Biblepraise Fellowship Online

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where things are at a standstill because you don’t know which way to turn?

I have been in such situations often in my life and usually come out of it with great lessons to learn about life and about the importance of being led by the Spirit of God. Life can look easy one minute and the next minute it becomes so confusing, you begin to wonder, ‘how did I get here?’

In 1 Kings 4:8, Elisha went to a place called Shunem, where he was hosted by a well-to- do woman. This woman was living comfortably well and appeared not to have any problems. After Elisha had visited a couple of times, she convinced her husband to create a room for Elisha so that anytime the prophet visited, he would have a place to stay.

One day, Elisha summoned the woman and asked her whatever she needed. She told him that she was quite comfortable and didn’t need anything. On further enquiry, the prophet learnt that she had no child and her husband was old.  Apparently she had closed the door to the issue of having children due to old age and probably having waited for so many years, had concluded that they were not meant to have biological children.

This was evident in her reaction to Elisha’s declaration that in the next one year, she will hold her baby in her arms. “No my Lord she objected, Don’t mislead your servant, O man of God!’ (1 Kings 4:14) She had her life planned. If she wasn’t going to have children, at least she would continue being successful in business, maintain a happy marriage and minister to the needs of the needy around her. She was happy enough with that but here was this man, opening up the scars of barrenness, which she had safely buried in deeper recesses of her mind.

Fast forward one year later. The word of the man of God comes to pass. She has what she never thought she would live to see. A son of her own.  A couple of years down the line, disaster suddenly struck. The boy is hit by a fatal illness and dies.  The woman gently lays the boy on the prophet’s bed. We do not have record that she told her husband anything other than inform him she needed to see the prophet. The husband wondered why she was going to see the prophet but she assured him everything was alright.  The first time the woman showed any sign of emotion was when she met Elisha and held his feet. Then the questions began. ‘Did I ask you for a son? Didn’t I tell you not to raise my hopes?’ 1 King  4:28. 

Doesn’t that sound familiar to you? We never like it when God takes us away from our comfort zone because it forces us to fully depend on Him. The Shunamite woman knew the secret. Her husband could not solve her problem, so she didn’t bother telling him anything. Even when Gehazi was sent by Elisha to lay his staff on the child to wake him up, the woman refused to leave Elisha alone. It was a good decision because Gehazi followed his master’s instruction but came back unsuccessful. 

Well, the story ends happily. Elisha locks himself in the room with the child and intercedes with God to restore the child back to life and the child was raised from the dead.

We can learn a lesson from the Shunamite woman. She was focused on where her solution lay. She knew where to go and didn’t allow anyone to convince her otherwise.

Many times in life, we find ourselves in situations where many options open up before us. This can be very confusing and frustrating. It is easier if there is no open door at all, like the case of the Shunamite woman but where seveal doors open,  it can be very confusing.  It could be who to marry, which job to take, which church to go or whether to relocate or not. Only one of these options is the best one for us; the one God wants us to take in order to move us forward to the place of His promise to us. What usually happens is that we end up getting a lot of viewpoints and become more confused than when we began. The Shunamate woman had two choices, bury the child and continue the life you were living before or go to the prophet and get a solution. She took the best option and left no room for anyone to discourage her.

Life can be simple but it can also get complicated within a twinkle of an eye but when we allow God to lead us through the maze of life, we can be sure that we will never miss our way. When we come out at the other side of the maze, we can only look back and say, ‘there is no way I could have made it through, without the Lord’.

Make it a habit to lay your plans before the Lord now that everything seems to be moving well for you in one direction. The time will come when only your trust in Him will be the compass you need to lead you out of the maze of life. If you are already in the maxe of life and can’t find your way out, lift you head up and allow God to lead you out. Believe  me, He knows the way out.

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