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The last post covered the Shunammite woman whose unprovoked kindness led to the prophet Elisha declaring she would have a son, even at an advanced age.
The woman had no ulterior motives or even an expectation of reciprocity from Elisha, but her kindness led to her miracle child.
One more note here… remember how we have blamed people for their lack of faith that prevents them from receiving a miracle or healing? Take a look at the Shunammite woman. After Elisha promised her she would have a child, she said;
2 Kings 4:15 “No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!”
It is clear she had no faith to bring about the miracle. In fact, she asked Elisha to stop teasing her, or as we woould say in our modern church, “giving her false expectations”.
Her baby came about from God through Elisha’s faith. He carried it. Not her.
What’s my point? Have the mindset ready to “carry it” for the ones you pray for. Don’t be so quick to blame the sick person if healing is not manifest. Rather, blame yourself first.
It was the same with the paralyzed man Jesus healed at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5. Jesus told him to take his bed and walk and he did.
We follow the account…
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”
9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,
10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”
12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
Do you notice he had no idea who healed him? Therefore he had no faith for his healing. Jesus carried it. I’ll say it again, Jesus healed him through His own faith.
Have this mindset and be ready to do the same. Frequently, there just isn’t time to get someone saved and teach them the basics of healing. Teach people, but be ready to carry it.
Back to the Shunammite…
Later on however, the child became sick… and then he died. Here’s the account;
18 The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. 19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!”
His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.
She didn’t even tell her husband what was going on. There’s a lesson for us all here. Don’t share information with people who cannot add to your situation and might even make it worse.
In the past, when I’ve had to trust for healing, I would share with only one or two people, people of faith, not the general population.
Personally, I would not share much with most of our “prayer chains“, I think that would be a worthless exercise. Why? How many realy believe God will take action? Maybe 1 out of 100. The other 99 would likely be of no help at all. It would just be gossip for them or they might begin to pray useless, unscriptural prayers.
“Lord, give him the patience to bear what he cannot change…” I once heard. Useless. I’d rather stand alone than with blessed folk who have no faith for healing. I’m also more militant in ministry – if I perceive anyone around in a healing session who subscribes to some of silly things we teach in church these days e.g., God gave you the sickness to teach you something… it is simple: either they go away or I will.
