Did you know all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose? Remember the Shunammite woman? She had been a lady of prominence once who sought after God. Desiring to hear from God, she provided lodging for his servant Elisha. God miraculously gave her a son. When he later died, she ran to Elisha to be near to and to hear from God. He restored her son’s life. Then in 2 Kings 8, we find that before the famine came upon the land, God warned the Shunammite woman to depart and go to Philistine to stay for 7 years so as not to suffer the famine. We pick up her story again as she returns from Philistine to reclaim her land.
Nothing is mentioned of her husband in this second part of her story. She and her son alone approach the king; perhaps, suggesting she was now a widow. Many say that this story must be out of sequence since Gehazi could not speak to the king after his being stricken with leprosy. Yet, the word of God is true and right, dictated with perfection by God, Himself. He may not always expand the story with every detail; because then the Bible would be too large carry. Yet, remember Chapter 7, four lepers came to give the good news to the king of Israel that the Syrians had fled leaving behind all their possessions. Because of that the famine crisis ended. Could one of those lepers have been Gehazi? The king would certainly want to hear more of Elisha’s miracles after witnessing this one!
Furthermore, how perfect the timing. The Shunammite woman returned immediately as the famine ended and exactly when Gehazi was speaking to the king!
All Things
There is never a mistake with God. Never does tragedy enter the life of a believer but that God has a perfect plan to use the effects of that tragedy to bring him or her closer to Him. Whatever Satan may intend for evil, God uses for good to all who are His Children. Furthermore, Satan can never touch us without God’s permissive will allowing Him to. Remember Job or Peter when Satan asked to sift them. Although it was Satan’s intention to destroy their faith, God took all the brokenness perpetrated by Satan to draw them closer to Himself where they could truly see His Glory and feel both His Love and His Joy. Instead of losing their faith, their faith and their knowledge of God grew. Their hearts were transformed, and their life overflowed with abounding joy, strength, hope and love.
All things, even the trials they faced became good for them and for the Kingdom of God. The next trial appeared miniscule as they looked passed it, expecting to see God’s miracle through it. Their own failures of faith, God used to grow their faith, wrapping them in His arms of love. Nothing enters the life of the believer without it being allowed by God. And nothing happens; but that God uses it for the good of the believer.
Work Together
And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. (Then) Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So, the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, ‘Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now’. (2 Kings 8:4-6)
God’s timing is perfect. His plan is always to bring us closer to Him and to fill us with His joy. For He is the treasure and love our heart seeks. He will cause all things to work together for our good.
In our day to day trials, annoyances and frustrations we may not see that immediately. Yet, it is the truth of who He is. He is the master weaver who takes all our sorrows, trials, pains, and failures. Then using each thread, He masterfully creates a portrait that will one day look like Jesus. Furthermore, we will one day understand it all, rejoicing in His presence. Everything that we may have thought would break us here on earth, we will find were stepping stones to Glory, Love and Joy everlasting. Below is a song I once wrote:
The Master Weaver
Broken threads my life you found
And with your love each piece you bound
A song of love your lips resound
With gentle hands, each thread you place
Oh, could it be, amazing grace
A picture clear, my Savior’s face
What joy divine, could it be true
Each broken thread, you only knew
When woven tight would look like you
The Scarlet threads my broken heart
The deepest sorrows blue impart
Each silver thread of tears that fell
You guide my life with such detail
A brilliant gold, your love divine
My sins were washed, a white sublime
You gently weave with skillful hand
The portrait mine that you have planned
Oh, let me Lord remember this
That I might know with joy and bliss
You did ordain my every tear
That I might learn to never fear
That I might trust the weaver’s hand
And on this hope and promise stand
Your love will always know what’s best
Your cradling arms are where I rest
Broken threads my life you found
And with your love each piece you bound
A song of love your lips resound
With gentle hands, each thread you place
Oh could it be, amazing grace
A picture clear, my Savior’s face
What joy divine, could it be true
Each broken thread, you only knew
When woven tight would look like you
Concluding Thoughts
So, my question for you is: “Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” If you do, I promise you that whatever trials you face today, He is miraculously using for your good.
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR?
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because, He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
ARE YOU IN OF NEED PRAYER?
If you have a prayer request email me by clicking here
Furthermore, if you would like to tell me your story or thoughts comment here
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Previous Posts in This Series:
What if Desperation Leads to Life and Joy?
Moralizers so Blinded to God’s Truth and Their Guilt
Do You Really Know God as Omnipotent, Omniscient Lord?
Does God Really Care About the Little Stuff?
How Can Someone So Close Not Know God?
Can a Missed Opportunity Leave a Nation to Fall?
One Unlikely Believer and the Grace of God
Do You Trust God in the Famine?
Is Love Really Worth the Heartbreak?
Are you Really Seeking God in All You Do?
Do You Believe God is Your Provider?
What Can One God Fearing Man Do?
What Happens When We Fail to Teach Our Children?
How to Revive Barren Lands with Living Waters
Who will Carry the Torch for God Against Evil?
What if God’s Work Leaves You Alone and Depressed?
Can You See The Army of God Surrounding You?
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2018
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Credits
Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash