Unlikely Friendship: Speaking Over Old Promisesনমুনা

Is there anything that will make a crowd shout louder than telling them that they’re influencing people in rooms they haven’t even accessed yet? Crazy thing is, that principle is actually Biblical, at least in the case of the Shunammite Woman. Consider my mind blown.

The Shunammite Woman’s story keeps getting better and better. When she returned to Israel from the land of the Philistines she and her family lived in during the famine, she went straight to the palace.

Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, was already there, talking about her to King Joram. The king had asked him to share everything the prophet Elisha had done. She entered the palace to make her request during the very moment Gehazi started recounting how Elisha had restored her son’s life.

Together, their testimony was even stronger as the Shunammite Woman joined in to share her side of the story, and it’s here that we learn that Godly friendship should lead others to find greater admiration for God.

Elisha’s absence took nothing away from the encounter she had with the king. His friendship with the Shunammite Woman had left a legacy that continued to follow them. Their friendship:

• offered Elisha a place to rest on his travels,
• helped the Shunammite Woman’s old hopes and dreams to be revived,
• led the King to develop reverence for the Lord,
• and ultimately ended in the restoration of all that the Shunammite Woman had owned prior to her leave of absence from her land.

Godly friendship leaves a legacy that leads others to grow in love toward the Lord Jesus Christ more completely.

It’s one I hope we all consider and pray about carefully.

While it’s easy to stop praying there, I continue to grow encouraged because whether or not we ever enjoy a friendship like that between Elisha and the Shunammite Woman, we all have one in Christ Jesus.

To say that our friendship with Jesus is the most unlikely friendship of all is an understatement. When we were at our worst, the Great God of the Universe decided to descend from Heaven to humble Himself, take on our sins, and leave a legacy of love that would point others back to Him when we honor His life with integrity. It is truly the greatest friendship we could ever hope to enjoy.

Today, the Holy Spirit rests in our hearts so that our hope in Him can be revived every single day. Despite how many old promises seem to lead to dead ends, I invite you to remember that we have eternal life in Jesus, and that is a reason to feel restored, for sure!

Questions for Reflection

1. What friendships has the Lord led you to cultivate that have introduced others to the love of Christ more fully?
2. In what ways do you feel the Lord’s friendship offering restoration to you during this season of your life?

Prayer

Father God,

I cannot thank You enough for Your Son, Jesus. His finished work on the cross and the resurrection has renewed my reason for living. I thank You for restoring the friendship that we have together through His life.

Will you please help me to cultivate God-honoring friendships that fulfill the call on my life to share the Gospel? It is my prayer that You would help me leave a legacy of integrity, love, and faithfulness through the friendships that point others to Your love.

I trust You with my friendships, and I bless You for healing me completely so that I may enjoy the fullness You have to offer in each of those connections.

In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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