I'm meditating upon the passage in the Bible in II Kings 4 where the Shunammite lady's son had suddenly died. I am amazed at her calmness as she quietly told one of the young servant men to saddle a donkey so she could go to the man of God. Her words in verse 23 amaze me: "It shall be well." And when she met Gahazi, and he asked her, "Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?" She answered, "It is well."
I think that if Gahazi had asked me that question, I would have completely lost it. I might have crumbled into an emotional outburst and dissolved in a puddle of tears. But this Shunammite woman was so full of faith and trust in her Lord. She maintained a calm and peaceful spirit in the midst of her greatest heartache.
I am challenged and encouraged by this lady's show of faith. I am only an imperfect home-maker. I have so many faults and I fail to do things right.
But I have a great God. Yes, I do. I know that He hears me. And at times when I don't have control over certain situations, I can cry out to God, and God alone, and I know He hears me, and He will give the answer.
Just this past weekend, my mother gave a lesson to some ladies on the life of Queen Esther. Queen Esther faced a very dangerous situation, as her people were facing elimination. She was told that she must act, or she could perish along with her people. "What was Queen Esther's action?" my mother asked. She didn't call an army together to defeat her enemy! She called her maids to fast with her and to pray. What a lady of great faith! God gave her incredible wisdom to deal with the wicked, murderous man who was threatening her people and her own life. God gave her the wisdom to know how to deal graciously with the heartless King who was her husband.
And dear Wives and Mamas reading this, we, too, have power with God. We may "only" scrub toilets and mend clothes and prepare meals for our family today; perhaps the only thing we accomplish today is teaching the ABCs to our little Pre-K child; you may have struggled today just to get the clothes out on the line; you may feel like a failure because you had so many interruptions and didn't get it all done. I know. I'm there so many times!
But God has confirmed in my heart that He is right there with me. He sees my struggles, but He sees my motives and my intentions. He sees all my imperfections, yet He sends me love-gestures throughout my day.
And when things seem to be spinning out of control, we can say with confidence, as that Shunammite Mama said, "It is well." And we can know that all is well. All is well because we have direct access to the One Who conrols it all. He set the moon and stars in their place; He keeps the earth rotating, and the seasons of the year do not cease because He controls them.
Take heart! Pray when your child just doesn't get his Math concepts, and doesn't seem motivated enough to do school. Pray when your grocery money just doesn't quite make it to the next pay day; pray when you have a "want," but it is an expensive "want;" and know that the Lord can fulfill that desire. Pray when your toddler seems like he'll NEVER get potty-trained. Pray, wife, pray when Hubby's decision leaves a feeling in your heart that "it" may not be right. God wants to hear from you...He sees your situation, but He wants you to ask, so He can give.
And He wants to develop in your heart an unwavering confidence that He is in control. And that all is well.
