There is definitely much to learn from the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings.
I have no doubt that her acts of kindness towards the Prophet Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-11) followed her all the days of her life. The Bible even holds a record of how God favored her and intervened on her behalf in several occasions.
1. Gift of a son (ch. 4)
2. Son raised back to life (ch. 4)
3. Warned of a famine (ch. 8)
4. Restoration of her property (ch. 8)
Today a lot of us tend to be rather self-centered, even in the most subtle of ways. We are so focused on getting the perfect life and on achieving our numerous goals that we barely take time to notice the needs around us.
I strongly believe that half of the prayers in our churches will be answered if Christians just looked around and allowed God to use them, according to their individual abilities of course. However, a lot of us seem to think its fasting for a hundred days and attending a prayer meeting every day that will bring the breakthroughs we seek. These are no doubt important aspects of the Christian walk but they are powerless if basic Biblical principles do not hold in our lives. The promises attached to these principles simply cannot be obtained when we ignore the principles.
I might have mentioned it before but I think it is worth repeating. God does not hear a prayer simply because it is said. For example, in 1 Peter 3:7 it is made clear that a man who mistreats his wife cannot count on God hearing his prayers. There are many such instances in the Bible.
As human beings we will of course not always get it right, but I believe God sees how much effort we put in and how much we truly desire to obey Him. So let us strive to emulate the Shunammite woman in being kind, generous and considerate towards others. The world we live in rather encourages us to focus on ourselves even at the expense of others, but that is recipe for disaster. However, in looking out for and being sensitive to the needs of others, the all powerful and all knowing God will surely take care of us.
Blessings.
I have no doubt that her acts of kindness towards the Prophet Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-11) followed her all the days of her life. The Bible even holds a record of how God favored her and intervened on her behalf in several occasions.
1. Gift of a son (ch. 4)
2. Son raised back to life (ch. 4)
3. Warned of a famine (ch. 8)
4. Restoration of her property (ch. 8)
Today a lot of us tend to be rather self-centered, even in the most subtle of ways. We are so focused on getting the perfect life and on achieving our numerous goals that we barely take time to notice the needs around us.
I strongly believe that half of the prayers in our churches will be answered if Christians just looked around and allowed God to use them, according to their individual abilities of course. However, a lot of us seem to think its fasting for a hundred days and attending a prayer meeting every day that will bring the breakthroughs we seek. These are no doubt important aspects of the Christian walk but they are powerless if basic Biblical principles do not hold in our lives. The promises attached to these principles simply cannot be obtained when we ignore the principles.
I might have mentioned it before but I think it is worth repeating. God does not hear a prayer simply because it is said. For example, in 1 Peter 3:7 it is made clear that a man who mistreats his wife cannot count on God hearing his prayers. There are many such instances in the Bible.
As human beings we will of course not always get it right, but I believe God sees how much effort we put in and how much we truly desire to obey Him. So let us strive to emulate the Shunammite woman in being kind, generous and considerate towards others. The world we live in rather encourages us to focus on ourselves even at the expense of others, but that is recipe for disaster. However, in looking out for and being sensitive to the needs of others, the all powerful and all knowing God will surely take care of us.
Blessings.
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