1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,600 Let's come together the second Kings Chapter 4. 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,120 This is our third installment in this chapter and it will not be 3 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:09,720 our last. As you know, it's a it's a 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:16,320 lengthy chapter and we are no rush to try to advance without 5 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:18,880 meditating on everything that it has to offer. 6 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,120 So turn with me to 1st Kings Chapter 418. 7 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:25,280 But at the same time, allow me to set the stage for this study 8 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,040 from another part of your Bible and my Bible. 9 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:34,920 In Hebrews Chapter 11, you and I are provided a concise 10 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,840 definition of faith and along with it an extensive catalogue. 11 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:44,480 Of what faith looks like and how the Holy Spirit does it in 12 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:48,320 Hebrews 11 is that he lists for us notable figures and 13 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:53,320 characters and real people from the Scriptures who demonstrate 14 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:59,480 in their respective ways what trust in God looks like. 15 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:05,360 So Hebrews 11 is commonly known as the Hall of Faith right now, 16 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,200 if you read that chapter very carefully, what you'll notice is 17 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:15,720 that there are a total of 16 names explicitly provided, 16 18 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,520 names. And we see there that out of all 19 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:25,120 those names, there are 14 men mentioned and two women. 20 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:27,320 Does anybody know the name of the two women that are mentioned 21 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:29,360 in Hebrews Chapter 11? You can say it if you know it, 22 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:31,480 Rahab. And who's the other one? 23 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:34,480 Very good. Now here's what's more 24 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:38,800 interesting. Seven of those men and one of 25 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:41,040 those women, right? So we have 16. 26 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,720 So exactly half seven and one are located in the book of 27 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:48,600 Genesis alone. Now we don't have time to get 28 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:50,920 into the possible reasons for that, but I just think it's an 29 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:55,600 interesting observation as you advance in Hebrews chapter Other 30 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:58,440 than what you'll notice is that the author, inspired by the 31 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:03,640 Spirit, no longer lists names, but instead describes different 32 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,480 exploits of faith in a more general manner. 33 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:10,280 And I know I told you to turn to 2nd Kings 44 already, but I want 34 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:13,320 you to see if you would like Hebrews Chapter 11 verse 35 as 35 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:20,200 he is coming to the end of his teaching on faith, practical 36 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,680 faith, lived out faith, fleshed out faith. 37 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:24,480 Notice what he says in Hebrews 1135. 38 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:30,160 Woman received back their dead by resurrection. 39 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,920 Now pause there. The two most notable instances 40 00:02:35,920 --> 00:02:39,280 of women receiving back their loved ones from the dead are 41 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:41,520 found in our study of First and 2nd Kings. 42 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,200 The first one is the widow from Zarephath. 43 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:46,840 Remember when Elijah raised her son from the dead? 44 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:50,080 And the second will be the woman from Shunam. 45 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,640 We are ready to study. Elijah will help raise from the 46 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:57,760 dead. Now the woman from Zarephath, 47 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,560 was she a Jew or a Gentile? She was a Gentile. 48 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,680 And the woman from Shunam, she was what she was a Jew. 49 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:10,240 Showing us that faith is meant and is available to be exercised 50 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:13,360 by anybody. And with that, no matter who you 51 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:17,880 are, God will honor you for your faith. 52 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,880 But while we're here, I want us to make mention of something 53 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:25,600 else, because the point of our study in Second Kings 4 will be 54 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,600 to see the power of faith and also the wisdom of God in our 55 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,640 trials. But while we're here, notice how 56 00:03:32,640 --> 00:03:36,240 this verse continues. Hebrews 1135 women received back 57 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,680 their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured. 58 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,720 Refusing to accept release so that they might rise again to a 59 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:46,040 better life. And then when you read verse 36 60 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:50,000 and verse 37, you discover that he discusses suffering, mocking, 61 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:56,000 flogging, imprisonment, stoning, being destitute, afflicted, and 62 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,960 mistreated in connection to the faithful. 63 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:05,160 What is he getting at here? Why is he mentioning these 64 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,920 things in light of faith? To teach us and to clarify. 65 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,880 That the rewards of faith and faithfulness do not always 66 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:17,480 promise relief or restoration in the way that we hope. 67 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:26,520 There are times when faith will not bring about deliverance from 68 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:33,000 your problems, but instead will grant you the joy, the courage, 69 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,320 the endurance in the midst of them, as well as a reward in the 70 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,000 life to come. So the Holy Spirit is being very 71 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,400 realistic and is trying to teach us a balanced view of faith. 72 00:04:44,840 --> 00:04:47,920 You know, a few weeks ago I stumbled upon a teaching while 73 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:49,600 getting ready for one of our services. 74 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:54,160 Sometimes if I have enough time and not rushing too much, I 75 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:56,560 listen to music or listen to sometimes whatever is being 76 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,320 preached on my phone. And I stumbled upon a teaching 77 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,440 of a young prosperity preacher, young guy. 78 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:07,040 I guess he's up and coming. I'm not too sure, but he he got 79 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:09,840 my attention because he was teaching at a Hebrews Chapter 11 80 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,440 and he started from verse one and he was reading down this 81 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:17,480 chapter and I decided to stick around because I was 82 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:20,240 anticipating. And looking forward to how he 83 00:05:20,240 --> 00:05:23,440 was going to explain verse 35, verse 36, and verse 37 to talk 84 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:24,920 about the very things that I mentioned to you. 85 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:27,720 What is he going to say? Because as you know, prosperity 86 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:33,960 preachers love to teach on faith as the means, as our ability to 87 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:42,120 unlock God's blessings at will or however you wish and in a way 88 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:45,000 that can deliver you from absolutely any kind of 89 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,960 affliction or problem. And so as he was reading, I was 90 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:50,920 thinking, OK, what is he going to say here? 91 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,320 Now he comes to verse 303132, pauses here and there to 92 00:05:55,320 --> 00:05:57,280 explain, and then he comes to verse 35. 93 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:00,000 What do you think? He did very quickly says let's 94 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:06,440 skip this part and he leftover all these truths that the Holy 95 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,240 Spirit wants to instruct the people of God concerning what 96 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:16,160 faith, real faith looks like. Let this be a reminder that. 97 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,600 When you choose to skip parts of the Bible, that's how you get 98 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:25,800 wonky theology. I'm surprised the people in that 99 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:30,880 place didn't stand up and protest at the same time. 100 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,360 I'm not surprised because some people don't mind skipping parts 101 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:35,800 of the Bible. But we are not among those who 102 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:38,880 do that, do we? We honor all that God has to 103 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:41,440 say, and that's why we're studying the Bible the way we 104 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:44,600 study it, week after week. So now we're we're coming to 105 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:48,680 this text in Second Kings chapter 4 to observe a woman 106 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:51,840 with incredible faith and to see what that faith did. 107 00:06:51,840 --> 00:06:56,920 For her in this life, faith, yes, can also do things today, 108 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:02,040 tomorrow within our world. So then you have this opposite 109 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,560 understanding of faith where it's just don't expect anything. 110 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,880 Don't pray for anything. Don't don't challenge your 111 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:12,920 unbelief. Just just kind of dismiss it and 112 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,720 go with the flow. And that's also wrong. 113 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:19,480 So we're going to see a woman who had faith and that faith did 114 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:22,280 something for her. And I want you to see that God 115 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,520 expects us to also trust in Him and to seek. 116 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:30,280 Him when we need him, let's read beginning at verse 18 of Second 117 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:33,680 Kings chapter 4. We're going to be ending in 118 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:35,600 verse 37. So we're not going to read this 119 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:38,640 all in one shot. We're going to take our time by 120 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:42,400 reading this verse by verse. When the child had grown, he 121 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,480 went out one day to his father among the reapers. 122 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:49,000 And he said to his father, Oh my head, my head. 123 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,400 The father said to his servant, carry him to his mother. 124 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:55,360 And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the 125 00:07:55,360 --> 00:08:01,160 child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died. 126 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:06,160 We remember how this Shunammite was rewarded with a child for 127 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:11,240 her support for this man of God known as Elijah. 128 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,680 Now between verse 17, when we're told that the woman can see 129 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,480 them, Boris son, and verse 18, a few years had passed. 130 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:21,360 We're not told how many years passed. 131 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:24,600 We're not told how old this boy was at this point, but evidently 132 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,640 he was old enough to do what? To walk to the fields 133 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:29,480 independently? To talk. 134 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,720 But young enough. Still to be taken, carried and 135 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:38,960 placed in the lap of his mother. So he he's a few years old here. 136 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,600 And tragically, while there was so much ahead for this child and 137 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:46,000 this family, we learned that he suddenly dies. 138 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,280 And there are so many things that we can say about these 139 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:54,280 verses, but I want us to focus primarily on the timing of this 140 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:57,120 trial. This is a catastrophe. 141 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:00,920 This is this is horrible. This is horrific. 142 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:05,880 But notice when it happened. Read again here in verse 18, the 143 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:08,360 last three words, the child had grown, right? 144 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:12,680 He went out one day to his father among the reapers. 145 00:09:13,560 --> 00:09:17,040 What does that tell you about the timing of this event? 146 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:23,000 Harvest time. This is during harvest season, 147 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,400 and harvest season was a busy season. 148 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:33,000 It was a hectic time. Sowing and planting was a 149 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,480 demanding thing, but harvesting was equally demanding. 150 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:38,400 You want to make sure that there was no waste. 151 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:41,800 You want to make sure that you gathered in all that you worked 152 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,600 hard for. And so there was a special 153 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,520 emphasis here in terms of gathering in the servants, 154 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:50,440 hiring new people. Just like holidays in our 155 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,520 context where the stores are busier, the malls are more 156 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:57,280 filled, there are there people hiring just for the season and 157 00:09:57,280 --> 00:09:59,680 for the rush and the business. This is what we are seeing here. 158 00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:05,200 This is a busy, hectic time. Which makes this trial a little 159 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:10,760 bit more inconvenient. But harvest season also defines 160 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,720 in the Scripture a time of joy, right? 161 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:16,760 This is the in gathering, this is the product, this is the 162 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:19,920 fruitfulness. And so Scripture often connects 163 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:23,920 harvest season with jubilance. This is a time where the people 164 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:27,320 of God would gather, they would feast, they would fellowship in 165 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:30,840 communal reflection on the faithfulness of God and his 166 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:35,720 provision throughout that year. Moreover, there are feast that 167 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:38,200 demand that there would be first fruits and different 168 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,320 celebrations connected to your produce and you're in gathering 169 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:43,840 that would be a means of worship to the Lord. 170 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:48,440 And so you have this combination of the hustle of harvest season, 171 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:54,760 also the anticipation of joy being at its peak, and it's 172 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:59,120 there. And then this child dies. 173 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:03,480 Right here. We're learning something about 174 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,040 affliction, something about tribulation, something about 175 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:10,640 trials. They tend not to honor your 176 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:16,560 schedule, your plans, your hopes, your desires, your. 177 00:11:16,560 --> 00:11:20,280 Dreams. They have a tendency of barging 178 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:27,960 in unannounced without warning. And we see here that this 179 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:33,080 child's illness and eventual death took place at a time that 180 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,600 was unpleasant. Now, we can all admit in general 181 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:39,760 that there is no test of our faith that is a pleasurable 182 00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:41,600 thing. It's not a exciting thing that 183 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,840 we look forward to. But we can also say that there 184 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:48,000 are times when trials come that are especially disruptive. 185 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:56,400 And God's Word seeks to teach us that there can be devastating 186 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:02,080 interruptions in our lives. Not to scare you, but to prepare 187 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:04,040 you. And the best way to be prepared 188 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:09,000 for such things as not to be pessimistic or cynical, you have 189 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,000 people who live like that. You have people who live day by 190 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:15,240 day and just bracing themselves for impact. 191 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:16,480 They don't know how it's going to happen. 192 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:18,880 They don't know where it's going to happen, and it sucks the life 193 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:20,640 out of them. That's not how God wants you to 194 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:24,680 live. Underlying anxiety that that's 195 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:26,760 not how He designed you to operate. 196 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:34,640 The best way to be prepared even for startling trials is to abide 197 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:39,320 in Jesus Christ day by day so that you can draw from Him the 198 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:44,600 source of strength and wisdom that you need every single day, 199 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:50,880 day by day, even for uninvited surprises. 200 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:56,400 See, trials, even trials of this kind don't have to sabotage your 201 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:58,800 faith, don't have to vandalize your witness. 202 00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:01,400 It doesn't have to happen. And the tsunami is a prime 203 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:03,680 example of that. So let's see what happens, 204 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:05,760 right? The boy says, Oh my head, my 205 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:07,440 head. I mean, it's harvest season, so 206 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:09,880 it's extra hot this time of the year. 207 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:16,520 And she carries him, holds him, And we don't know how long she 208 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:18,600 was doing that for before he gave his last breath. 209 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:24,760 Verse 21 And she went up and laid on him the bed, on the bed 210 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,920 of the man of God, and shut the door behind him and went out. 211 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,320 And she called to her husband and said, Send me one of the 212 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:35,080 servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to the man 213 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:39,320 of God and come back again. And he said, why will you go to 214 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:41,600 him today? It is neither new moon nor 215 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:45,440 Sabbath. She said all is well. 216 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:48,400 You know what stands out to me about this woman? 217 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:53,680 Her composure. Her composure is convicting. 218 00:13:54,680 --> 00:13:56,520 Think about it. Imagine mothers in this house. 219 00:13:56,520 --> 00:14:01,720 God forbid, but just imagine holding a child a few years old 220 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,600 and that child dying in your arms. 221 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,080 What do you do? How do you react? 222 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:10,800 Here's what this woman does. She quietly carries the same 223 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:16,600 child, goes upstairs, puts him in the guest room, closes the 224 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,920 door, goes to her husband, says I need the keys to the car. 225 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:25,960 I'm looking at this and I'm thinking, what's the 226 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:29,800 explanation? And I believe the best 1 is that 227 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:33,520 this woman who was not just wealthy materially, but rich in 228 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:38,920 faith, understood that this child was miraculously provided 229 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:41,080 by God. She never lost sight of the 230 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:45,200 origins of this story. She understood that God was the 231 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:49,880 one who sovereignly granted this gift, and she believes still 232 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:53,720 that God did not lose control of His sovereignty. 233 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:59,120 And so she's able to remain sane and stable. 234 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:02,760 You see, knowing that God was the one behind the birth of this 235 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:06,720 child meant that he was in control of the destiny of this 236 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:10,560 child. And acknowledging God's control 237 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:15,480 from the start, listen, will help you not lose control at any 238 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:20,720 time at any point. Now that is not to say that she 239 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,000 did not experience grief. I mean, verse 27 would say 240 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:25,480 otherwise. Look at verse 27. 241 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,160 We didn't read it yet, but this is when she finally arrives to 242 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,440 the man of God. And notice what he says in verse 243 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,480 27. The latter portion it says leave 244 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,880 her alone for she is in bitter distress. 245 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:41,640 So faith doesn't delete your emotions. 246 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:45,400 Possessing faith doesn't make you emotionless. 247 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:49,320 What it does though, is enable you to remain grounded. 248 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:53,960 So I just praise God for the songs that we sang today, so 249 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:57,560 much about being anchored in Christ, Christ being our anchor, 250 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:02,880 hope, peace, joy as a result of our trust. 251 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:05,760 Listen, knowing God's character and trusting in His character, 252 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:12,320 what He reveals about Himself is your anchor, is your anchor. 253 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:17,240 And such faith, listen it promise us to be never carried 254 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:21,960 away in the midst of the storm. You'll be in the. 255 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,680 Faith doesn't promise you no storms, it just promise you to 256 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:30,160 remain steadfast in the storm. And that's exactly what this 257 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,480 woman demonstrates. And unfortunately, many cannot 258 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,440 interpret the world that this woman how this woman does 259 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,120 because of their limited understanding of who God is. 260 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:41,520 Now, I mentioned last time that we studied last week. 261 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:45,160 In connection to this woman's faith, her husband in contrast 262 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:50,120 that that maybe she had and she possessed greater spiritual 263 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:54,040 insight than her spouse. And I believe what we see here 264 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:56,280 with this interaction confirms that conclusion. 265 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,520 Why do I say that? Because notice she takes the 266 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:06,040 child, goes into Elijah's room, closes the door and asks for a 267 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:09,000 servant and a vehicle to get to Elijah. 268 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:14,319 What does she leave out? She didn't tell her husband that 269 00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:18,280 the child died. She doesn't. 270 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:21,920 Why do you think she didn't? I mean, you can only speculate. 271 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:25,240 Here's what I believe. That the husband probably 272 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:26,880 wouldn't see it the way she saw it. 273 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:31,400 And a priority to this husband during harvest season wouldn't 274 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:35,600 be go and find Elijah. But let's plan for the funeral 275 00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:40,200 so she knows her husband very well. 276 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:45,400 And she understands that there is a man not too far from here 277 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,240 who has received a mantle from another man named Elijah, who 278 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:52,600 was used by God to raise the son of another woman. 279 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:55,840 And so she wants to take advantage of this. 280 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,520 And she's not going to accept this immediately. 281 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:03,320 She's going to do all that she can to seek for an intervention 282 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:11,840 before anything else. And I think here that this woman 283 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:16,360 shows us once again some of that you and I know very well that 284 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:18,760 the godly are not exempt from such things. 285 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,960 She understood that she was a he was a unique prophet. 286 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:27,120 And though we can celebrate her faith, we should also admire for 287 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:29,600 a character because she doesn't rail against her husband. 288 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:32,280 She doesn't disrespect. And this is what we saw last 289 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:34,800 week as well, when she asked for his permission and asked to 290 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:38,480 partner with him to build this extended room for Elisha. 291 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:45,520 And we see the same consistent care and honor for her spouse 292 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,600 despite his slender spirituality. 293 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:53,080 But before we move on, don't you appreciate something that the 294 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,520 husband acknowledges about her? Look at verse 23. 295 00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:58,640 And he said, why will you go to him today? 296 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:02,600 It is neither new moon nor Sabbath. 297 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:09,520 So that indicates to me that this woman frequently visited 298 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:15,920 Elijah and that during certain holy days, Elijah must have had 299 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:20,960 meetings where he preached and he taught the word of God and 300 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:25,320 she attended those meetings because it wasn't strange for 301 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:27,600 her to want to go see Elijah. It was strange for the husband 302 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,080 that she was trying to go to church when it wasn't Wednesday, 303 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:35,360 Friday or Sunday, say, hey, there's no service today. 304 00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:39,360 Why are you going? I just that warmed my heart. 305 00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:42,280 Why did it warm my heart? Because I like to see that she 306 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:46,520 was a part of a remnant that went to these meetings in a day 307 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:51,360 of great apostasy in Israel when society was collapsing and 308 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:54,320 falling apart. She was among those that enjoyed 309 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:58,160 going to a man of God, among the people of God and receiving from 310 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:00,240 God. Not a precious little insight, 311 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:01,200 that just blessed. Me. 312 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,440 Why are you going? And here's her answer. 313 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:08,640 All is well. All is well. 314 00:20:09,840 --> 00:20:12,200 Really. How is all? 315 00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:13,960 Well, you know what? The Hebrew word, it's one word. 316 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:18,520 Shalom, Peace. All is well. 317 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:24,240 How can you say all that's a contradiction to your 318 00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:28,560 circumstances. Yeah, but when you understand 319 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:32,560 God's character, then you can say something like this. 320 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:35,960 And it's not the only time she's going to say it. 321 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:39,560 All is well. Verse 24. 322 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:43,600 Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, urge 323 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,480 the animal on. Do not slacken the pace for me 324 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,520 unless I tell you. So she set out and came to the 325 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,480 man of God at Mount Carmel. She's from Shunam. 326 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:56,840 She wants to go to Mount Carmel. Elisha frequently visited Mount 327 00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:58,160 Carmel. That's what the Scripture seemed 328 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:02,280 to hint, the journey between Shunam and Mount Carmel, perhaps 329 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:07,080 five hours, five hours during harvest season. 330 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:14,240 It's hot, but she's desperate, so she makes her way and notice 331 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:19,640 what happens. Verse 25, when the man of God 332 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:23,320 saw her coming, he said to Gehazi, his servant. 333 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:29,960 Look, there is the Shunammite. Ron at once to meet her and say 334 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:35,200 to her is all well with you, is all well with your husband, is 335 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:39,200 all well with the child, and she answered, all is well. 336 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:43,840 So even the sight of the sunnamite was strange to Elijah 337 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,560 because, you know, she usually comes to Friday night Bible 338 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:48,560 study and she usually comes to Sunday service. 339 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,000 But why is she coming today? Why is she making her way to the 340 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:53,880 office now? Something must be wrong. 341 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:59,120 And so she he dispatches Gehazi. Gehazi gets her Is everything 342 00:21:59,120 --> 00:22:00,200 OK? Is everything OK with your 343 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:02,400 husband? Is everything OK with your son? 344 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:05,000 And she answers no differently than she did with her husband. 345 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:10,440 All is well, Shalom. Now, why did she do this with 346 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:14,760 the Gehazi? It couldn't be that she didn't 347 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,480 want to be detained. She didn't have to stop there 348 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,640 and explain to Gehazi. Time was of the essence she 349 00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:25,440 needed to get to the man of God who was used by God to bring her 350 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:33,320 this child to begin with. Or, or could it be that this 351 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:39,400 perceptive, discerning woman, she felt something about Gehazi 352 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:44,400 and she rather deal with Elijah directly. 353 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:53,240 Remember, we sort of commended Gehazi for his observation of 354 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:58,120 the woman's need, helping Elijah to provide her a reward for her 355 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:01,160 hospitality. But Ghazi from this point on 356 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:04,760 will not, will not demonstrate the greatest characters traits. 357 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:09,880 And I just wonder, I wonder if this Sunnah might picked up on 358 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:13,920 some things about Ghazi. I mean we see it in the very 359 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:15,840 next verse. Look at verse 27. 360 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:19,720 And when she came to the mountain, to the man of God, she 361 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:23,320 caught hold of his feet and Gehazi came to push her away. 362 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:28,840 That's not how you treat a woman in distress. 363 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:34,760 While you might try to justify it or you know, explain it on in 364 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:36,920 defense of Gehazi, but notice what happens. 365 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:39,600 He's rebuked for it. Look at the rest of verse 27. 366 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:41,160 But the man of God said, leave her alone. 367 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:44,520 Leave her alone for she is in bitter distress. 368 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,760 And the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me. 369 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:53,400 So let me say a few things here. The first thing I want to 370 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,120 mention in the verses that we just read is that Elijah here 371 00:23:56,120 --> 00:24:01,840 once again receives this rare title Man of God and it and it 372 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:05,800 appears with great. Intention No other person named 373 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:09,440 person in all the Bible is the title man of God attributed to 374 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:13,640 then Elijah. And notice where it is mentioned 375 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:17,160 again, it is brought in the context of His compassion. 376 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:22,040 So look at the the the middle of verse 25 when the man of God saw 377 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,920 her coming, he said to Gazi's servant, look, there's a should 378 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:31,280 of mine run at once, not walk, run, run at once and ask her 379 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:33,920 these questions. Now, do you recall how he 380 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:37,200 responded when the widow earlier in the same chapter approached 381 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:40,080 them, one of the one of the woman who was married to son of 382 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:42,600 the prophet with her issue with her sons. 383 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:44,120 Do you remember how he responded? 384 00:24:44,360 --> 00:24:47,680 Look back at verse 2 of the same chapter. 385 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:50,400 And Elijah said to her, what shall I do for you? 386 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:52,800 Tell me, what have you in the house? 387 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:54,960 And she said, your servant has nothing in the house except a 388 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:58,600 jar of oil. So here's what I learned. 389 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:02,520 Whether it was a widow or a wealthy woman, Elijah 390 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:05,640 demonstrated the same earnestness and serving and 391 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:11,080 alleviating their suffering. Listen, Elijah's compassion and 392 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:13,520 his ministry did not discriminate. 393 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:18,720 No matter who the Lord put before him, He determined to 394 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:22,960 show the love of his God and our God, Jesus Christ. 395 00:25:24,120 --> 00:25:27,320 So he wasn't picky and choosy whether it was a widow, whether 396 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,560 it was a a wealthy woman, whether it was two sons or one 397 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:34,280 son. How may I demonstrate Christ's 398 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:37,680 compassion toward you? That's a man of God. 399 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:43,760 And so Gehazi. As he sent out as an extension 400 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:48,640 of this man's love comes back and he demonstrates a different 401 00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:51,480 attitude. What does he do? 402 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:52,960 She comes and he pushes her away. 403 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:56,680 What? How do you? 404 00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:01,840 Even explain this again. I wonder if this woman picked up 405 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:04,600 on something about Gilhazi. And here's the lesson for you 406 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:06,480 and I right, because she doesn't deal with Gehazi. 407 00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,080 Listen to this. I'm speaking, I hope, to a room 408 00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:11,400 fill the people who want to serve God most effectively. 409 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,320 Then listen to this insight. She doesn't want to deal with 410 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:17,200 Gehazi. She wants to deal directly with 411 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:19,840 Elijah. And I would say here that we 412 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:22,600 have an indication that if you are someone like Gehazi, 413 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:28,280 insensitive, lacking tenderness and patience for others. 414 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:31,680 You will severely hinder your ministry. 415 00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:38,320 Can I say it another word? If you're like this, people 416 00:26:38,320 --> 00:26:40,360 won't reach out to you and people won't want to receive 417 00:26:40,360 --> 00:26:45,880 from you. I'm reminded no matter what your 418 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:48,640 ministry is, by the way. I'm not just talking about 419 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,360 pastors here, I'm talking about anybody serving in any capacity 420 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:53,840 because if you're really serving God, you're going to be serving 421 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,120 people. I'm reminded of the words of the 422 00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:00,400 Apostle Paul and his introduction to the Philippians 423 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:02,560 in his letter to those believers. 424 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:05,520 And he says something in verse seven, he says. 425 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,320 I have the. Right to feel this way about 426 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:16,000 you, for I have you in my heart. Wow. 427 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:20,640 The beginning of his letter, he wants to remind these believers 428 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:27,600 in Philippi, you live here. What a wonderful model for 429 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:32,920 ministry. If you want to be received, if 430 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:38,480 you want to be effective, if you want no shortage of serving 431 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:41,800 people, let them know that you love them. 432 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,040 Let them be convinced that you care about them. 433 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:51,560 Let them perceive that you actually want to see them 434 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:55,800 blessed. And if you have that kind of 435 00:27:55,800 --> 00:28:00,680 heart for people, listen. You'll even have license to 436 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:05,600 speak stern words. A person who truly loves other 437 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:10,320 people can rebuke, at times reprimand and those people 438 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:13,240 because they know that you love them or receive from you. 439 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:20,760 Still, I have you in my heart. Ask God to help you really love 440 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:24,400 people, and it will revolutionize your ministry. 441 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,840 Gehazi was not such a person based on how he's treating this 442 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:32,920 woman here. Elisha on the other hand, you 443 00:28:32,920 --> 00:28:37,120 can see it in his words, You can see it in his, in his urgency. 444 00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:43,440 So what happens? He rebukes him. 445 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:45,800 Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress. 446 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:48,520 Notice this part. I can't move on without 447 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:50,280 acknowledging this. And this is also for those who 448 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:53,320 want to serve the Lord. For the Lord has hidden it from 449 00:28:53,320 --> 00:29:00,760 me and has not told me. I find it relieving that Elijah 450 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:02,520 admitted this. Don't you? 451 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:06,200 I mean, this is one of the most reputable prophets in all of 452 00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:10,080 redemptive history. And he confesses, Hey, look, I 453 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:11,720 don't understand what's going on here. 454 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,640 God tends to speak to me beforehand, but here this is 455 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:17,720 veiled to me. I I don't understand what's 456 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:19,600 happening. And he actually mentions that 457 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:23,480 like, this is humility, doesn't pretend so. 458 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:28,960 Lesson #1 You don't always have to have answers to people's 459 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:36,240 problems. And you can sometimes say, I 460 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:40,400 don't know. Especially when you try to help 461 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:43,000 somebody figure out God's ways in their lives. 462 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:47,960 Be very careful making conclusions on behalf of God. 463 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:51,440 Sometimes it's clear, sometimes it's obvious. 464 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:54,520 And yes, you can remind people at the right time of God's 465 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:56,120 characters, His wisdom, his ways. 466 00:29:56,520 --> 00:30:00,320 But you don't have to give decisive answers all the time. 467 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:06,040 You don't need to do that. Moreover, I'm reminded here that 468 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:10,280 even with God's greatest men, a broader lesson that with all of 469 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:14,960 his servants, He from time and oftentimes will lead us while 470 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,640 we're in the dark. The fact that Elijah didn't have 471 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:21,800 insight here doesn't mean that God abandoned the situation. 472 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:26,200 It just means that Elijah also is going to be stretched in his 473 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:27,680 faith. This story is about the 474 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:31,160 Shunammites faith surely, but it's also about Elijah growing 475 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:34,560 in his faith as well. And if you and I are going to 476 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:38,080 grow in our faith, that means we're not going to get answers 477 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:43,160 all the time. So to want to know every step, 478 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:48,560 every chapter, every turn around ahead that expels the 479 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:51,160 possibility of your faith being exercised. 480 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:57,280 One of my favorite verses concerning this truth is Isaiah 481 00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:00,840 50 verse 10. Hey, I would say memorize this 482 00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:04,560 verse because he says this. Who? 483 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,200 Among you fears the Lord, and obeys the voice of his servant. 484 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:11,520 So pause there. He is addressing those who fear 485 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:16,400 the Lord and who obey the. Voice of the Messiah. 486 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:20,320 So right there, let's just pause and ask, Is that me? 487 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:24,440 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of His servant? 488 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:26,320 I hope every hand here can say me. 489 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:28,800 I do. OK, Good. 490 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:31,400 Once you have figured that out and you've acknowledged that, 491 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:36,400 get ready for the next part. Let him who walks in darkness 492 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:41,040 and has no light trust in the name. 493 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:47,120 Of the Lord and rely on his God. What kind of darkness is he 494 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:49,400 talking about here? Is he talking about sinful 495 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,720 darkness? Is he talking about not having 496 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:55,520 the light of truth? No, he just finished qualifying 497 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:57,640 that this is for those who fear the Lord and obey the voice of a 498 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:00,400 servant. He says, OK, if you're that kind 499 00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:03,600 of a person, it's possible for you in this life to seem like 500 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:06,400 you're walking in the dark, where you have no sense of 501 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:09,560 direction, where you have no clarity on a matter, where you 502 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:12,920 don't know what to do now, where you don't know where to go then. 503 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:17,200 If, that is, you realize you're not exempt from that experience, 504 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,400 but you are commanded to trust in the name of the Lord and rely 505 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:25,920 on your God. Even a prophet of God who in a 506 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:29,000 unique can I use this word dispensation. 507 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:36,360 Even a unique man of God in a unique period of time was what 508 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:42,600 was at one point let in the dark where God turned off the light. 509 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:50,480 And you and me, we pull our hair and we question our faith. 510 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,360 And we're far from being a prophet when God seems to not 511 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:57,200 give us answers for the next step. 512 00:32:57,800 --> 00:32:59,240 What are you supposed to do? Just trust. 513 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:01,720 Just trust, worship while you wait. 514 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,480 Serve in the capacity that He's granted you while you wait and 515 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:07,960 He will lead you through. So Elijah here acknowledges this 516 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:11,040 and he goes, OK, I'm not sure because I, I wasn't prepared for 517 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:12,760 this, but let's see what the Lord has in store. 518 00:33:12,760 --> 00:33:16,000 And so he does what he can to try to solve this issue with the 519 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:19,000 wisdom that he. Possessed so notice what happens 520 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,160 in verse 28. Then she said did I ask my Lord 521 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:26,320 for a son Did I not say do not deceive me? 522 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:30,520 You don't blame her for asking those questions, right? 523 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:37,160 So here you have a barren woman who didn't ask for this when she 524 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:38,880 met Elijah. She just served out of the 525 00:33:38,880 --> 00:33:42,080 abundance of her heart and Elijah want to do her a favor. 526 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:44,400 And finally, when there was something that she truly 527 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:47,680 desired, when that was unfolded, she said, please don't lie to 528 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:49,360 me. This is really it is really 529 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:51,680 true. I can't I can't even believe it. 530 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:53,680 And he goes, it's going to happen and it happened. 531 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:57,960 So God miraculously provides this child only for a few years 532 00:33:57,960 --> 00:33:59,560 later. Take that child away. 533 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:04,360 So. Perhaps at this point in the 534 00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:08,719 study, you're going why, and you might. 535 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:12,159 Have somewhere skeptics or critics even accused God of 536 00:34:12,159 --> 00:34:16,480 being sadistic, which means to take pleasure in somebody else's 537 00:34:16,480 --> 00:34:18,360 pain? The guy just. 538 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:20,760 Playing games here, OK, here's a child. 539 00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:22,040 OK, now I'm going to take the child away. 540 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:27,960 She has questions. Sometimes we have questions, 541 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:30,639 especially in our trials, especially trials of this 542 00:34:30,639 --> 00:34:33,480 degree. Does God have answers? 543 00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:36,520 You better believe it. Does He sometimes show you the 544 00:34:36,520 --> 00:34:40,320 reason for it before you meet him face to face? 545 00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:45,320 Yeah. And actually, with the Shunami, 546 00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:47,800 we actually have at least one reason why God did this. 547 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:49,800 But you're going to have to stay awake until the end of the Bible 548 00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:54,159 study to know it. So what happens? 549 00:34:55,199 --> 00:34:56,760 He realizes something bad happened. 550 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:01,280 And so in verse 29, he said to Gehazi, tie up your garment and 551 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:03,120 take my staff in your hand and go. 552 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:04,840 If you meet anyone, do not greet him. 553 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:09,320 And if anyone greets you, do not reply and lay my staff on the 554 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,600 face of the child. And the mother of the child 555 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:15,680 said, as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not 556 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:17,400 leave you. In other words, she heard him 557 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:19,080 and strike Gehazi to go and deal with the problem. 558 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:23,080 She goes, I'm here for you, so I'm not leaving. 559 00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:27,280 You and I believe the reason why Elijah does this is because 560 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:30,560 perhaps Ghazi was younger he can get there more speedily so he 561 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:36,320 sends them off as a signal both to to her that this is me making 562 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:40,360 an urgent appeal and attempt at this problem. 563 00:35:40,720 --> 00:35:44,000 So look what happens verse 31 Ghazi went on ahead and laid the 564 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:48,400 staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or. 565 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:52,640 Sign of life. Therefore he returned to meet 566 00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:55,560 him and told them the child has not awakened. 567 00:35:55,600 --> 00:36:01,840 It didn't work. Why didn't it work? 568 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:06,520 You have some who are inclined to actually blame Elijah for 569 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:11,200 this and they would say because Elijah is doing this out of 570 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:14,920 impulse, he doesn't have divine instruction or approval for this 571 00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:15,680 plan. He just says. 572 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:19,080 OK, Ghazi take my staff, which is a symbol of authority and go 573 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:21,920 late on his face and and hopefully something will happen. 574 00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:24,360 I'm not inclined to believe that. 575 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:27,720 And the reason for that is because Ghazi does go. 576 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:30,240 It's a failed attempt. He returns and then Elijah 577 00:36:30,240 --> 00:36:32,360 arrives on the scene of what happens. 578 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:38,840 The boy comes to life. If there is anybody to blame in 579 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:42,040 this part of the story, if there was anybody to blame, it would 580 00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:44,840 be Ghazi. It'd be Ghazi. 581 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:52,960 I think Ghazi here in this failed attempt is preparing us 582 00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:54,680 for something that we're going to discover in Second Kings 583 00:36:54,680 --> 00:37:01,360 Chapter 5, that what externally he served, internally he was 584 00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:06,800 rotten. He was in fact going to be 585 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:09,160 disqualified permanently from ministry. 586 00:37:09,720 --> 00:37:11,200 And that didn't just suddenly happened. 587 00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:17,760 There was something in his heart that was very, very much out of 588 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:23,840 line with God's heart. And I think at this point of the 589 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:25,600 story, Gehazi represents something. 590 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:31,440 Gehazi represents ministers who they they might work for godly 591 00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:33,400 ministries. They might even be associated 592 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:37,600 with godly men. They might even occupy a 593 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:41,560 spiritual office or position, but they are void of the power 594 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:48,240 of God. He's a sobering illustration 595 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:52,400 that it is possible to approach ministry without God's backing. 596 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,480 I'm not interested in ministry if I don't have God's backing. 597 00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:04,320 And I say that because it's no accident that immediately after 598 00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:08,520 Gehazi fails to accomplish something, we're told that 599 00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:13,880 Elijah is receiving and grants success to the matter. 600 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:21,640 Notice what happens verse 32. When Elijah came into the house, 601 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:24,000 he saw the child lying dead on his bed. 602 00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:28,320 So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and 603 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:36,400 prayed to the Lord. So he closes the door and he 604 00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:38,880 gets before the Lord, and he prays. 605 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:41,840 He prays and I think there's something there. 606 00:38:42,240 --> 00:38:46,440 Yes, this is a unique instance, but there's there's themes, 607 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:51,800 there are principles here. You cannot disconnect God's 608 00:38:51,840 --> 00:39:00,040 authentic seal on your service from private prayer, from 609 00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:03,720 regularly coming before the Lord and depending on him. 610 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:07,520 That is what distinguishes a powerful ministry from a 611 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:10,880 powerless 1. You know, it's interesting how 612 00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:14,000 Jewish rabbis interpret the scriptures should be very 613 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:18,120 careful to rely on Christ denying Jewish interpretations 614 00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:20,920 of the scriptures. Some some some how strange ideas 615 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:24,400 of of what takes place here. And sometimes they read too much 616 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:27,560 into the text and we have to be careful of doing the same. 617 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:33,200 We see here that when Gehazi arrives on the scene, he was 618 00:39:33,240 --> 00:39:35,720 specifically told. Do not greet anybody. 619 00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:38,000 Don't stop at any place. Go directly to that room. 620 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:41,520 Lay that snap on his face. And see what happens and. 621 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:43,880 And some people say well yeah, but but Gehazi must have stopped 622 00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:46,000 and talked to some people and they go beyond that. 623 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,960 They say Gehazi on his way was telling people I'm not about to 624 00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:51,320 raise somebody from the dead. You want to come and see it. 625 00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:53,440 And he gets to the room and notice that it's not told in the 626 00:39:53,440 --> 00:39:55,280 text that he closed the door and he tried to make a public 627 00:39:55,280 --> 00:39:56,760 spectacle of it and that's why God didn't honor. 628 00:39:56,760 --> 00:39:58,120 That's reading too much into the text. 629 00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:02,520 I believe more than anything else, if you contrast Gehazi 630 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:07,240 and. Elijah Gehazi was missing a true 631 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:10,880 fear of God, a true relationship with God, whereas Elijah 632 00:40:11,080 --> 00:40:13,320 possessed it. Do you realize that in, in this 633 00:40:13,320 --> 00:40:16,320 text, twice we read all is well, all is well. 634 00:40:17,280 --> 00:40:19,680 It's not the last time you see that phrase in connection to the 635 00:40:19,680 --> 00:40:23,240 story, at least in connection to these men who are involved in 636 00:40:23,240 --> 00:40:26,280 the story. Go to 2nd Kings chapter 5 very 637 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:28,880 quickly. This is after another miracle 638 00:40:28,880 --> 00:40:31,280 will take place, and we're going to unpack that in greater detail 639 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:35,280 in the weeks to come. Naman, remember Naman, the 640 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:37,760 commander of the army of the king of Syria, He's he. 641 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:40,160 He has leprosy. He goes to Elijah to receive 642 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:42,280 healing. He is granted that healing. 643 00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:47,600 And he wants to pay him, Naman wants to reward him, and we're 644 00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:51,040 going to study in a few weeks. Why Elijah refused to receive 645 00:40:51,040 --> 00:40:54,000 payment. But what happens? 646 00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:58,280 Gehazi overhears this. And he overhears that he denied 647 00:40:58,280 --> 00:41:01,080 this and he thought it was foolish. 648 00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:07,320 So let me just read this. We read here in verse 20, 649 00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:09,840 Gehazi, the servant of Elijah, the man of God, said, see my 650 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:13,160 master has spared this name in the Syrian, and not accepting 651 00:41:13,160 --> 00:41:16,640 from his hand what he brought, as the Lord lives, I will run 652 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:18,520 after him and get something from him. 653 00:41:18,720 --> 00:41:22,240 So Gehazi followed Naman and when Naman saw someone running 654 00:41:22,240 --> 00:41:25,920 after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said is 655 00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:32,600 all well. How does he answer in verse 22? 656 00:41:33,440 --> 00:41:39,680 And he said, all is well. My master has sent me to say, 657 00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:43,160 there have just now come to me from the Hill Country of Ephraim 658 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:45,440 two young men of the sons of the prophets. 659 00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:48,600 Please give me a talent of silver and two changes of 660 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:51,120 clothing. And Naman said Be pleased to 661 00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:54,240 accept 2 talents and he urged them and he tied up the two 662 00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:57,400 talents of silver and two bags with two changes of clothing and 663 00:41:57,400 --> 00:42:00,600 laid them on two of his servants and they carried them before. 664 00:42:00,840 --> 00:42:03,480 Ghazi is all well. Ghazi, all is well. 665 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:08,720 No, all is not well. Actually, you know, there are 666 00:42:08,720 --> 00:42:11,920 many people today who believe all is well when all is not well 667 00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:19,720 because they had the cancer of greed eating them up because 668 00:42:19,720 --> 00:42:24,040 they're bound and lust, because they're riddled with pride, 669 00:42:25,560 --> 00:42:28,920 because they have sued their conscience by convincing 670 00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:31,360 themselves that there is no God and there is no accountability 671 00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:33,760 and there's no eternity. And they think all is well. 672 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:36,800 Have you ever talked to somebody who's outside of Christ and they 673 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:39,480 say all is well? I don't need your Jesus. 674 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:42,520 I don't need your gossip. Your, your, your gospel. 675 00:42:42,520 --> 00:42:45,360 I, this is a reflection of Ghazi is all well, all is well. 676 00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:49,040 And just a few short verses. He was inexperienced. 677 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:54,640 Judgement, divine judgement. I don't know how long Gahazi 678 00:42:54,640 --> 00:42:59,320 believed all was well, but when we come back to 2nd Kings 679 00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:02,800 chapter 4, he should have picked up on some clues. 680 00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:09,360 A rebuke from his teacher, something not happening when he 681 00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:13,800 was instructed by a prophet. He delayed. 682 00:43:16,320 --> 00:43:19,000 But when Elijah comes on the scene, he prays. 683 00:43:19,400 --> 00:43:22,120 He seeks God. And what what do we read 684 00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:25,160 happens? Verse 34. 685 00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:28,160 Then he went up and laid on lay on the child, putting his mouth 686 00:43:28,160 --> 00:43:30,520 on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his 687 00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:32,720 hands. And as he stretched himself upon 688 00:43:32,720 --> 00:43:34,880 him, the flesh of the child became warm. 689 00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:38,840 Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the 690 00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:40,680 house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. 691 00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:45,840 The child sneezed 7 times and the child opened his eyes. 692 00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:54,840 Elijah shows us the true way of a truly successful ministry. 693 00:43:56,560 --> 00:44:03,880 No prayer, no power. Little prayer, little power, 694 00:44:04,600 --> 00:44:13,640 much prayer. Much power, a seasoned prophet 695 00:44:14,520 --> 00:44:17,760 who never forgot the true success. 696 00:44:18,640 --> 00:44:26,120 The true secret? Pray and when something doesn't 697 00:44:26,120 --> 00:44:31,640 work, pray and when you think it's going to work, pray and 698 00:44:31,640 --> 00:44:32,840 when the answer doesn't come right away. 699 00:44:32,920 --> 00:44:35,240 Just like this child, his body first became warm. 700 00:44:35,240 --> 00:44:37,200 He didn't instantly get up and start sneezing. 701 00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:44,080 Pray, pray, pray. He prays. 702 00:44:45,400 --> 00:44:48,320 The child sneezes 7 times. It's very difficult to find a 703 00:44:48,320 --> 00:44:51,440 reason for why the evidence of his life returning to him came 704 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:56,720 about in this fashion. Verse 36 Then he summoned Gehazi 705 00:44:56,720 --> 00:44:59,920 and said, call this Shunamite. So he called her and when she 706 00:44:59,920 --> 00:45:02,000 came to him, he said, pick up your son. 707 00:45:02,120 --> 00:45:05,080 She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground. 708 00:45:05,320 --> 00:45:08,320 Then she picked up her son and went out. 709 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:11,600 And you and I might think this is the last that we'll see and 710 00:45:11,600 --> 00:45:14,280 hear of the Shunamite woman, and we would be wrong. 711 00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:20,400 She asked a question earlier, does she not? 712 00:45:21,960 --> 00:45:26,280 Did I ask for a son? Did I not say do not deceive me? 713 00:45:28,360 --> 00:45:31,120 She was trying to figure this whole thing out herself. 714 00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:34,120 I don't get, I didn't look for this, I didn't demand this. 715 00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:36,560 I didn't really fast for at least there's no evidence of it 716 00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:38,480 in the scripture. It was granted to me. 717 00:45:38,640 --> 00:45:44,000 And just when I was enjoying it, you took him from me, and now 718 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:47,880 you bring it back to me. She was thankful that I'm sure. 719 00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:53,640 Is there any, any threat, any kind of clue of how we make 720 00:45:53,640 --> 00:45:56,080 sense of this story? And I believe there. 721 00:45:56,080 --> 00:46:01,680 Is just like how sometimes it might take time in your life to 722 00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:05,560 discover how God's wisdom works in our trials. 723 00:46:06,920 --> 00:46:10,120 Go to 2nd Kings chapter 8. I'm scared to explain this too 724 00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:12,520 too much because we're going to come to it eventually if God 725 00:46:12,520 --> 00:46:19,400 wills, but let me just give you some kind of insight that will 726 00:46:19,400 --> 00:46:21,160 make this Bible studies conclusion. 727 00:46:23,080 --> 00:46:29,440 A bit more. Clear a famine hits the land and 728 00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:32,040 up to this point Elisha still stays in touch with the shunami. 729 00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:33,440 Look at verse two of Second Kings 8. 730 00:46:33,440 --> 00:46:35,560 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man 731 00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:38,160 of God, because Elisha says. You need to leave here. 732 00:46:38,920 --> 00:46:40,280 There's going to be a seven-year famine. 733 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:42,080 You need to go. You need to go to the land of 734 00:46:42,080 --> 00:46:44,000 the Philistines. So she went with her household 735 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,680 and sojourn in the land of the Philistines 7 years. 736 00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:50,160 And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned 737 00:46:50,160 --> 00:46:52,000 from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal 738 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:53,560 to the king for her house and her land. 739 00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:58,960 Now the king was talking with. Gehazi, the servant of the man 740 00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:01,040 of God. You ever wonder what's Gehazi 741 00:47:01,040 --> 00:47:04,000 doing before the king? We're going to discover that in 742 00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:06,720 the next few chapters. But Ghazi was there with the 743 00:47:06,720 --> 00:47:09,080 king saying, right, what does the king say? 744 00:47:09,080 --> 00:47:11,400 Tell me all the great things that Elijah had done. 745 00:47:11,680 --> 00:47:14,760 He knew that this man worked for and worked with Elijah. 746 00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:17,640 So he's just out of curiosity, you know, I'd like to hear some 747 00:47:17,640 --> 00:47:19,560 of those glory stories. Can you explain some of the 748 00:47:19,840 --> 00:47:22,520 amazing miraculous things that took place while you work with 749 00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:26,360 Elijah? Verse 5, And while he was 750 00:47:26,360 --> 00:47:29,960 telling the king how Elijah had restored the dead to life. 751 00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:33,440 Behold, underline that pause. Behold being. 752 00:47:33,440 --> 00:47:35,600 Check this out. Look at this. 753 00:47:35,600 --> 00:47:40,760 Behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to 754 00:47:40,760 --> 00:47:45,280 the king for her house and her land, and Gehazi said, My Lord, 755 00:47:45,440 --> 00:47:49,560 O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elijah 756 00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:53,560 restored to life. Is this coincidence? 757 00:47:53,960 --> 00:47:57,200 Don't you dare say it is. This is not coincidence. 758 00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:01,840 It starts with the letter P. This is Providence. 759 00:48:02,920 --> 00:48:06,680 Right at a time when Gehazi was speaking to the king and the 760 00:48:06,680 --> 00:48:09,400 king wants to hear stories about Elijah and what he had done for 761 00:48:09,400 --> 00:48:11,800 the Lord. And this woman is coming back 762 00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:15,720 from 7 years of exile so to speak. 763 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:18,160 And right when she walks into her appointment with the king to 764 00:48:18,160 --> 00:48:21,120 restore her house and her land, Gehazi is talking about her. 765 00:48:22,720 --> 00:48:25,120 And what happens? Verse 6. 766 00:48:25,160 --> 00:48:27,440 And when the king asked the woman, she told them. 767 00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:31,120 So the king appointed an official for her, saying restore 768 00:48:31,280 --> 00:48:34,800 all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields, 769 00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:38,000 from the day that she left the land until now. 770 00:48:41,200 --> 00:48:44,200 Were kings generally good or wicked during this time in 771 00:48:44,200 --> 00:48:49,680 Israel's history? And So what? 772 00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:52,640 What was it that compelled this king to not just restore her 773 00:48:52,640 --> 00:48:55,320 land, but say, you know what, Everything that you missed out 774 00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:57,400 on these past seven years, I'm going to return to you and 775 00:48:57,400 --> 00:49:00,000 restore to you. What was it that moved him? 776 00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:06,040 The testimony of her son being raised from the dead, when this 777 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:10,160 king realized that God had such favor upon her and God moved on 778 00:49:10,160 --> 00:49:13,600 her behalf in such a way and moved him to say, I'm willing to 779 00:49:13,600 --> 00:49:17,440 help you, so let's put this together. 780 00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:21,440 Back in Second Kings chapter 4, this woman receives the son. 781 00:49:21,760 --> 00:49:24,960 The son dies. She goes through agonizing pain. 782 00:49:24,960 --> 00:49:29,080 I'm sure as a loving mother. There are no answers right away, 783 00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:31,680 but down the world, realize that the God who knows your 784 00:49:31,680 --> 00:49:39,120 tomorrow's prepares you today. And how did he prepare for the 785 00:49:39,120 --> 00:49:41,640 years that would come where this famine would hit? 786 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:44,040 And there would be a specific ruler and he would need a 787 00:49:44,040 --> 00:49:47,120 specific story to be behind her and to support her and to 788 00:49:47,120 --> 00:49:48,960 restore and to take care of her and her family. 789 00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:54,120 It would take this season of pain so that it would produce a 790 00:49:54,120 --> 00:49:57,440 compelling story so that she would be taken care of for the 791 00:49:57,440 --> 00:50:02,800 rest of her life. That's why one reason why in the 792 00:50:02,800 --> 00:50:07,440 scriptures, so why was this provides us in the word of God 793 00:50:07,440 --> 00:50:10,560 so that when you are trying to make sense of this chapter, 794 00:50:10,560 --> 00:50:13,880 understand that God has already written every chapter. 795 00:50:14,640 --> 00:50:18,240 You just haven't read it yet and you don't understand how this 796 00:50:18,240 --> 00:50:21,200 masterful supernatural author will piece it all together. 797 00:50:22,320 --> 00:50:25,120 So this this is just one among many stories for you to 798 00:50:25,200 --> 00:50:27,760 understand. I I don't understand this. 799 00:50:28,080 --> 00:50:29,840 I don't understand why this happened now. 800 00:50:29,960 --> 00:50:32,480 I don't understand why God did this only for it to lead to 801 00:50:32,480 --> 00:50:34,440 this. I may not understand it, but I 802 00:50:34,440 --> 00:50:37,880 know a story in my Bible of a Shunammite woman who also didn't 803 00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:47,040 get it until later on. And that insight, that foresight 804 00:50:47,560 --> 00:50:52,680 should grant you and I the energy and the stability and the 805 00:50:52,680 --> 00:50:59,360 confidence to say all is. Well, when at this time it may 806 00:50:59,360 --> 00:51:08,880 be difficult to say it because the one who loves you, cares for 807 00:51:08,880 --> 00:51:14,760 you, has lived out and prepared your tomorrow's, He is worthy of 808 00:51:14,760 --> 00:51:17,320 our praise. Let's thank you for this Bible 809 00:51:17,320 --> 00:51:39,400 study. Father, you are beyond good to 810 00:51:39,400 --> 00:51:50,280 love us enough to provide us this incredible testimony so 811 00:51:50,280 --> 00:51:58,280 that we can be prepared for trials that might knock the wind 812 00:51:58,280 --> 00:52:02,840 out of us. And for us who may still be 813 00:52:02,840 --> 00:52:07,400 trying to make sense of what's happening with our children, 814 00:52:08,760 --> 00:52:13,960 with our spouses, with our ministries, with our health, 815 00:52:14,960 --> 00:52:20,840 with our finances. You've provided us this story. 816 00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:25,680 You've inscribed it and Holy Writ to remind us that we can 817 00:52:25,680 --> 00:52:32,800 say all is well because you have a reason and more than one 818 00:52:32,800 --> 00:52:35,720 reason for why you're allowing what we are enduring. 819 00:52:38,520 --> 00:52:42,400 And so, Lord, even as we sing this song in light of these 820 00:52:42,400 --> 00:52:46,600 Scripture truths, may you receive the honor and the glory. 821 00:52:46,600 --> 00:52:53,960 May you infuse us with a real faith, a stronger faith that 822 00:52:53,960 --> 00:52:56,440 would anchor us as we walk out of these doors tonight and live 823 00:52:56,440 --> 00:53:00,280 out day by day, whatever you have prepared for us. 824 00:53:01,080 --> 00:53:04,880 We give you thanks for what you've done, what you will do, 825 00:53:05,680 --> 00:53:08,080 and we pray these things in Jesus name, Amen. 826 00:53:08,920 --> 00:53:11,280 Amen. All is well. 827 00:53:14,280 --> 00:53:14,800 Let's stand.