Expectation: It Is Well

EXPECTING? IT SHALL BE WELL! IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL… WHAT AM I EXPECTING?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

ACCIDENT? IT IS WELL? HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF A MAN NAMED CLIFF BARROWS?

Cliff Barrows was born in 1923 and lived to be 93 years old. Barrows was born in California, his father was a farmer. .He attended Bob Jones University and graduated in 1944. Cliff was an ordained Baptist minister. Cliff became the assistant pastor of TEMPLE BAPTIST CHURCH in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In 1945 Cliff married Billie and they had limited funds. They decided to attend a YOUTH FOR CHRIST RALLY IN ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. The special speaker was a young man named BILLY GRAHAM. The meetings had a scheduled song leader and piano player. The song leader was very sick and had a sore throat. The crusade was in deep trouble. Someone mentioned there was a nice young song leader there to attend the meetings. His name was CLIFF AND HE WAS VERY CAPABLE TO LEAD THE SERVICES. CLIFF BARROWS became a lifelong friend OF Billy Graham. Cliff was the song leader, music director and master of ceremonies for Billy.

While in California BILLY GRAHAM, GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA, GRADY WILSON AND CLIFF BARROWS thought about the failures of other evangelist and they came in an agreement called the MODESTO MANIFESTO to stay pure before God. They agreed on 4 points: 1. Financial integrity, 2. Sexual purity, 3. Handling criticism, 4. Reporting with integrity… THE BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION lasted a life time. CLIFF BARROWS would have never met and become lifelong ministry partner that touched the world… ALL BECAUSE OF A SICK SORE THROAT… accident? IT IS WELL! CLIFF WAS INDUCTED IN THE GOSPEL MUSIC HALL OF FAME IN 1988… over 70 years of faithful ministry. ACCIDENT? IT IS WELL.

IT SHALL BE WELL IS A DECLARATION OF FAITH. WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING?

IT SHALL BE WELL DOES NOT ELIMINATE TRIALS, STORMS, PROBLEMS, SICKNESS OR EVEN DEATH. It shall be well is a statement of faith that we shall find purpose, peace, joy and love by trusting the DIVINE PLAN. This storm, this trial, this problem is a great opportunity: IT SHALL BE WELL.

WILL WE LISTEN TO A NOBODY, UNNAMED WOMAN AS SHE MAKES THE DECLARATION: IT SHALL BE WELL…

There was a difficult problem in Israel. The old preacher had served God faithfully. He traveled and was a CIRCUIT PREACHER. He (ELISHA) and his servant (GEHAZI) often had to sleep on the ground. The ministers traveled through SHUNEM very often. There was a woman, we don’t know her name, so we call her the SHUNAMITE WOMAN. We may not know her name but the preacher and God knew her. THE SHUNAMITE WOMAN HAD DISCERNMENT AND SHE RECOGNIZED ELISHA WAS A MAN OF GOD… SHE OFTEN INVITED ELISHA AND GEHAZI to come over and eat with her and her husband… The Lord blessed this woman and her husband. They had compassion for the HOLY MAN.

2 Kings 4:9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.

CAN WE RECOGNIZE SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL NEEDS? THIS SHUNAMITE WOMAN HAD A HEART TO HEART TALK WITH HER HUSBAND… IT HURTS ME TO SEE THIS MAN OF GOD SLEEPING OUT IN THE WEATHER… SHE HAS A SUGGESTION FOR HER HUSBAND… LET US REMODEL OUR HOME AND ADD ON A ROOM FOR THE MAN OF GOD!

2 Kings 4:10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.

ONE DAY ELISHA ASKED: YOU HAVE BLESSED US… HOW CAN WE BLESS YOU? SHE SAID: GOD HAS BLESSED US, WE NEED NOTHING… GEHAZI TALKED TO ELISHA AND SAID: I KNOW… I KNOW A NEED…

2 Kings 4:14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.

EXPECTING? ARE YOU LYING? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? ELISHA CALLED THE SHUNAMITE WOMAN TO COME TO OUR ROOM… WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING? NOTHING?

2 Kings 4:16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.

EXPECTING? LET US FAST FORWARD MAYBE 16 YEARS? … IT IS HARVEST TIME… WE ARE EXPECTING A GOOD HARVEST?

Of all times you need all hands on deck it is harvest time. The promise was true. THE SON HAD A SERIOUS HEADACHE! MY HEAD! MY HEAD! Dad kept working and sent his son to the house… THE SON DIED AND SHE DID NOT TAKE HER SON INTO HIS BEDROOM… SHE REMEMBERED THE PREACHER’S ROOM.