one of the death of her son and then she has to overcome the obstacle of the distance of Elisha He's on Mount Carmel Shunem is somewhere between 15 and 20 miles from Mount Carmel Mount Carmel is a ridge So depending on where Elisha was on Mount Carmel, he could be anywhere between 15 and 20 miles away How long do you think it would take a woman on the backside of a donkey to get 15 to 20 miles in a day?

Somewhere between four and five hours. It wasn't like she was a marathon runner and she could run 26 miles in two hours and ten minutes She was a woman on the backside of a donkey How fast do you think donkeys move? Especially when the servant is behind the donkey Prodding the donkey to move because a servant now has to run as fast as a donkey runs It's gonna take her somewhere between four or five hours So if the son dies at noon and she takes him up and puts him on Elisha's bed and she goes to her husband And he and she asks for a servant and for a donkey Now she's got a move.

So let's say by one o'clock in the afternoon She's on her way and somewhere between four and five o'clock in the afternoon. She arrives at Mount Carmel Now she has to go back. What time do you think she gets back at night? There were no She couldn't get in her car and drive 20 miles down the road in 20 minutes She couldn't do that. It wasn't smooth sailing. It was up and down rugged terrain on the backside of a donkey So there's an obstacle she has to overcome the death of her son in the distance of Elisha from where she wasn't shouldn't This is why we remark about her steadfastness She could not be deterred Most of us has he's just too far man.

I'm not going that far. That's just too far to go Especially the backside of a donkey. I'm not doing that But not this woman Remember she was a spiritual woman on top of that. She had to overcome the difficulties the the difficulties or the duties Excuse me the duties of the servants because it was harvest time. All the servants are in the field What are they doing? They're doing the harvesting they are working time is short this is joyous time and so now she has to overcome the duties of the servant by going to her husband and Asking for a servant and then asking for a donkey by the way, that's being used in the harvesting process So now she's going to detract from that and you will note that she never tells her husband.

The boy is dead You notice that in the story he has no idea so knowing that she had to overcome the duties of the servant The distance of Elisha The death of her son.

She has to overcome listen the disinterest of her husband Listen to what he says when she goes to him she says She called her husband said in verse 22 Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys that I may run to the man of God and return She never sells him. Our son is dead He has no idea the son's dead So he says this Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath I'm not sure her husband Knew the Lord now, maybe he did But he's saying to her. Why are you going to the man of God today?

It's not a Sabbath day Why are you going to the man of God today? It's not a it's not a feast day It's like your husband saying to you. Why are you going to church today? It's only it's Wednesday. It's not Sunday Why are you going on Wednesday? Why are you going to Bible study today? But see she never tells him that sons the son's dead She says I need to go to see the man of God He goes why What do you? What are your religious nut? I? Mean, come on. It's not Sabbath day It's not it's not a feast day.

I mean, how often you guys see the man of God And she says It is well peace Shalom It will be well Very important to the whole story. We'll tell you that in a moment but she's to overcome all these difficulties and Then she has to get to where Mount Carmel is and and then once she gets there listen She gets there and Elisha sees her. Hey There's the Sunamite Okay, easy. Go see what she wants. Go ask her about her husband. Go ask her about the child So go see how she's doing. So he's he goes and says, how's your husband?

How you doing? How's the kid? she said it as well and So he takes her Presumably to Elisha and the first thing she does is she falls at the feet of Elisha Okay, she falls right at his feet.

And what does Casey do? He gets get away from a lot get away. She has to overcome that difficulty as well She has to overcome the the man who wants to keep her away from the man of God If she falls down before him because it accentuates it accentuates her supplication it accentuates her need and accentuates his authority over her need and Gahee's he wants to take her away and lashes don't do that relax Something's wrong And the Lord hasn't told me what's wrong So even Elisha's a little perplexed at God's providence because he has no idea about what's happening.

Elisha's used to being in the know He's a guy. He knows what's going on. He's a guy who forecasts the future. He's a guy who can he's a prophet He's not in the know at this point So he's like, I don't know what's going on yet. So relax Casey. We got to figure out what she needs here. What's troubling the woman? And of course she tells him she very simply says that I that I asked for a son from the Lord Did I ask for a son? Did I say please Lord was a praying for a son was a begging for a son was a pleading for a son answer?

No, no But I received a son And did I not tell you do not deceive me? Don't deceive me In other words she explains to Elisha in no uncertain terms son's gone So Elisha is gonna send a servant He's gonna send a servant and In in so doing what he wants to do is send the sermon Maybe the servants younger than he is. Maybe you can get there quicker than he does I I'm not quite sure exactly what the deal is But but he wants to send the servant and she says to him she says to him She says in verse 30 as the Lord lives in you yourself live I'm not leaving without you I'm not going without you Elisha.

I came for you I'm not leaving without you Elijah the man of God now remember in Elijah's mind. He's thinking when he was with Elijah And Elijah said to Elisha Hey, why don't you stay at Bethel? Elisha said I'm not going Anywhere without you because wherever you go, I'm going Elijah said that to him three times in the last day of his life Now Elijah Elisha now is thinking this woman says to him. I'm not going anywhere without you. She's just like he was So he sends Gehazi on ahead and they follow they come Now remember it's it's a four to five hour journey, it's not a quick jaunt you just don't run 20 miles real quick in sandals and skirts Tunics, whatever they got going on.

I you just don't do it that way So it takes a while to get there. So now that time they get there It's nighttime and by the time they get there now, everybody knows the kid is dead now they know Before that no one knew except the mother but now They all know and So you see her stability. You see your spirituality. You see your steadfastness. You also see your submission you see your submission and How is that? Manifested in two areas in the two men that have authority over life. First of all her husband.

I Don't believe her husband knows the Lord Doesn't say anything last week, okay, she goes and pleads with him Only thing he says this week is you know, it's not Sabbath day. It's not a new moon. What are you doing? Okay, so it's like he's just interested in the things of God the man of God his wife's Condition don't even ask what why are you gonna go see him now? Well, why today don't even ask that And a lot of women are married to guys like that. They just don't care. They don't ask any questions.

They don't do anything They're just nonchalant about life. Yeah, sure. Take the take the donkey. Go ahead. Take the car. Go ahead See when you get back, don't forget to pick up dinner on the way back but then it's disinterested and Yet she's submissive to leadership She doesn't take off and go She goes to him and says Please I pray thee Because she understands authority She can't expect God to bless her if She is disobedient to God and the way he's designed the marriage institution to work She understands that So she's very submissive.

She has to go she asked permission she just doesn't go and saddle a donkey and get on it and take off without telling her husband where she's going and On top of that on top of that. She's also Submissive to Elisha because when Elisha gets there He goes up shuts the door and goes into the room by himself and she doesn't say hey, wait a minute Elisha I'm going in with you. You're not going there by yourself Most women whose son has just died would say hey, you're not going there without me. I'm going in there, too Or she'd be hollering and screaming and and and yelling and and you know, sometimes when when when you're not very patient Gotta lose it, right?

She never loses it She's very submissive to Elisha's authority he goes up and shuts the door and she's got to wait That's patience. That's that's submission. That's trust. That's learning to to be quiet and To patiently wait for God's will to be revealed and she doesn't know what's going to happen Doesn't even say she prays Maybe she did but Elisha does And that takes us to the miracle Elisha prays He goes in and he prays Owe the child now remember Elisha Did something very similar With the widow's son the woman from Zarephath He laid on that son and So he goes in and he lays on the boy now the boys somewhere between four or five years old probably Elisha's Bigger than the boy is so he has to match things up just right and lays on him and begins to pray fervently And he gets up and he walks around Goes back in pray some more because persistence commitment Believing in the power of God and what he says we have no idea But we do know the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man does avail much He prayed he prayed and he prayed Asking God to do what only God himself Can do And as he prayed the boy was restored and Elisha says this He called Gehazi and said call the Shunammite.

I just love how that is. Call the Shunammite, you know He didn't call the Shunammite first. He calls a servant Says call the Shunammite So he called her Well, she came into him. He said Take up your son, but notice what she does What would you do you go right to your son right not not this woman she went the text says and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground in humble submission and praise and adoration for the work of God through the man's life and Then she picked up her son The order is very significant because she wanted to recognize the power of God Through the man of God first Because without that her son would still be dead and then she picks up her son The perspective on this is so so unique See God was doing something God was increasing this woman's faith God was stretching this woman God was purifying this woman Why does God give us this story?

It's a resurrection. That's pretty cool. I mean think about it. He's dead. He's raised Elijah and Elisha both of these men But yet God is showing us that when God blesses what she does so very often in our lives daily in our lives Just because he takes the blessing away Doesn't mean he's mad Doesn't mean he's seeking revenge on your life Doesn't mean anything other than Trust me. I have something in store for you That goes beyond anything you can imagine but because of our lack of spirituality We just don't think that way We just go bonkers And we're asking God what are you doing?

Why did you do this? How come he did it that way? instead of resting in the sovereignty and Believing that what he's got in store for you is beyond what you can imagine This woman believed that God was going to do something great and he did When we experience tragedy or difficulty Some kind of hardship. What do we believe? Do we really truly believe that God's going to do something? incredible Ain't God some ogre up in heaven thinking. You know what? I'm just gonna get him I'm gonna mash him. I'm gonna make their lives miserable That's not that way.

I Love how Peter says it Peter says it this way in 1st Peter chapter chapter 5 He says After you have suffered for a little while The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will perfect confirm strengthen Establish you God has a plan God wants to do something in you So that you can better reflect him better represent him To a world that needs to know him so Peter Who had to learn through trials and difficulties to trust his God Says to people who are suffering immensely who are dying because of their faith He says the God of all grace the God who dispenses grace to his people Who called you to himself is the God who's going to perfect you?

He is the one who's going to supply everything that you need. He is gonna mend you together He's gonna put you back together again Knowing that he's going to solidify you he's gonna confirm you He is gonna make you as strong as granite on top of that. He's going to strengthen you He's gonna fill you with this strength and he's going to establish you He's gonna lay a foundation in you that is so strong You cannot be shaken, but this is the God of grace is going to do it you need to let him do what he does and in the story of of The Shunammite woman and the death of her son the resurrection of her son Speaks to us about this woman who?

Who? stood fastly with strength and courage and spiritual maturity Sought the man of God Because the man of God had the Word of God She knew exactly where to go Who to see? Because there was somebody who knew how to talk and walk with God She went to him I'm sure if her husband was a man of God he she'd have gone to him. I don't believe he was But she knew where to go and God would restore that boy. He'd resurrect that boy God had great plans for the Shunammite woman and this Resurrected boy Becomes such a story that later on in 2nd Kings chapter 8 She's referred to as the woman whose son was raised from the dead because everybody would know who she was Who the boy was?

because God was wanting to do a great and glorious work even though His providence can be so perplexing at times it is The greatest aspect of our God because he wants you to trust him to believe That when it's all said and done and to see the plan unveiled He did it as only he can let me pray with you Lord Thank you for tonight a chance to be in your word a chance to look once again that Elisha in the life of this great man, we thank you for the testimony of The Shunammite woman we thank you Lord, even though we don't know her name You do that's all that matters And you have written these things the Bible says And we courted them for our instruction that through them we would receive encouragement and hope And may our hope be solidified in thee the God Whose providence is at work every moment of every day And that you want us to trust you all those days we pray in Jesus name