Keeping Your Faith in Difficult TimesSample

SPEAK YOUR FAITH

One of the most unimaginable and difficult times in a woman's life is to experience the death of a child. Whether her offspring is lost due to miscarriage or later, as an adult, a woman’s heart is broken and her mind is perplexed by the magnitude of such a loss. Under normal circumstances, when a woman holds the beautiful gift of life in her arms for the first time, she is not anticipating the possibility of having to lay her precious one to rest. Whether male or female, we all expect for our children to succeed us in life.

2 Kings 4:8-26 tells us of a woman who honored the prophet of God, Elisha. She sought her husband’s assistance in providing a place in their home to accommodate Elisha when he was in their city of Shunem. Elisha was appreciative of the woman's kindness, and consulted with his servant, Gehazi, regarding how he could be a blessing to the Shunammite woman. Gehazi informed Elisha that she did not have a child. Elisha prophesied that she would bear a son, and it came to pass. When the boy became a youth, he was stricken with an unidentified illness and died.

The Shunammite woman, though looking at a dead situation, had the faith that all was not lost. She did not share with her husband that their son was dead, but asked him to assist her in getting to the man of God. When he questioned her about her reason for the journey, she spoke by faith, “It shall be well.”

“And she called unto her husband, and said, ‘Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.’ And he said, ‘Wherefore wilt thou go to him today? It is neither new moon, nor sabbath.’ And she said, ‘It shall be well.’” 2Kings 4:22-23 KJV

As the woman approached Elisha, he spoke to his servant saying, “Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, ‘It is well.’” 2 Kings 4:26 KJV

In both instances, this woman who is facing the darkest hour of her life speaks her faith. She tells her husband, “It shall be well.” Likewise, when she answers the prophet of God, she says, “It is well.” This woman, believing in her heart that which she did not see with her eyes, spoke her faith—it is well! Elisha responded to her faith, accompanied her home, and by the power of God he resurrected her son and presented him to her.

When we face the difficult times of our life, we must look beyond the situation and speak our faith. Regardless of what we see, we must speak what we believe. Jesus said to his disciples, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Mark 11:23 KJV